Round Pick # Team
1 31 BUF 2 32 FLA 3 33 STL 4 34 CGY 5 35 TBL 6 36 VAN 7 37 CAR 8 38 ANA 9 39 BUF 10 40 OTT 11 41 NJD 12 42 NSH 13 43 ARI 14 44 WSH 15 45 DAL 16 46 NSH 17 47 CBJ 18 48 PHI 19 49 BUF 20 50 VAN 21 51 SJS 22 52 STL 23 53 SJS 24 54 CGY 25 55 ANA 26 56 BOS 27 57 TBL 28 58 ARI 29 59 NYR 30 60 LAK
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Ladies and Gentlemen, Sam Reinhart!
ALERT: With #2 pick in 2014 #NHLDraft, #Sabres select Sam Reinhart of @WHLKootenayICE. #Sabres2014Draft pic.twitter.com/beQdENfIJJ
— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) June 27, 2014In so many ways, this player reminds me of Pierre Turgeon, the gifted center that the Sabres selected first overall in the 1987 NHL Entry Draft. Not the most physically imposing center, however, the one is mature beyond his years in terms of skill and hockey IQ. Turgeon's skill translated from the QMJHL to the NHL. Here's hoping that Reinhart's skill set will segue naturally from "The Dub" to the NHL.
With the second overall pick in the 2014 NHL Draft, The Buffalo Sabres made an emphatic statement that they are died in the wool Sam Reinhart supporters.
Tim Murray had his choice of the three premiere centers in the draft and he opted for the most cerebral one in Reinhart who led Kootenay with 105 points (36G, 69A—105 points) in 60 games during the 2013-14 season, tying for fourth overall in the WHL.
Reinhart was named the 2013-14 Player of the Year and Most Sportsmanlike Player of the Year at the annual WHL Awards.
Hockey runs in the Reinhart family. Sam’s brother, Max, was taken by the Calgary Flames in the third round (63rd overall) of the 2010 NHL Draft, while his brother, Griffin, was selected in the first round (fourth overall) by the New York Islanders in 2012. Their father, Paul, was selected in the first round (12th overall) by the Atlanta Flames in 1979 and played 11 NHL seasons with the Flames and Vancouver Canucks. Sam played alongside Max with the WHL’s Kootenay Ice (in 2010-11 and 2011-12) and with Griffin on Team Canada at the 2014 World Junior Championship.
Congrats to Samson and the @BuffaloSabres Should have let him slip another few but oh well. #WorstOfTheReinharts ;)
— Griffin Reinhart (@GriffinReinhart) June 27, 2014
Get ready Buffalo. Sam Reinhart is now the center of attention in your re-building process.
“Exceptional player with the puck, his offensive hockey sense is off the charts with his vision and playmaking. A good skater whose top-end speed can still improve. A responsible player who quietly leads his team", so sayeth Dan Marr of NHL Central Scouting.
Thanks, Sabres.com
Sabres rookie GM Tim Murray wasted little time stepping to the mic, announcing Reinhart's name, then walking off the draft stage.
"He was the first player on our list,… Murray said. “You shouldn’t hesitate when you’re getting the first player on your list.…
Murray admitted that he's been targeting Reinhart since the day he took the Buffalo GM job in January.
“Hockey sense, seeing the play three, four, five seconds before it happens, which most good players, I’d say it’s a couple seconds or whatever fractions you want to use. And I just think he has an ability to make wingers better,… Murray said.
Thanks, Sabres.com
I'll admit, I was hoping that the Sabres would have drafted Sam Bennett and his sandpaper style with the second overall pick. I like the Reinhart pick a lot. Its the safer choice for the Sabres who are looking to strengthen their team down the middle of the ice.
Right now, Zemgus Girgensons and Tyler Ennis are the top two centers on the Buffalo roster. Cody Hodgson will start the preseason on the wing. With a strong rookie camp, an impressive Traverse City tourney showing, and a noteworthy exhibition season, Reinhart may find himself on the opening night roster when Columbus plays in Buffalo on October 9.
Organizationally, the Sabres have centers Mikhail Grigorenko and Luke Adam in Rochester. Reinhart would have to wow Murray and Tim Nolan in order to earn his invitation to stay in Buffalo for his 10 game NHL tryout. If he doesn't impress the Buffalo brass off the hop, he'll find himself back in Kootenay for another season of development.
Right now, Reinhart's future rests in the palm of his hockey glove.
@SabresBuzz already fixed. pic.twitter.com/5Tr9SxrBeL
— Erik Deisinger (@EDeisinger) June 28, 2014
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Whats up, Rusty, Scott and Jack Boyko?