The Buffalo Sabres have signed an NCAA free agent, inking Andrew Oglevie to an entry-level contract. Oglevie recently finished his junior year at Notre Dame, where he helped them to the title game in the NCAA tournament. Though the press release indicates that the contract is for three seasons, Oglevie’s age prevents him from signing anything longer than a two-year entry-level deal.
The 23-year old forward scored 39 points in 36 games this year for Notre Dame, his second consecutive point-per-game season in the NCAA. After playing with Anders Bjork last season, Oglevie was given even more offensive responsibility and still found plenty of success. That should bode well for his future, though an NHL career is still far from guaranteed.
In Buffalo, adding talented offensive players like Oglevie in ways other than the draft can only continue to help their organization. Though things haven’t gone well in recent years for the Sabres, the Rochester Americans are heading to the playoffs and GM Jason Botterill continues to add talent from any source he can. Oglevie could potentially join the Americans on an amateur tryout for the last few games, though the release does not indicate that he will.
Instead, he’ll be another name that should compete for a spot with the Sabres in training camp. There should be plenty of battles for the last few spots, as the team tries to find the right mix to help them climb out of the basement.