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SABRES END ROOKIE CAMP WITH A BANG
Defencive effort improved in 3-1 win over Leafs Sunday, September 5, 1999 The team which I saw in Friday's game against the Rangers' prospects was definitely not the team who I saw last night in the Sabres 3-1 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs to cap off a 1-2 prospects tourney.
With at least 5,000 if not more Leafs fans in attendance and the 0-2 Sabres going up against the unbeaten Toronto Maple Leafs prospects, going into the game I had a bitter feeling about what was going to happen, especially after the Leafs had beaten the Rangers 6-1 the previous night.
1999 NHL DRAFT RECAP
I was in Boston this weekend for the Expansion Draft on Friday and the NHL Draft Saturday and I was laughing my ass off when the Leafs came up to the podium and said that they took Cereda! Man, oh man do the Leafs find someway or another to screw up in the draft! And the Bruins fans had alot of class as usual as the boo-birds were apparent when Regier and Ruff went up to the podium in the first round.
Zigomanis was a steal in my opinion. Because of his size and the fact that his skating is questionable, he was passed up by alot of teams but he has the upside that can make him a legitimate playmaking centre on a second or third line. Ziggy works well with his linemates taking the puck up ice. Ziggy is 100% more effective when the puck is brought into the offencive zone rather than the puck being shot into the zone. His raw playmaking skills, great instincts and crisp passing allows him to bring the puck up ice well with his other linemates and create scoring oppourtunities. After from what I have seen from Ziggy over the last few seasons, I cannot stress how much more effective Ziggy is when he skates up ice with his linemates into the offencive zone rather than dumping the puck and establishing a forecheck because that is not Ziggy's game. He would not be much of a factor against teams like the Ottawa 67's and Dallas Stars who tend to play defencive hockey and don't give much space in the neutral zone. But as the play opens up, Ziggy becomes more of a factor with the way he can make a good lead pass up ice and can create odd-man rushes off other teams' turnovers. Zigomanis' skating is by no means as poor as some scouts imply, but his acceleration and speed is by no means his greatest asset either. Besides his overall size and questionable skating ability, his other majour drawback is his face-offs. Ziggy is God-awful on the draw! He's about as good if not worse that Mike Peca on the draw and anyone who has seen Mike Peca try to win face-offs know that I am not serving Ziggy a compliment by saying this. This season he has worked on his face-off ability, but there's still a lot to be desired in his ability on the draw. He needs to beef up to make it in the big leagues but a little fine tuning and Ziggy will find his way on the Sabres roster in a matter of years with the raw play-making skills which he possesses.
CLICK HERE FOR RECAP OF 1999 NHL DRAFT
As the Sabres are making their run towards getting a taste of Lord Stanley's Cup, the Sabres AHL affiliate in Rochester took part in the Calder Cup Finals against the Providence Bruins.
After dropping the first three games, the Amerks showed signs of life by winning a thriller in game four but in game five the Bruins would take home the Calder Cup on their home ice by beating the Amerks 5-1.
But despite losing in the AHL Finals, this year's Rochester Americans can hold their heads high after a great season and playoffs. Whether it be Biron playing solid between the pipes, Cunneyworth and Hurlbut providing their leadership, Pittis, Fisher, Harder Davidson and Sylvester bringing offense to the team, Van Oene developing into a solid power forward, or Sarich, Holland, Hurlbut, Melanson, and Grand-Pierre on the blueline, the Amerks were a resilient and determined team whom everyone can be proud of.
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With draft day only being less than a week away, I thought I'd give the low-down on a few of the OHL players who may be in Buffalo's range come Saturday. I have not seen that much QMJHL or WHL games outside of what games are televised so for now I will just give my scouting reports on the OHL players who I have seen in person a few times.