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THE FUTURE OF THE SABRES

Rasmus

RISTOLAINEN A KEY COMPONENT OF AN ELITE TEAM

he Buffalo Sabres are in the process of building a Championship caliber team that will contend for years to come.

In addition to his experiences in the Sabres organization last season, Ristolainen also was a member of Finland’s World Junior Championship winning team.

One of the key components of an elite team is the strength of the defense. The Sabres acquired two stellar young defensemen in the 2013 entry draft that will be the foundation of their defensive corps for the future: Rasmus Ristolainen and Nikita Zadorov.

“That was great for me,” said Ristolainen. “Before that I had a tough period here, I got a concussion. I couldn’t do anything, I just layed in my room. I got better and I got to go to the world juniors. We had an all right team, we weren’t the top team on paper, but we were a real team and we played together. It’s a great thing that we won it. It was a good experience for me.”

Ristolainen, a twenty year old native of Turku, Finland, split his time last season, playing thirty-four regular season games and five post-season contests with Buffalo’s AHL affiliate in Rochester and made thirty-four appearances in the NHL for the Sabres.

Not only does the 6’ 4” 219-pound defenseman have a World Junior Championship title to his credit but he also netted the winning goal in the tournament. For Ristolainen, the tournament win was the key and the goal just a nice bonus.

This season, Ristolainen has secured a regular spot on the Buffalo blue line. He credits his time in Rochester last season as well as off season work with helping him to continue to improve his game.

“I like winning,” explained Ristolainen. “That’s the biggest thing, to win something. I haven’t won anything before, like any championships - that was my first. It felt great and, of course, it was a little extra when I scored the goal.”

“I started working on it last year when I got to Rochester,” recalled Ristolainen. “That was really good for me, I got used to the game. Last year Teddy (Sabres Head Coach Ted Nolan) was here and I have a good relationship with him. Last year he thought sending me to Rochester might help me more. There in Rochester they had a great coaching staff that pushed me forward. This year here there a couple of new coaches that are doing a great job. Helping me every day, giving me some tapes every day, working with me after the games and helping me, it’s really good stuff.” “Then I had a great summer with my trainer back home. I knew I was going to be better than I was last year. I’m trying to get better all the time and I know I can do it.”

The Sabres began the 2014-15 campaign with many new faces on the roster. It’s taken some time for the group to come together and now the wins are starting to come. “We had a slow start, a lot of new guys,” said Ristolainen. “We changed the lines a lot at the start; we couldn’t find good chemistry with each other. We practiced a lot and right now we’re doing pretty good, we got some wins and we are a pretty good team right now and there is a great chemistry going on right now with lines and the “D” pairs. Every day you spend time with the guys more and more, it brings everybody together more and more.” “We had a bunch of new guys at the start of the season,” Photo credit: Dan Hickling

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THAT’S THE BIGGEST THING, TO WIN SOMETHING, EXPLAINS RISTOLAINEN

5 BLUE LINE IS ON DISPLAY TODAY By Dave Reichert

Nikita

ZADOROV IS THE STRENGTH OF THE DEFENSE

said Zadorov. “Now that we’ve played together, we know each other, now we know how to play the system. I think we’ve started playing more physical. Everyone is bringing great effort every game and that’s the biggest thing. I see that every day, it doesn’t matter if we are losing, we are going to fight through that. It’s great and I think you have to have that character and you want to win something. In any sport, the goal is to win and you are going on the ice to try to win every game and bring your best game and do your best for the team.” Both Ristolainen and Zadorov have earned the trust of the Sabres coaching staff. The two young talents have logged significant ice time totals in all game situations. “It means a lot to me,” stated Ristolainen. “I love to get alot of ice time and I’m trying to get better and better, get more and more trust so I can play more and more. For me, I can never play too much. I’m trying to get a bigger role and more ice time all the time and help the team that way.” “I think it’s great,” offered Zadorov. “When the coaches are trusting the young guys on the ice in every situation. It’s great for me, I like it. Teddy (Nolan), Danny Flynn, Bryan Trottier, they are all great. Bryan played twenty years in the NHL and won so many cups. This guy who you can look to and ask anything and he knows what to do; he’s been there.” Zadorov has been able to develop a strong relationship with Ted Nolan, not just in terms of play on the ice, but also in adjusting to life in North America. “It’s nice to have a coach that you can talk to about anything; about life, not just hockey,” explained Zadorov. “He’s great off the ice, he’s helping me, it’s not

just about hockey, it’s about life. He’s kind of like your teacher, your second dad.” Ristolainen and Zadorov are growing together. Both men enjoy playing with each other and making the transition to full time play in the NHL. “We have a pretty good chemistry with each other,” said Ristolainen. “We’ve played some games pretty well, some games we could play better, but I like to play with him. We have seven or eight really good “D” men here and I think I’m going to move around and play with everybody, but I do like to play with Nikita. We are the same age and we are in the same position in our careers. We try to push each other forward. We talk a lot off the ice and on the ice.” Zadorov also appreciates pairing with Ristolainen. The nineteen year old Russian is enjoying teaming with Rasmus. “I like playing with him a lot,” confirmed Zadorov. “We are the same age, we are friends off the ice - it’s great to play with him. He’s one of the best young defensemen in the world. We just have to keep going and continue to do our best in the future. As young guys, we try to push each other all the time, we help each other. It’s not like playing with a veteran who is a lot older; you may not talk to each other a lot off the ice because you are different ages, with different friends.” Zadorov’s journey to the NHL has taken a different path than that of Ristolainen. Due to his junior hockey eligibility, Zadorov has played with the OHL’s London Knights over the past few seasons. He acknowledges that there was an adjustment period moving from the OHL to the NHL. Continued onto next page

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WE KNOW EACH OTHER, NOW WE KNOW HOW TO PLAY THE SYSTEM, SAYS ZADOROV

6 tHe FUtUre oF tHe saBres BLUe Line is on DisPLaY toDaY

Rasmus

Nikita

RISTOLAINEN ZADOROV

Photo credits: Dan Hickling Continued from previous page

“Sometimes it’s hard coming from junior hockey,” explained Zadorov. “It’s more physical, you don’t have as much time as you have in juniors. But I think I did well, I played a couple of games in the NHL last year, got some good experience and made the job easier for me. I played a lot there last year, I played thirty-plus minutes a game and I had a good experience in the world cup and playoffs. The two years in London were really good for me and I learned a lot from the coaches.” Zadorov’s stint with the Sabres started slowly this season, but much like the team as a whole, he has improved significantly as the year has progressed. “It was a little bit tough for me, I didn’t play much,” recalled Zadorov. “I was only playing about six minutes in the beginning, then I jumped up to twelve minutes. My ice time was going up and up, every game I played better, I got my confidence back.” Zadorov has also learned a great deal from the experiences of the Sabres’ veteran defensemen. “Josh Gorges, he’s helped me a lot,” stated Zadorov. “He has ten years in the league. He’s helped me with where to put my stick on the PK (penalty kill), getting the right position, he’s showed me so many things.” Ristolainen and Zadorov have brought so much to the Sabres in their relatively short time with team. They both have provided much needed offense from the back end, physicality and a strong commitment to strong two-way play. “I think I’m an all-around, good two-way defenseman,” said Ristolainen. “I like to play all the roles in the game, power play penalty kill, everything. That’s the way I like to play. I like to create some offense, but you can’t do it

all the time. When I get a chance to go offensively, I go; when the situation calls for me to stay back, I do that.” Zadorov agrees that you have to develop and use good judgment when gauging game situations. Learning from mistakes and staying in the moment is essential. “Sometimes you can jump in the rush, sometimes you can carry the puck,” said Zadorov. “That’s one of my pluses, I love to score goals, I like to play offensively, I love playing the power play. If I have a chance to jump in, I do it and I try my best. The best defensemen play well defensively but they get their points at this level. You have to do that. You just have to take it shift by shift too. If you have a bad shift you just have to forget about it and just come out for the next shift and do your best. This is a game where you can’t be thinking about what happened five minutes ago, you have to keep moving forward.” Ristolainen and Zadorov are enjoying playing in Buffalo. The enthusiasm of the fans is something they have been able to feed off of as the team’s fortunes have started to turn after a poor start. “Everyone likes winning; no one likes losing,” said Ristolainen. “I think we have great fans here in Buffalo. They support us a lot and that’s a big thing. We’ve been able to come from behind in games - that is building confidence; it’s great winning for our fans.” “I’m enjoying it, we have some of the best fans in the NHL,” said Zadorov. “They push us, they help us all the time, it’s awesome. Even when we have bad times, bad days, they cheer for us and they are helping us. It’s a dream come true. I was watching games on TV and it was my dream to play in the NHL. It was my dream and now I’m here. It’s awesome to play in Buffalo and in the best league in the world.”

IT WAS MY DREAM AND NOW I’M HERE. IT’S AWESOME TO PLAY IN BUFFALO AND IN THE BEST LEAGUE IN THE WORLD. NIKITA ZADOROV

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I THINK WE HAVE GREAT FANS HERE IN BUFFALO, SAYS RISTOLAINEN

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CHRIS TAYLOR INDUCTED INTO AMERKS HALL OF FAME Taylor enjoyed a 19-year professional career that saw him become one of the all-time greats in an Amerks uniform. The Rochester Americans inducted Chris Taylor into the Amerks Hall of Fame on Saturday, January 10. Taylor, a former team captain and current assistant coach for the Amerks, became the 56th member of the exclusive club as selected by the Rochester Americans Hall of Fame Committee when he was inducted in an on-ice ceremony prior to the start of the game. He was also available to sign autographs for fans in the upper atrium prior to the ceremony. Taylor enjoyed a 19-year professional career that saw him become one of the all-time greats in an Amerks uniform. After spending parts of nine seasons with the Amerks between 1999 and 2011, Taylor finished his career ranked among the franchise’s all-time leaders in assists (3rd, 339), games played (4th, 519), points (5th, 481) and goals (10th, 142). He also served as team captain during the 2004-05 and 2005-06 seasons and was an alternate captain during several other campaigns. A member of the Amerks’ 50th Anniversary Team, Taylor is also a three-time Amerks team MVP and scoring champion (2001-02, 2002-03, 2004-05) and is the only player in franchise history to achieve those two feats in the same season on three occasions. During his final season as a player in 2010-11, Taylor ranked second on the Amerks team in

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scoring with 51 points (10+41) in 72 games. He also finished second on the team in scoring the previous year with 61 points (17+44) when he returned to Rochester following a three-year stint in Germany, where he played for the Frankfurt Lions. During the 2004-05 campaign, Taylor led the Amerks with 79 points (21+58) in 79 games to help the Amerks capture the MacGregor Kilpatrick Trophy for the AHL’s best regular season record and he was honored with the AHL’s Fred T. Hunt Award for sportsmanship, determination and dedication to the game of hockey. Taylor also shares the franchise record for most assists in a single game with six, set on Oct. 21, 2005. During his pro career, Taylor appeared in 149 NHL games with the New York Islanders, Boston Bruins and Buffalo Sabres, recording 32 points (11+21) and 48 PIM. Of those 149 games, 90 came in a Buffalo uniform. In 2003-04, he set NHL career-highs in games played (54), goals (6), assists (6) and points (12) while with the Sabres. Prior to joining the Sabres/Amerks organization in 1999, Taylor won two Turner Cup Championships with Denver and Utah of the International Hockey League. The Stratford, Ontario native was originally drafted by the Islanders in the second round (27th overall) of the 1990 NHL Entry Draft and finished his pro career with 1,297 games played at the NHL, AHL, IHL and European levels.

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DURING HIS PRO CAREER, TAYLOR APPEARED IN 149 NHL GAMES

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THE STAKES OF THE OUTCOME OF THE

INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION’S

U-18 WOMEN’S HOCKEY TOURNAMENT By James Fink

For the region, there’s a lot at stake with the outcome of the current International Ice Hockey Federation’s U-18 women’s hockey tournament than just gold or silver medals. On one level, hosting the tournament further cements the HARBORCENTER as a major destination for amateur and collegiate-level hockey competition. And, on another level, the U-18s may help set the stage for Buffalo landing the 2018 IIHF World Juniors, which is due to arrive back in the United States that year for the first time since the Buffalo Sabres hosted the 2010 competition. That year, more than 330,000 tickets were sold and virtually every game at First Niagara Center was sold-out. Only a tournament held in Ottawa sold more World Juniors tickets. Buffalo is facing stiff competition for the World Juniors including likely bids from such cities as Tampa, Detroit and Pittsburgh. “We’ve been stepping up the level of what we are doing,” said John Koelmel, HARBORCENTER president. “We want to maximize the opportunity.” With many of the marquee games selling more than 1,000 tickets for the 1,800-seat main rink at the HARBORCENTER, Buffalo has a good chance to set a new IIHF U-18 womens ticket sales mark. Prerov in the Czech Republic sold 17,480 when it hosted the 2012 tournament. The economic impact from the U-18s is expected to top $2 million, according to Visit Buffalo Niagara. The World Juniors had an economic impact across the region that exceeded $20 million during its 12-day run. To help create a festive atmosphere, the HARBORCENTER, in conjunction with the Erie Canal Harbor Development Corp., organized a three-day outdoor festival within the Canalside footprint and centered on the Ice@Canalside rink for Jan. 9 to 11. That event created its own buzz and painted a backdrop to help Buffalo’s effort to land not only the 2018 World Juniors but other major national and international tournaments. “In a way, the tournament and festival are sort of a ‘coming out’ moment for Canalside,” Koelmel said. “It is the perfect opportunity to showcase our indoor and outdoor rinks.” This season, the HARBORCENTER will host 20 tournaments including the international sled hockey championship series in April. The vast majority are regional and northeast-based amateur tournaments. The HARBORCENTER’s goal is to host at least two tournaments a month during the peak hockey season between September and late April. Officials estimate the downtown center, which just opened in late October, could welcome more than 500,000 visitors annually into downtown Buffalo, but they also concede that number may be on the conservative side. “This tournament (the U-18s), the sled hockey championships and other events really validate the strength of our partnership with USA Hockey,” Koelmel said. USA Hockey will ultimately recommend to the IIHF which U.S. city should host the 2018 World Juniors. That bidding process is expected to take place this summer. “We like our chances and will certainly give it a good run,” Koelmel said.

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THE TOURNAMENT VALIDATES THE STRENGTH OF OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH USA HOCKEY

The Buffalo Stars tryout for their 99 birth year Spring Team will be held at 2:45 on Monday, January 19th at Holiday Twin Rinks The Stars will participate in the Niagara Bauer Challenge in April in Canada and the Junior Chowder Cup in July in Boston and one additional tournament. More details will be published at www.buffalostars.com

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Coach Ted Nolan is in His Second Stint with the Buffalo Sabres by Bob Koshinski olan was hired to coach the sabres before the 1995-96 season and in his second year won the Jack adams award as the league’s top coach after the sabres won the northeast Division. nolan then parted ways with the team after being offered a one year contract extension from then recently hired general Manager Darcy regier. F nolan returned to the nHL to coach the new York islanders in 2006 taking them to their first playoff appearance in three years. nolan was dismissed in 2008 and became the Vice President of Hockey operations for the rochester amerks in 2009. F nolan left the amerks in 2011 when they were purchased by terry Pegula and his front office duties were absorbed into the Buffalo sabres organization. F in 2011 nolan accepted the position as head coach of the Latvian men’s national hockey league team. nolan coached Latvia at the 2012 and 2013 iiHF World championships, with Latvia finishing 10th and 11th respectively. in 2013 Latvia qualified for the 2014 Winter olympics under nolan’s leadership. F there, in sochi, russia, Latvia upset favored switzerland in the qualification playoffs 3-1 and then had all of canada holding their breath as the Latvian men dropped a 2-1 game to the gold medal favored canadians. that performance gave Latvia an eighth place finish, their best olympic performance ever. F in 2013 nolan was also hired by Pat LaFontaine to replace ron rolston as head coach of the Buffalo sabres. Western New York Hockey Magazine Editor Bob Koshinski recently sat down with Nolan for a one on one interview as he completed his first year back behind the Sabres bench.

Q Ted, the old saying is you can never go home again, but you have been back in Buffalo for thirteen months now, does it feel like you’re back home?

A Definitely, it’s one of those places that I never felt that I left spiritually. This city was tremendous to me and when I first came here they didn’t know who I was, but to welcome me here the way they did was incredible, I’ll never forget it as long as I live. After I left, whenever I drove through or stopped at one of the restaurants in town, it was just one of those places that was always a part of me and it’s great to be back.

Q The area immediately outside the Arena has changed quite a bit since the last time you coached in this town.

A As the old song says, the only thing that stays the same is that everything does change. This city definitely has changed, it’s growing up and filled with all the fancy things in town, the skating rink, HARBORCENTER, new hotels downtown, it’s really growing in a great direction. Continued onto page 13

It’s Great t Playing in a city like Buffalo...it doesn’t get any better than that.

to be Back

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Photo Credit: Bill Wippert /Buffalo Sabres

Head Coach of the Buffalo Sabres

TED NOLAN

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13 Coach Ted Nolan is in His Second Stint with the Buffalo Sabres

It’s Great to be Back Continued from page 10

Q How is this year different for you? You have your own coaching staff, a different roster: how is the team otherwise different than the one you took over last November?

A I refer to last year, kind of like the situation where you’re driving someone else’s car. You’re moving into someone else’s home, it’s different. You didn’t have a say in the development of it in the beginning so it’s a little bit tough to get used to it, but after a couple of months here I did get quite used to it. It’s always nice though to start out fresh when you have your own approach to training camp. Even though we didn’t start out the season the way we wanted to, the building blocks were set in camp. We wanted to have good structure, we wanted to have good discipline, we wanted to have guys who work and compete and battle on a daily basis. Even though it didn’t look like it in the beginning, you started to see early signs of it and then all of a sudden things started working and, through some perseverance and commitment from the players, they have really turned it around and are getting what they deserve, and that’s a few wins.

Q Are you on schedule, ahead of schedule? Where would you put this team? A I think we’re on schedule. When you look at it I think we’re the second youngest team in the National Hockey League. We have two of the youngest defensemen in the league in Zadorov and Ristolainen and everyone forgets Tyler Myers is a young man. So having the second youngest team in the league, our penalty killing has been pretty good all season long and now our power play is starting to get good, and our goaltending has been great. So as far as the development and the steps, I really believe there is a fine line between competing and developing and winning. You just can’t worry about developing without winning - the winning comes hand in hand with development. The way the team is responding and the younger players are getting better, take Marcus Foligno for example, he’s really coming into his own. So some of the younger players are really developing and I would say as a team we’re right on schedule.

Q What is it about Ted Nolan’s coaching style, your philosophy, that seems to lend itself toward younger teams or teams that overachieve like the Latvian National team?

A You know people have always said that, but I’ve never looked at it as anyone overachieving - just getting players to reach their potential, which is definitely the most important thing. Confidence is such an in important factor. You could grab almost anybody and demean him - and if he makes one mistake you bench him, over and over again, you’re going to ruin someone’s confidence. That versus if they make that one mistake, learn from it, get back on the horse and do it again, show confidence. If you show confidence in them, that you really believe in them, then all of a sudden it’s amazing, they start showing confidence in themselves. I strongly believe you break it down individually and build them up collectively, make them believe everyone is important. I think everyone knows I’m from a large family - I have twelve siblings. At one time I thought I was the most important one in the family. Soon I learned I wasn’t the most important one in my family, we were all important and that’s the way I treat this hockey team.

Q I was going to ask if you draw on your own personal experiences for your coaching approach, but it’s obvious that you do.

A I do, I mean we are who we are based on our upbringing and our environment and where we grew up. I grew up in Continued onto page 14

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14 Coach Ted Nolan is in His Second Stint with the Buffalo Sabres

It’s Great to be Back Photo Credit : Bill Wippert / Buffalo Sabres

Continued from page 13

a very small First Nation community in northern Ontario, they refer to them as reservations here in the States. We didn’t have too much materialistic-wise, but the one thing my father instilled in us very early was you have to work for things - no one is going to come and give it to you. So that’s always been my approach. I tell people my first pair of skates was size six or seven and my feet were size three. I just put rubber boots on and put them inside the skates. You know my brother and I shared equipment, I played house league hockey until I was fifteen years of age. I never played Triple A hockey, I never went to hockey schools, but the one thing I always believed was that through hard work and through perseverance that maybe someday I would skate on the same ice that Gilbert Perreault does, or Gordie Howe, or Bobby Orr - some of the greats in the National Hockey League. When I played that very first game in the NHL it was really something special. A tremendous amount of people helped me get to where I had to get to. So by coaching, I believe it’s like paying it forward. You get to help the next generation of young kids reach their potential and have a career very few people get to have. That is play in the National Hockey League - play in front of a large crowd, playing in a city like Buffalo, I mean, hey, it doesn’t get any better than that.

The Buffalo Sabres Alumni Association a n n o U n c e s

t H e

t H

a n n U a L

sAbrEs ALUMNi WiNE FEsTiVAL

WILL NOW BE HELD on tHUrsDaY MARCH 12 th • first niagara center • 6:00PM -9:30PM This event, co-sponsored by First Niagara, Labatt, BlueCross BlueShield of WNY, Fallsview Casino, and JW Danforth, was originally scheduled for November 20, 2014 but had to be rescheduled due to ‘Winter Storm Knife.’ All tickets for the original date can be used for the event on March 12, 2015. The Alumni Wine Festival will feature wineries and restaurants from Buffalo, Niagara-on-the-Lake, and beyond. Sample some of the finest wines and food that the Western New York and Southern Ontario regions have to offer while socializing with Sabres legends and their wives, as well as members from the 2014-2015 team. The festival will include music, auctions and raffles with unique items from the Buffalo Sabres and Sabres Alumni. Tickets are $75 each and are available on Sabres.com, the First Niagara Center Box Office, or by calling Nick Fearby at 716-855-4452. All attendees are asked to dress in business attire for the evening. There will be complimentary parking in the ramp adjacent to the First Niagara Center. Please use the 100 level bridge entrance to enter the event. For anyone interested in a sponsorship package, please contact Teresa Belbas at 716-855-4588.

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BUFFALO SABRES ALUMNI WINE FESTIVAL IS RESCHEDULED FOR MARCH 12th

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The Canadian Hockey League in association with the host Niagara IceDogs, and BMO Financial Group, have announced the 40 CHL players that will compete in the 2015 BMO CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game in St. Catharines, ON, on Thursday, January 22, 2015.

he 40 CHL players competing in the game were chosen by the 30 NHL clubs and divided into teams by NHL Central Scouting. This season’s event marks the 20th annual showcase of the CHL’s top-40 NHL Draft eligible players featuring talent from the Ontario Hockey League, Western Hockey League, and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, competing before hundreds of NHL scouts in attendance. “The BMO CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game is one of the highlights of the hockey season and truly features the next wave of talent to the NHL,” said CHL President David Branch. “Since 1996, the CHL’s top prospects have had the opportunity to showcase their skills in this event before hundreds of NHL scouts and General Managers. We look forward to the game on January 22 in a brand new world-class facility, home to the OHL’s Niagara IceDogs, with 40 of the top players eligible for the 2015 NHL Draft, competing before the passionate hockey fans in St. Catharines and to CHL fans across Canada watching live on Sportsnet and TVA Sports.” Canadian National Junior Team Selection Camp members Connor McDavid of the Erie Otters and Lawson Crouse of the Kingston Frontenacs are among a group of 22 players on the roster recently given ‘A’ level ratings as first round NHL Draft prospects by NHL Central Scouting in their November ‘Players to Watch’ list. McDavid and Crouse are two of the nine ‘A’ rated prospects who will compete for Team Orr alongside Mathew Barzal of the Seattle Thunderbirds and WHL top scorer Nick Merkley of the Kelowna Rockets. 13 ‘A’ rated prospects will compete for Team Cherry including OHL top scorers Mitchell Marner of the London Knights and the Otters’ Dylan Strome, along with Daniel Sprong of the Charlottetown Islanders and defenseman Jakub Zboril of the Saint John Sea Dogs. “As the Official Bank of the CHL, BMO congratulates the up-and-coming talent chosen for this year’s roster,” said Shawn Namvar, Regional Vice President of Niagara Region, BMO. “The BMO CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game gives hockey fans and our customers a chance to see the very best young athletes from across the country display their skills, we look forward to seeing them on the ice in St. Catharines this January.” Thirty-two of the CHL’s 60-member clubs will be represented in this game featuring two players on the host Niagara IceDogs including forward Graham Knott and defenseman Vince Dunn, both on Team Cherry. The 40 CHL players include 15 from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, 13 from the Ontario Hockey League, and 12 from the Western Hockey League. “The BMO CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game is an event that all NHL scouts and General Managers circle on their calendars,” said NHL Central Scouting Director Dan Marr. “The 40 players competing in this game were chosen by our 30 NHL clubs and provide a unique Continued onto page 18

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THE TOP PROSPECTS GAME GIVES FANS A CHANCE TO SEE THE BEST HOCKEY ATHLETES

Buffalo Sabres forward Zemgus Girgensons and five members of the Chicago Blackhawks are the first six players picked for the 2015 NHL All-Star Game. The Chicago Blackhawks will be prominently represented at the 2015 Honda NHL All-Star Game, with five of their players revealed as part of the first six NHL All-Stars. Buffalo Sabres forward Zemgus Girgensons will join Blackhawks forwards Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, defensemen Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook, and goaltender Corey Crawford at NHL All-Star Weekend, Jan. 24-25 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus. Girgensons, the Sabres’ second-year center, topped all vote-getters with 1,574,896. The 20-year-old has 11 goals and 20 points in 39 games. Helping push Girgensons to the All-Star Game have been two passionate fan bases: Sabres fans, and ones in his native Latvia. “It’s a little bit embarrassing and funny at the same time,” Girgensons recently told The Associated Press. “It came out of nowhere. I know people know me back home, but I didn’t think it was going to go that far. That’s like crazy far.” Though Girgensons might be surprised by the outpouring of support, those who know him aren’t that shocked.

Fans cast more than 35 million votes this year, up 52 percent from the 2012 NHL All-Star fan campaign. Nearly 27 percent of those votes were cast by fans outside of North America, up 7,000 percent from 2012. This will be the fourth NHL All-Star Game for Kane, 26, who leads the Blackhawks in goals (18), assists (23) and points (41). His 18 goals were sixth in the League entering play and have him on pace for a career-best 38. He was second among vote-getters with 1,232,201. Veteran center Brad Richards, in his first season with the Blackhawks, has played his best hockey for them since moving onto Kane’s line. “I think he’s the first winger I’ve played with that plays more like a centerman,” Richards told ESPNChicago.com. “He’ll want the puck and distribute the puck. He can also score. A lot of the times, getting [it] into his hands is a good idea.” It will be the third NHL All-Star game for Toews, the Blackhawks’ 26-year-old captain. He has 13 goals and 32 points in 38 games, and his plus-12 is second among Blackhawks forwards. He’s won 56.3 percent of his faceoffs. Toews was third among forwards with 1,217,210 votes. The 2015 All-Star Game will be Keith’s third. The 31-year-old defenseman has 24 points and a plus-13 rating in 37 games. He was fourth in voting with 1,198,173.

“He’s magnetic,” said University of Denver coach Jim Montgomery, who coached Girgensons with the Dubuque Fighting Saints of the United States Hockey League, told The (Toronto) Globe and Mail. “People are drawn to him, and drawn to him for good reasons. It doesn’t matter what group he’s in, he leads in the right direction. He’s pulling people toward healthy outcomes. I follow him on Twitter and we still communicate quite often. And I see on Twitter, the starting quarterback for the Bills is wearing a Zemgus Girgensons Sabres jersey and he’s wearing the quarterback’s jersey when he goes to Bills games. He immerses himself in the culture he’s in and he embraces it, and I think people really embrace him because he’s genuine.” The 2015 NHL All-Star Fan Vote presented by SiriusXM closed at 11:59 p.m. ET on Jan. 1, with the top six vote-getters by position (three forwards, two defensemen and one goaltender) being named the first six all-stars. The remaining All-Star roster was determined by the NHL and announced Saturday, January 10.

PEOPLE ARE DRAWN TO GIRGENSONS FOR THE RIGHT REASONS

It will be the first NHL All-Star Game for Seabrook, in his 10th season. The 14th pick of the 2003 NHL Draft, Seabrook has seven goals in 38 games, two off his career best. He was second in voting among defensemen with 1,016,992. Keith and Seabrook, who are 1-2 on the Blackhawks in average ice time per game at more than 22 minutes each, are a big reason Chicago entered play, allowing a League-fewest 2.10 goals per game, and have the League’s best penalty kill at 89.9 percent. It will be the first NHL All-Star game for Crawford. In 23 games, he’s 14-7-2 with a 2.13 goals-against average and .921 save percentage. He topped goalies with 1,099,504 votes. This will be the first time the 2015 NHL All-Star festivities will be held in Columbus. All-Star Weekend includes the Honda NHL All-Star Skills Competition on Saturday, Jan. 24 (7 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports) and the Honda NHL All-Star Game on Sunday, Jan. 25 (5 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports).

Josh Gabriel

•

Daniel LaFontaine

•

Matt McLeod • Cameron Heath • Jimmy Mazza

The Canisius College hockey team signed five players to National Letters of Intent during the early signing period, announced by head coach Dave Smith. Forwards Josh Gabriel (Lancaster, N.Y.), Daniel LaFontaine (Lloyd Harbor, N.Y.) and Matt McLeod (Mississauga, Ontario) and defenders Cameron Heath (Troy, Mich.) and Jimmy Mazza (Kings Park, N.Y.) are all set to join the Golden Griffin program, beginning in the 2015-16 season. “We are excited to add these players to our program,” Smith said. “Each of them has the values and characteristics that we believe will allow them to be successful as people and hockey players with Canisius College and within the environment of our program. Our entire staff looks forward to seeing them in Canisius Blue and Gold next season.” Gabriel is in his second season with the Buffalo Jr. Sabres of the OJHL. The Lancaster, N.Y. native has totaled 15 points on seven goals and eight assists in 18 games this season and has recorded 49 points, 21 goals and 28 assists in 55 career games with the Jr. Sabres. LaFontaine, son of NHL Hall of Famer Pat, has played in 19 games with the Buffalo Jr. Sabres of the OJHL this season, totaling 10 points, two goals and eight assists. In 40 career regular-season and playoff games with the team, LaFontaine has collected 27 points, seven goals and 20 assists. The Lloyd Harbor, N.Y. native also played for the Long Island Royals from 2010 to 2013, leading the team to a national championship in 2012 as its leading scorer. McLeod is in his second season playing in the OJHL, recording 44 points, 14 goals and 30 assists in 94 career games. In 36 contests this season with the Oakville Blades, the 18-year old Mississauga native has posted nine points, three goals and six assists. A member of the Jersey Hitmen of the USPHL, Heath has totaled 24 points on three goals and 21 assists in 30 games this season. He was a member of the P.A.L. Junior Islanders during the 2013-14 campaign, earning first-team USPHL All-Star honors and ranking second in the league among defensemen with 40 points (16g, 24a). Heath also collected first-team all-state accolades at Cranbook High School. A team captain during the 2014-15 season, Mazza currently leads the P.A.L. Junior Islanders in scoring this season with 31 points, 10 goals and 21 assists in 34 games from the blue line. He played in the 2014 USPHL All-Star Game and is a two-time participant at the NY Islanders Development Camp. The Griffs finished the first half of the 2014-15 season with a 6-6-5 record and a 5-4-4 mark in Atlantic Hockey play.

sabres UNPUcked A night of music with the Buffalo Sabres

returns in February

The Buffalo Sabres have announced they will be hosting the second-annual “Sabres UnPucked” event on Thursday, Feb. 12 on the floor of First Niagara Center. All proceeds from Sabres UnPucked, for which doors open at 6:30 p.m., will benefit the Buffalo Sabres Foundation. The event will kick-off with a performance by up-and-coming country music singer Kelsea Ballerini, whose debut single “Love Me Like You Mean It” is up to No. 35 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart. Black River Entertainment’s The John King Band will again be the headlining act, and he’ll be joined on stage by current Sabres players and coaches, along with Sabres alumni as guest musical performers. The band’s hit single, “Tonight Tonight,” has been a fixture on the Billboard Country Airplay top 40 chart for 24 weeks. UnPucked will also feature an auction and raffle of collections and memorabilia from a variety of top 40 recording artists as well as the Sabres organization. Sabres players, coaches and alumni in attendance will serve as guest bartenders throughout the evening, and will be available for photos with fans in attendance. General admission tickets will be available at a cost of $35, with VIP tickets on sale for $125. VIP guests will receive a credential and lanyard, complimentary food and beverages and be granted admittance to an exclusive lounge located next to the stage. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased online at Sabres.com or by calling Nick Fearby at (716) 855-4452. Anyone interested in a sponsorship package for the event can contact Teresa Belbas at (716) 855-4588. The Buffalo Sabres Foundation is a New York State not for profit corporation that is committed to stimulating, supporting and encouraging organizations that serve Western New York which are committed to youth hockey initiatives; the health, wellness and education of underprivileged /disadvantaged youth and military personnel; and physically and mentally challenged athlete, by providing financial generosity and other platforms for their endeavors. Through such support these organizations will realize their highest potential, thereby allowing their members to gain the confidence and integrity necessary to succeed in life.

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KELSEA BALLERINI & THE JOHN KING BAND HEADLINE SABRES UNPUCKED EVENT

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opportunity for them to evaluate top CHL talent for the 2015 NHL Draft. This is also a unique opportunity for the players who can take advantage of the spotlight to promote their play in this exciting and highly competitive single-game best-on-best contest.” In the past 19 years, a total of 265 players from this event have been selected in the first round of the NHL Draft representing 47% of all players selected by NHL clubs in the first round.

TEAM CHERRY GOALTENDERS: Callum Booth (Quebec Remparts) Samuel Montembeault (Blainville-Boisbriand Armada) DEFENSEMEN: Brandon Carlo (Tri-City Americans) Vince Dunn (Niagara IceDogs) Noah Juulsen (Everett Silvertips) Matt Spencer (Peterborough Petes) Mitchell Vande Sompel (Oshawa Generals) Jakub Zboril (Saint John Sea Dogs) FORWARDS: Anthony Beauvillier (Shawinigan Cataractes) Filip Chlapik (Charlottetown Islanders) Jake DeBrusk (Swift Current Broncos) Graham Knott (Niagara IceDogs) - FORWARDS continued onto next column -

TEAM ORR

FORWARDS: Mitchell Marner (London Knights) Adam Musil (Red Deer Rebels) Daniel Sprong (Charlottetown Islanders) Mitchell Stephens (Saginaw Spirit) Dylan Strome (Erie Otters) Evgeny Svechnikov (Cape Breton Screaming Eagles) Yakov Trenin (Gatineau Olympiques) Dennis Yan (Shawinigan Cataractes)

GOALTENDERS: Mackenzie Blackwood (Barrie Colts) Nick McBride (Prince Albert Raiders) DEFENSEMEN: Guillaume Brisebois (Acadie-Bathurst Titan) Thomas Chabot (Saint John Sea Dogs) Nicolas Meloche (Baie-Comeau Drakkar) Ryan Pilon (Brandon Wheat Kings) Ivan Provorov (Brandon Wheat Kings) Jeremy Roy (Sherbrooke Phoenix)

STAFF: Don Cherry – Head Coach Brian Kilrea – Assistant Coach Bert O’Brien – Assistant Coach Nick Kypreos – Assistant Coach Dennis MacDonald – Athletic Trainer Russ Hammond – Equipment Manager

FORWARDS: Mathew Barzal (Seattle Thunderbirds) Paul Bittner (Portland Winterhawks) Lawson Crouse (Kingston Frontenacs) Ryan Gropp (Seattle Thunderbirds) - FORWARDS continued onto next column -

FORWARDS: Jansen Harkins (Prince George Cougars) Travis Konecny (Ottawa 67’s) Nikita Korostelev (Sarnia Sting) Connor McDavid (Erie Otters) Timo Meier (Halifax Mooseheads) Nick Merkley (Kelowna Rockets) Nicolas Roy (Chicoutimi Sagueneens) Pavel Zacha (Sarnia Sting) STAFF: Bobby Orr – Head Coach Marty Williamson – Assistant Coach Dave Bell – Assistant Coach Billy Burke – Assistant Coach Doug MacLean – Assistant Coach Pete Dobbin – Athletic Therapist Kevin Emo – Equipment Manager

Last season, 17 CHL players who competed in the 2014 BMO CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game in Calgary, AB, were selected in the first round of the 2014 NHL Draft. Florida Panthers first overall pick Aaron Ekblad of the Barrie Colts captained Team Orr to a 4-3 victory over Team Cherry, who was led by captain Sam Reinhart of the Kootenay Ice chosen second overall by the Buffalo Sabres. Since the event was first introduced in 1996, the game has featured 12 players selected with the first overall pick in the NHL Draft including Ekblad, Nathan MacKinnon, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Taylor Hall, John Tavares, Steven Stamkos, Patrick Kane, Marc-Andre Fleury, Rick Nash, Vincent Lecavalier, Joe Thornton, and Chris Phillips.

PHiL VArONE

NAMED TO AMEricAN HOckEY LEAGUE ALL-sTAr rOsTEr The American Hockey League has announced that Rochester Americans forward Phil Varone has been named to the Western Conference All-Star roster for the 2015 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Turning Stone Resort Casino, which will take place Jan. 25-26 in Utica, N.Y. Varone, who is currently on NHL recall with the Buffalo Sabres, leads the Amerks in scoring with 29 points (8+21) in 35 games this season. His 21 assists rank tied for eighth in the AHL while his 29 points rank tied for 14th. Varone is also one of just four Amerks players to have appeared in all 35 of the team’s games thus far. Now in his fourth season as a member of the Amerks, Varone has registered 177 points on 48 goals and 129 assists in 242 games for Rochester. He has also recorded six points (2+4) in 11 playoff games. A native of Vaughan, Ontario, Varone finished as Rochester’s leading scorer in two of his first three seasons (2011-12, 2013-14) with the club. Last season, he set career-highs in goals (18), assists (43) and points (61) while earning team MVP honors. He also made his NHL debut last season, recording two points (1+1) in nine games with the Buffalo Sabres. The 2015 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Turning Stone Resort Casino will pit the top players from the AHL’s Eastern Conference against the best of the Western Conference. Tickets are priced at $49, $69 and $89, and include admission to both the Skills Competition on Jan. 25 and the All-Star Game on Jan. 26. The Skills Competition and the All-Star Game will take place at the Utica Memorial Auditorium.

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THE 2015 AHL ALL-STAR CLASSIC WILL TAKE PLACE ON JANUARY 25th & 26th

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