Are We There Yet?

by Ryan

Amazingly, I've yet to buy the right package to get NHL Network on my television. I know, I know, I'm totally missing out. I've only caught a few games during the World Juniors, and I didn't get to see Canada play once. That means I missed out on seeing our top two draft picks in action, along with Tavares and pretty much half of the first round of last year's draft.



However, I did get to see the championship game tonight, which was freaking great. We went to a bar to watch the Fiesta Bowl, which was also great, and the game was somehow on over the Rangers/Pens game. I'm glad it was, because the Pens sucked again and the hockey played up in Ottawa was much better than most of what I've seen in the NHL this season.

Canada went in search of their fifth straight championship, and Sweden sure didn't take it lying down. The checking was rough, the talent on both sides was fantastic, and despite the lopsided final it never really felt like a rout. Canada kept crashing the net and Sweden kept on the counter-attack, but it was Canada that was too much for Swedish goaltender Jacob Markstrom.



The only think I kept thinking while watching this game was this: "I can't believe this will be in Buffalo in a few years." I'm still not sure the majority of Sabres fans know how lucky we are to get a tournament like this. The level of play and the amount of international attention the U-20 gets is phenomenal, and so many of the players involved become stars in the NHL. This really is the best group of young hockey players in the world, and before you know it they will all be hanging out in Western New York.



I'm excited already.

Summer Slugs on Purple Eagle Ice

by Ryan

So I was "in the area" yesterday and decided to hit up Sabres Camp at Dwyer Arena. Now that the draft picks and I are best friends, I figured I should watch them from afar and study how they are shaped by the firm hands of our coaching staff. Yeah, that sounds about right.

If you haven't been to Dwyer yet and plan on heading up this weekend for camp, I thought I'd give a brief overview of how it works.

First of all the players is going to be split into two groups. (At least until Monday, because they seem to scrimmage full teams on the last day) The first group plays in the rink with real seating (below), and group two plays on another rink to the left of the big stage.

Lindy and Co. gathering the team up for instructions before 2 on 1 drills

Your best view of the action is going to be from this rink, but that depends on who you want to watch. For the record, Kennedy and Gerbe played on the other rink on Thursday, upsetting dozens of little girls who want to watch a pint sized eagle score. (No, not Verne Troyer. Sickos)

Nice hat.

This is rink two, with a much, much different point of view. For some reason Dwyer hasn't expanded this rink yet, but I guess they've been talking about it for years. In any event, this perspective gave you a good view of Roost favorite Bradley Eidsness, the 07 pick who will be attending the University of North Dakota in the fall. Brad looked pretty sharp yesterday, so that was nice to see.

A good shot of the type of learning we saw. It's a camera phone pic, but there's a look at Jordon Southorn on one knee to the right of the stretching player in blue. Southy had a solid day in camp, and it was nice to see him playing well early.

Worst seat in the house?

Overall I'd say rink one is your best bet. Unless things get crazy in there this weekend you should be able to move from rink to rink. I stood in the back for most of the session and could see fine Some thoughts on what went down:

-Everyone is going to be looking at Tyler Myers, but I have to say I liked what I saw. Most players over 6'5" have an awkwardness in their skating, but Tyler was very... smooth. He didn't look lanky, he didn't look uncomfortable, and he wasn't afriad to use his size to move some bodies. You could tell Lindy was careful with him, and he talked to him at length a few times during the session, but I was impressed by his initial play.

-So I've decided that Nathan Gerbe is going to be pretty good. Yup, you heard it here first.

-Drew Stafford is a conundrum. Seriously, I don't even know what to say about him anymore.

-Quinn's jeans/loafers with no socks look isn't cutting it.

-Sekera played well. Lock the kid up long term before he cracks the top four.

-The second rink had a much looser flow to the practice. Without the Iron Fist of Lindy there seemed to be more talking and laughing. TJ Brennan, Weber, and Zagrapan seemed to really like one coach there.(I have no idea what that means. Sorry)

-One more thing: I miss real hockey.

I think some us are making at least one more trip out to Dwyer, so if you feel like meeting a blogger or two, drop us a line. We won't be taking copious notes like some, but we'd like to think we are a nice alternative to the cold, empty purple seat next to you otherwise.

Making Sense of it All

by Ryan

From John Vogl at the Buffalo News:

The Buffalo Sabres general manager coveted defenseman Tyler Myers, the 6-foot-7 defenseman who could fill several needs with one large appearance. But the Los Angeles Kings wanted a defenseman, too, and before they would swap spots with the Sabres, the teams had to make sure they didn’t desire the same prospect.

So Regier and the Kings’ draft head hastily wrote down their top prospects’ names. They made an agreement to show their papers at the same time. If the names were the same, the Kings were keeping the 12th overall pick. If the names were different, L. A. was canceling its deal with another team and would move down one spot to allow the Sabres to pick 12th.

The Kings wanted Colten Teubert. The Sabres wanted Myers. They got him, and the two-day draft was a success from the start.

That suddenly makes a lot more sense. Darcy wanted Myers bad enough to agree to trade the third round pick even if LA didn't want the same guy. We may never know who that other team involved was, but even if they didn't want a defenseman (although you would have to guess at that spot they did) Regier risked losing a pick for no reason.

However, for all the flack Darcy gets for his dealings with contracts and keeping players around, if he wanted Myers so badly I think you have to trust him. His draft history is quite impressive, and he hasn't missed on a first round pick since Jiri Novotny in 2001 (Keith Ballard hasn't blown anyone away, but he did draft Paille 20th in 2002.)

There isn't much you can say about a draft class just yet, but you have to like that Darcy went out and got the player he wanted, as well as the fact that we drafted specifically with a nod towards the system. There are knocks against every player in the draft, but as a small market team with limited salary flexibility you absolutely must draft with the system in mind.

It is what made sole partnership with an AHL team so important, and why we even know Salty Pete the Pirate exists. The Sabres may not be extremely active next Tuesday on UFA day, but drafting a kid like Myers shows you how much the Buffalo Sabres believe in the way they do business.

Whether it is trust in video scouting, trust in your GM's instincts, trust in the player, or trust in your minor league system; the progress of Tyler Myers over the next few years will show us just how "with it" Darcy Regier and the Sabres' front office really is.

They blew us away coming out of the Lockout and were labeled as "ahead of the curve". Now the rest of the pack has caught up, and the last 18 months has even shown the market grow ahead of their expectations. No pressure on the kid, but Tyler Myers will be the benchmark for this organization when it comes to how well they understand the game and where it is heading.

Forever in my mind there will be the memory of that exchange of papers. Whether we like it or not, the growth of the Kings and the resurgence of the Sabres is inexorably tied. The Sabres did two things in the first round; they picked a player they loved (Myers) and a player that fits their philosophy (Ennis). The future of this organization, of this regime, lies in their hands.

How's that for a graduation present?