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Devon Levi

Evening Notes: Prince, Foote, Levi

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Former New York Islanders forward Shane Prince signed an extension today with Spartak Moskva to remain in the KHL for the 2023-24 season. The Rochester, New York native never quite found his scoring touch in the NHL, scoring just 12 goals in 128 games with the Islanders and the Ottawa Senators. However, since joining the KHL he has 57 goals in 220 games. Prince was once thought of as a potential top-9 forward in the Ottawa Senators farm system after he notched 65 points in 72 AHL games in 2014-15, but he was unable to develop a consistent scoring touch in the NHL and found himself out of the league by 2018.

This season Prince has 35 points in 50 games and has found a home as a top-6 forward with Spartak. With his extension the 30-year-old has decided to forgo an opportunity to try and get back to the NHL for the time being. Although given the recent trend in the NHL to go younger, it seemed highly unlikely that the former second round pick would have another crack at a NHL job. Should he continue to show his recent scoring touch, he could find an NHL team calling in the summer of 2024 with an offer of a tryout or a two-way contract.

Some notes from around the NHL:

  • The New Jersey Devils announced today that they have recalled forward Nolan Foote from the Utica Comets of the American Hockey League. Foote has dressed in 49 AHL games this season scoring 18 goals and 12 assists. He was with the big club for their recent California swing through Anaheim, Los Angeles, and San Jose, but played sparingly in his last outing as he saw just 3:08 of ice time. The 22-year-old was a first round pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2019 but has struggled to find the consistency he displayed in his AHL rookie season where he scored 17 points in 24 games. With his recall, Foote will have another opportunity to show the Devils that he is part of their young core moving forward.
  • Fresh off signing Devon Levi to an entry level contract, Buffalo Sabres GM Kevyn Adams appears to have decided to keep the young netminder in Buffalo for the time being. The Buffalo News reporter Lance Lysowski quotes Adams as saying “We’ll kind of take it day by day, but we just thought for his development, where we are right now, this was a critical time for him to learn and grow with us and that’s why he’s coming right in.” For the Sabres it makes sense to have the young netminder shadow a veteran like Craig Anderson. Levi has had a rocket like trajectory as he has come from out of nowhere after being drafted in the seventh round and playing CCHL Tier 1 hockey in Ontario for the 2019-20 season. Should he continue on this path he could be the Sabres goaltender of the future.

Buffalo Sabres Sign Devon Levi

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1:42 p.m.: PuckPedia confirms that Levi’s entry-level contract starts immediately, which will make him a restricted free agent in 2025. The contract has a cap hit of $925K and a breakdown as follows:

2022-23: $832.5K salary, $92.5K signing bonus, $80K minors salary
2023-24: $832.5K salary, $92.5K signing bonus, $80K minors salary, $925K Schedule A performance bonus
2024-25: $832.5K salary, $92.5K signing bonus, $80K minors salary, $1MM Schedule A performance bonus

Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News also reports that Levi will not be assigned to Rochester and will immediately be added to the Sabres roster.

1:04 p.m.: Buffalo Sabres fans could get to see their potential goalie of the future in a Sabres uniform relatively soon. The team has signed goalie prospect Devon Levi to a three-year entry-level contract, with financial terms undisclosed.

A 2020 seventh-round pick of the Florida Panthers, Levi was the key prospect sent to Buffalo in return for forward Sam Reinhart. Since the trade, Levi’s numbers have been nothing short of spectacular playing for Northeastern University. In 66 games over two seasons with the school, Levi’s posted a 38-22-6 record, a whopping 16 shutouts, a 1.90 goals-against average, and a .942 save percentage.

It was Levi’s performance for Team Canada at the 2021 World Juniors that first earned him accreditation as a top goalie prospect, though. In seven games, the surprise starter notched three shutouts and a .964 save percentage en route to a gold medal.

At this time, Buffalo has not announced whether Levi will report to Buffalo or the AHL’s Rochester Americans. Given the team is already carrying three goalies at the NHL level, though, Rochester is the likely destination for Levi.

Levi, 21, and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, 24, now form a capable tandem of young netminders to take over for the admirable but aging Craig Anderson. While it’s rare for a goalie to make the jump directly to the NHL from the college ranks, Levi’s numbers are even rarer. As Buffalo gets closer to playoff contention, Levi is a name to watch as a pivotal piece for the franchise over the next number of years.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported things were “in motion” between Levi and the Sabres soon before the news dropped.

Top-10 Finalists Announced For 2023 Hobey Baker

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With the end of collegiate hockey calendar approaching, the ten finalists for the Hobey Baker Award have been announced. The trophy is given to the top NCAA player in the country and has an impressive line of winners. In 2014, Johnny Gaudreau, Jack Eichel, Cale Makar, and Cole Caufield have all taken it home over the last decade, with each going on to star at the professional level.

Goaltender Dryden McKay, last year’s winner, is currently playing with the Newfoundland Growlers of the ECHL, after a history career at Minnesota State-Mankato. McKay posted a .932 save percentage and 26 shutouts across 140 college games, winning 113 of them.

The award also has several top NHL alumni in its small fraternity, including Neal Broten, Tom Kurvers, Paul Kariya, Chris Drury, Ryan Miller, and Brendan Morrison. With that group behind them, this year’s winner is certainly not someone to take lightly.

Earlier this year, 87 players from the NCAA ranks were nominated for the award, and today that number has been reduced to just ten. These ten players will be narrowed to just three, a process that anyone can be a part of by participating in the fan vote. Votes will be added to the decision from a selection committee to produce three finalists, from which a winner will be crowned.

The top 10 finalists are as follows, with the NHL organization that owns their draft rights in parenthesis:

Logan Cooley, University of Minnesota (Arizona Coyotes)

Adam Fantilli, University of Michigan (2023 draft eligible)

Sean Farrell, Harvard University (Montreal Canadiens)

Collin Graf, Quinnipiac University (undrafted)

Lane Hutson, Boston University (Montreal Canadiens)

Matthew Knies, University of Minnesota (Toronto Maple Leafs)

Devon Levi, Northeastern University (Buffalo Sabres)

Yaniv Perets, Quinnipiac University (undrafted)

Blake Pietila, Michigan Tech University (undrafted)

Jason Polin, Western Michigan University (undrafted)

Devon Levi Returning To Northeastern

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According to Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News, goalie prospect Devon Levi has informed the organization that he intends to return to Northeastern University for his junior season (link). Though it had not been confirmed, the general belief had been that Levi would return to Northeastern instead of opting to turn pro and sign with Buffalo. As much as the Sabres would like to have the goaltender enter their organization now and learn the business of being a professional hockey player, the move seems to make sense for Levi, who can have another year of development at the NCAA level, another year of education at Northeastern, and another chance at a national title.

Also of note for the 20-year-old is that turning pro would not necessarily mean a regular role with the Buffalo Sabres, and a likely trip to the Rochester Americans of the AHL for at least a year. Although professional could benefit Levi, another year at Northeastern may ultimately be more appealing while still allowing him to develop.

Selected in the seventh-round by Florida in 2020, 212th overall, Levi has been a standout in college. After missing his Freshman year due to injury, Levi burst onto the scene this season as a Sophomore, boasting a .952 save-percentage and 1.54 goals-against average over 32 games. Time will tell how the young goaltender develops, but his return to Northeastern does not make him any less a part of the Sabres’ future plans.

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