The Sabres are shut down due to Covid. The Rochester Americans shut down because of Covid. There’s no NCAA hockey to watch this week as college kids are home for Christmas break. The WJC doesn't begin until next week. That means there’s not a whole lot of Sabres-related live content available right now. Stats don’t get Covid or take vacations though, so let’s take a look at what some Sabres forward prospects have been up to this season.
Olivier Nadeau:
Nadeau is an intriguing C/W prospect from Lac-Etchemin, Quebec whom the Sabres drafted in the fourth round during the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. He currently has 45 points in 30 games (1.5 PPG) while playing for the Shawinigan Cataractes of the QMJHL, which got me wondering what kind of points former Sabres put up during their age-18 season in the Q.
Jason Pominville – Shawinigan Cataractes: 113 points in 71 games (1.59 PPG)
J.P. Dumont – Val-d’Or Foreurs: 108 points in 62 games (1.74 PPG)
Mikhail Grigorenko – Quebec Remparts: 54 points in 33 games (1.63 PPG)
Danny Briere – Drummondville Voltigeurs: 163 points in 67 games (2.43 PPG)
Those numbers from Briere are hilariously good. If we’re making a historical comparison, though, Nadeau is right in line with the 1.59 PPG that Pominville put up as 18-year-old, and it’s also une vraie coincidence that both Pominville and Nadeau suited up for Shawinigan. Am I saying that Nadeau is going to be Pominville? No. Hell, Grigorenko had a better points-per-game percentage than Pominville in his age-18 season in the Q, so as the lawyers say, “past performance does not guarantee future outcome.…
That said, Nadeau currently sits in 7th in QMJHL scoring and is only 5 points out of first. Tres bien!
Jack Quinn:
Quinn also places in 7th place in scoring in his league (AHL) despite having played in only 17 games this season, as opposed to the 21+ games that each of the top-5 scorers have played in. Quinn has been sidelined with a bout of mononucleosis that unfortunately derailed what was shaping up to be a terrific season for the Cobden, Ontario native who has 11 goals and 13 helpers on the season.
Quinn won AHL rookie of the month in October and looked to build on that in November before the illness put him on the shelf. It appears that Seth Appert has periodically played Quinn at center and Peyton Krebs (he of Jack Eichel trade fame) on his wing at certain times, so the idea that Jack Quinn could end up as a part-time – or even full-time – center in the future cannot be ruled out.
Peyton Krebs:
Krebs is in an unenviable position as one of the premier trade pieces coming back from the Jack Eichel trade to Vegas earlier this season. He’s doing reasonably well for Rochester with 14 points in 16 games, and it appears he’s been producing decently well even considering the mono situation with Jack Quinn which removed his compatriot and scoring buddy from his line. AHL game game-by-game scoring logs are a little hard to pin down, but it appears that he has a lot of points in his last 5 games. For a full review of Peyton Krebs, take a look at this excellent piece by Bill Hoppe of buffalohockeybeat.com who spoke to Krebs as well as his coaches in Rochester.
https://www.buffalohockeybeat.com/sabres-prospect-peyton-krebs-on-tear-with-amerks-piling-up-points/ That’s really good stuff. The plan for the next blog was to watch the Americans’ game against the Wilkes Barre/Scranton Penguins (I almost wrote Scranton Stranglers) in order to give a more insight on Krebs’ game after watching him. It would have been my first opportunity to see Peyton Krebs play an entire game had Covid not intervened and shut the game down. Alas, the Americans will not be playing tomorrow and thus, no opportunity to watch Krebs.
Alexander Kisakov:
ÐлекÑандр КиÑаков Ñыграл неÑколько матчей в КХЛ в Ñтом Ñезоне, но большую чаÑÑ‚ÑŒ года играл в МХК.
Let’s try that again. Alexander Kisakov has played a few games in the KHL this season but has predominantly played in the MHL for the majority of the year. For the uninitiated, the MHL appears to be similar to the Canadian junior system for Russian prospects and up-and-comers. The 2021 2nd-round pick has 23 points in 26 games for MHK Dynamo Moskva.
Alexander Kisakov gets a third-period goal and later fires on the PP for an assist on the OT winner. Dynamo Moscow (MHL) defeats Dinamo Saint Petersburg 3-2. pic.twitter.com/mzvVJOaC0R
— Kris Baker (@SabresProspects) December 19, 2021
And some more numbers for forward prospects courtesy of eliteprospects.com:
Tyler Kleven (#GoSensGo) sneaks in from the point and hammers the slap shot past the Miami (Ohio) goaltender to give North Dakota a 2-1 lead.
— J.D. Burke (@JDylanBurke) November 13, 2021
Matteo Constantini (#LetsGoBuffalo) and Chris Jandric the assists on the play. pic.twitter.com/433oyMniby
Matteo Constantini (NCAA): 10p in 15gp
LW Josh Bloom (OHL): 29p in 25gp
Tyson Kozak (WHL): 27p in 25gp
William von Barnekow (definitely not a bespectacled Scooby Doo villain, SHL): 0p in 11gp
Prokhor Poltapov (KHL, VHL): 0p in 16gp KHL, 7p in 13gp VHL
Linus Weissbach (AHL): 8p in 14gp
Matej Pekar (AHL): 3p in 21gp
Isak Rosen (SHL): 4p in 26gp
****************************************************************
Kevyn Adams spoke to the media today and addressed the Covid situation with Zemgus Girgensons, Vinnie Hinostroza and Jeff Skinner sidelined due to Covid or Covid precautions. Girgensons has shown symptoms, while Hinostroza and Skinner have not. Adams also mentioned that goaltender Craig Anderson has seemingly turned a corner and he is making progress toward a return and therefore is not trending toward being done for the season. Adams also indicated that he may be open to keeping three goaltenders on the roster if the situation dictates it.
It also appears that Casey Mittelstadt’s most recent injury was similar but not the same as the one that sidelined him for the beginning of the season and he is expected to return this year. Robert Hagg is also not on a pace to miss the rest of the season, according to Adams.