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Hudson Fasching has had a week full of "pinch me" moments.
Fasching signed his entry level contract on Monday. He practiced with his new team twice this week and mastered his new surroundings in the process.
All the while his trademark smile never left his face
I love this kid's spirit and positivity. He is an easy kid to cheer for and a sold out arena showered him with love on Saturday afternoon.
Fasching had himself a week full of ever lasting memories.
None bigger than scoring his first NHL goal on his first NHL shot on goal in Buffalo's come from behind victory over tge Winnipeg Jets.
I told you on Twitter before the game that just because Fasching was penciled in to play the fourth line beside David Legwand and Matt Moulson didn't mean he would end the game on that trio.
Dan Bylsma wisely elevated Fasching to the top line in the third period where big #52 looked right at home alongside Ryan O’Reilly and Evander Kane.
Fasching was gushing while smiling ear to ear after his magical first NHL game inside tge raucous Buffalo barn.
“Definitely was not expected,” Fasching noted about his promotion to the number one trio.
“I was sitting on the bench and coach kept tapping me and I was like, ‘What, am I in the way or something?’ And he was like, ‘No, you’re out there.’ And I was like, ‘OK, I’m going.’
Take a bow, Hudson.
You were a star today.
Now do it all over again in Detroit on Monday night.
**
Jack Eichel scored his 23rd goal of the season from a sick Sam Reinhart feed in the third period against Winnipeg.
It marked the first time that a Sabres rookie has scored 50 points since Derek Plante in 1993-94. Eichel is now the youngest Sabres rookie to score 50+ points since Hockey Hall Of Famer Wowie Housley in 1982-83.
It's an amazing feat for Eichel who now has 23 goals and 27 assists.
Samson Reinhart is Buffalo's leading scorer since the All Star Break. He and Eichel have formed Wonder Twin powers that are captivating the imaginations of all fans in Pegulaville.
Look at Samson's 21st goal of the season. Great concentration.
***
Hudson Fasching could not have written a better script to his first game of his NHL career.
Talk about a story book beginning to his Buffalo Sabres career!
Fasching, the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers star, signed his entry level; contract on Monday night. He graduated U Minnesota with his undergrad degree in just three years.
Fasching matriculated to the NHL and scored his first NHL goal on his very first NHL shot on goal. What a dramatic turn of events. Fasching joins Brad May, Rob Ray, Alex Mogilny, Denis Hamel, and Danny Gare as Sabres legends to their first NHL goal on their first NHL shot.
Fellow rookie Casey Nelson, playing in his first NHL game, pinned his man on the wall in the Buffalo end. Mark Pysyk grabbed the puck and took off to the races with Fasching at his side. Fasching out muscled Jacob Trouba in the corner and barreled to the net where he dunked the puck on Jets goalie Michael Hutchinson.
You could say that Fasching in Buffalo's new sensation! Get it?
***
Harvard has been eliminated from the NCAA Frozen Four by Boston College.
Harvard's Jimmy Vesey's next destination has been causing quite a buzz in the hockey community since Friday night.
The Nashville Predator draft choice 2012 (3rd round) I now free to roam about the NHL.
Vesey can now sign with the Predators and play for then the rest of the regular season and playoffs.
Or, he can wait until August 15 and become an unrestricted free agent.
In other words, Vesey holds all of the cards.
He can begin his NHL career in Nashville today and play for a talented Preds squad. Or, he can bide his time, work out, get stronger, play for Team USA at the World Championships, then, select his dream team five months from now.
Many pro scouts that I speak with tell me that Vesey is a plug-n-play NHLer. Like Jack Eichel, Dylan Larkin and Connor McDavid, he can make a smooth transition to the pro game and start making an immediate impact.
One wonders why Vesey had opted not to sign his entry level deal with the Predators prior to this senior season at Yale?
I'm certain that Preds GM David Poile is anxious to get Vesey's signature on an entry level contract sooner than later.
What if Vesey is of the mind to not sign with Nashville and wait until August 15 to hand select the team that he wants to play for the next 10-12 years.
Toronto Maple Leaf fans being Toronto Maple Leafs fans go to bed at night believing that The Buds have the pole position in the race for Vesey. Vesey's father, Jimmy Sr., was hired last August by the Leafs to scout the Boston region. Vesey's brother Nolan (University of Maine) was drafted by Toronto in 2014 (6th round).
Vesey himself has told speculators to pump the brakes on his connection to the Leafs.
Ya know, Buffalo is only 75 minutes south of Toronto. It's closer to Vesey's New England home base than Nashville and Toronto are.
Besides, Jimmy, the Canadian dollar is taking a beating right now.
Keep more of your paycheck by playing in Buffalo where the PST and GST don't exist.
Oh yeah and hey, the Sabres already have Vesey's buddy Jack Eichel playing for them.
Hey, you know what?
Tim Murray also has $35 million in cap space for 2016-17 and he just so happens to be aggressively searching for a power, scoring winger to play alongside Eichel and Samson Reinhart.
How you doin, Jimmy?
The 6'1” 200 pound power left winger had himself quite a four year career at Harvard.
The driven competitor loves to shoot the puck. Like his buddy Eichel, Vesey has an NHL shot. Vesey landed 530 shots on goal in his four year career at Yale. He had many more shots blocked and others missed the net. Vesey believes that the more you shoot, the more you score.
In 128 games played, he scored 80 goals, added 64 assists. He scored 19 career PPGs and 16 career GWGs. He netted one hat trick.
Imagine a line of three intelligent, talented hockey savants consisting of Jack Eichel, Samson Reinhart and Jimmy Vesey playing set, spike, slam hockey together for the next decade.
Eichel enters today's game against Winnipeg with 22 goals and 49 points. He has played with nearly every winger on the Buffalo roster. He has finally found his mojo with Reinhart. The dynamic duo compliment one another very well. They needs a power winger who can flush the walls, set screens and bang home the one timer at even strength.
I think Vesey is a perfect candidate to play that role.
Vesey and his agent need not be reminded that the Sabres are strong down the middle with Ryan O'Reilly, Jack Eichel, Johan Larsson, and Zemgus Girgensons. On a playoff team next season, Zemgus may well be the fourth line center. David Legwand's deal expires on July 1.
The Sabres also have more that capable forwards in Evander Kane, Marcus Foligno, Nic Deslauriers, Tyler Ennis, Justin Bailey, Hudson Fasching. On yeah, Buffalo will be drafting another stud winger in the top five of the 2016 NHL Draft so add either Patrick Laine, Jesse Puljujarvi, or Matt Tkachuk to their 2016-17 depth chart. How wil Tim Murray kep all of these forwards? He can't. He'd have to subtract an Ennis or a Moulson. Don't worry about it. Tim Murray moves in stealth-like ways.
What if Tim Murray steals pending UFA Steven Stamkos away from Tampa Bay?
Distributing pucks to Vesey will be Rasmus Ristolainen, Zach Bogosian, Jake McCabe, Josh Gorges, Cody Franson, and Mark Pysyk.
Robin Lehner and Chad Johnson in the nets is a solid net battery.
Eichel and Vesey have a solid relationship. They grew up close to one another. They were Hobey Baker Award finalists in the spring of 2015. They were teammates for Team USA's bronze winning team at the IIHF World Championships in Prague last spring.
Jack holds a lot of sway with Jimmy.
Vesey is a North Reading, Mass. native. Eichel is a North Clemsford, Mass. native.
In case you are wondering, it's a 29 minute drive from North Chelmsford, Mass. to North Reading, Mass. That's a 23.4 mile trip via I-495 North and I-93 South.
Jack and Jimmy work out with the same NHL player group back home in Massachusettes during the summers.
There is a famous story about how Eichel, Vesey and LA Kings GM Dean Lombardi once spent eight hours together at the London airport. Team USA had just won the bronze medal at the IIHF World Championships in Prague and Team USA was delayed at the London airport. Jack, Jimmy, and Deano spent the time talking about hockey.
As part of a bigger discussion about Lombardi wishing Eichel could play for Team USA at the World Cup of Hockey rather than on the Young Stars team,, Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News reported that Eichel and Vesey have bonded.
Eichel said he was with Lombardi and Harvard star Jimmy Vesey, a Nashville draftee, returning from the tournament.
"Coming back, it was a complete mess of a trip," Eichel said. "We were together in the London airport for like eight hours or so and talked quite a bit. That's just a very nice compliment if that's the case but it's still a long way away."
Nonetheless, Eichel admitted he's thought about the tournament as roster chatter grows. The first 16 players have to be named by March 1.
Imagine if they were to play together in Buffalo for the next 10-12 seasons.
Who better than Tim Murray to shock the Predators, the Leafs and the hockey world by getting his mitts on Jimmy Vesey.
Did I mention that Eichel and Vesey share the same player agent as well?
Or, Vesey can opt to sign with his boyhood favorite team the Boston Bruins where he will compete head to head with Eichel for the next decade.
You can never say never in Hockey Heaven.
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