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Murray's 2014 Draft Class Makes The Grade |
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Thanks, Sabres.com
8,725.
That's how many Buffalo Sabres fans jammed into the First Niagara Center on Tuesday night to bear witness to Samson Reinhart's first attempt of professional hockey. The weather outside was 75 and sunny and it mattered not to the diehard citizens of Pegulaville who used the development camp prospects game like a bottle of Listerine to wash away the nasty taste left in the mouth after the 2013-14 regular season.
Tim Murray vowed to re-build the Sabres in the likeness of the Buffalo community: tough, skilled, unselfish, and willing to take hits to make plays. Murray went to the NHL Draft in Philly in later June with one singular objective: to invest his premium draft choices in difference-making hockey players. On Tuesday night, we got to see the fruits of Murray's labor. WOW, what a show it was!
The early returns are in. Murray's 2014 draft class played impressively in the rookie game.
Samson Reinhart passed his first test with flying colors. The second overall pick in the draft was given a rough ride, however, he didn't wilt under the heavy pressure.
Brenden Lemieux (2nd round) spent the night, barking at and blasting into Rasmus Ristolainen.
Eric Cornel (2nd round) played a solid 200 foot game. Jonas Johansson (3rd round) stood tall in his crease. Max Willman (5th round) flashed some sick mitts, and Victor Olofsson (7th round) skated at a rapid pace.
Jordan Samuels-Thomas played well too. The burly former 7th rounder of the Atlanta Thrashers came to Buffalo in a trade with Winnipeg last week and acquitted himself very well by for checking like a man possessed.
In the end, Reinhart and Lemieux's White squad won the scrimmage in convincing fashion.
For my money, the best three players on the ice were Rasmus Ristolainen, Zemgus Girgensons, and Linus Ullmark. Brenden Lemieux and Mikhail Grigorenko earn my honorable mention.
Ristolainen was physical and relentless. He hit every man in a white sweater that dared to skate through his zone.
Girgensons was equally as intense and physical. He was first on pucks and was relentless on his fore check.
Ullmark made four, ten-bell saves and he made them look easy. This guy is going to be a special goalie when he finally graduates to Buffalo.
Pepe Lemieux was a huge distraction to the Blue Crew all game long. He dished out big hits (and a few dozen F-bombs) as well as absorbing some big hits.
Grigorenko really impressed me with his dogged pursuit of loose pucks and his heavy fore checking.
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The news wasn't all great on Tuesday night.
Rochester Amerks head coach Chad Cassidy broke the news in his postgame presser that goalie Matt Hackett will be lost until December or January.
Hackett needed surgery t to repair the knee injury that he suffered on April 12.
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