Three from WNY area to be on team’s playing Canada.
Grace Schnorr Added To Oswego Women’s Hockey Coaching Staff
OSWEGO, NY– The SUNY Oswego women’s ice hockey team has named Grace Schnorr as their new Assistant Coach heading into the 2024-25 season.
Schnorr is a native of Camillus, NY where she attended West Genesee High School and won two New York State Titles while being named Player of the Year in her senior season. She went on to play hockey at Cortland from 2018-2023. Grace is still the all-time leader in points (114), goals (63), assists (51), and tied for first for most points in a season with 35 in 2021-22. Schnorr was a three-time All-NEWHL selection including a pair of First Team picks and a spot on the NEWHL All-Rookie Team in 2018-19.
“I’m very excited to get to work with Grace. She will be a great resource for our players; she was a very talented player and has already proven herself to be a strong teacher of the game. She’s won everywhere she has been, and we look forward to adding her knowledge to our program. “Head Coach Mark Digby.
In 2023-24, Schnorr was an assistant coach for the Nazareth University Golden Flyers women’s hockey team. They finished their season with a 22-6-1 overall record securing a spot in the NCAA tournament.
“I am very excited for the opportunity to join the staff here at Oswego. It is awesome to have the opportunity to work with another great coach and be a part of another strong program. I am excited to be back in the SUNYAC and compete against some familiar opponents, and I can’t wait to see what we can accomplish soon! “Assistant Coach Grace Schnorr.
The Lakers will home opener will be Friday November 1st against William Smith at the Deborah F Stanley Arena.
(Photo provided by Oswego Women’s Hockey Dept.)
Gahagen Back With Phantoms
| Goalie and Army Captain Returns for 2nd Season in Lehigh Valley |
 Allentown, PA – The Lehigh Valley Phantoms have re-signed goaltender Parker Gahagen to a one-year contract for the 2024-25 season. Gahagen, 31, stepped up nicely in his 18 games with the Phantoms last season going 7-8-3, 2.59, .914. He also played 14 games with the Reading Royals in the ECHL where he was 10-4-0, 2.28, .936. Having spent most of his career in the ECHL, the West Point product rose to the occasion as a backup goalie for Lehigh Valley to produce his best-ever AHL campaign. The 6-3, lefty-catch goaltender from Buffalo, NY is entering his sixth professional season and his second with Lehigh Valley. This is the first time he will have the opportunity to play for the same team in consecutive seasons. “I love the energy the fans bring,” Gahagen said about his experience at PPL Center. “It’s always a nice buzz in town when things are going well. It’s also nice just having a smaller community as well. You kind of feel like you’re a bigger part of the community because you’re not in a huge market. You just kind of get a more intimate and personal feel with the fans. Looking forward to that and it’s going to be a great time and I’m looking forward to getting back.” |
 A fantastic moment for Gahagen and Phan Nation came in the team’s regular-season finale on April 21, 2024 when the Army Captain was honored as the team’s nightly Hometown Hero during the second period. While appreciating and celebrating a raucous ovation from the PPL Center crowd, Gahagen triumphantly raised his arms encouraging the fans to give him more!Gahagen’s accomplishments and tour include four years at the United States Military Academy at West Point where he starred for the hockey team. Upon graduation, he was commissioned into the Army as a Second Lieutenant. While stationed at Fort Carson, CO, Gahagen was assigned to the 1st Strike Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division where he received two Army commendation medals. He was honorably discharged from active duty in 2022 at the rank of Captain but remains active in the reserves. His 18 games played with the Phantoms was more than he had previously played in his entire AHL career having entered the season with just 12 career AHL games scattered across four partial seasons including his old career-high five games in 2017-18 with the San Jose Barracuda. |
 His Lehigh Valley debut on October 15, 2023 against the Belleville Senators was also his first AHL game in almost exactly two years and was his first AHL win in three seasons since April 25, 2021. On February 10, 2024 he came tantalizingly close to his first career AHL shutout but the Bridgeport Islanders were credited with a disputed third-period goal that was only allowed following a video review.Gahagen has played in 30 career AHL games with Lehigh Valley, Milwaukee, Colorado, Toronto and San Jose going a combined 12-12-3, 2.87, .903. His ECHL tour has included a Kelly Cup title with the Florida Everblades in 2022 and five honors as ECHL Goaltender of the Week. The well-traveled backstop has played in 114 career ECHL games with Reading, Jacksonville, Florida, Utah and Newfoundland going 68-30-4, 2.30, .923. (Photos provided by Phantoms Hockey Team) |
Kyle’s Slap Shot Challenge Fundraising Tournament & Festival Returns August 3
Now in its fourth year, Rochester Jr. Americans, Rochester’s largest youth hockey organization, is hosting a fundraising tournament and outdoor festival to benefit Kyle’s Slap Shot Challenge and Golisano Children’s Hospital on Saturday, August 3, at Rochester Ice Center, 80 Lyndon Rd, Fairport. The outdoor festival is open to the entire community from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The outdoor festival will feature live music from Sentimental Tupperware, Uncaged (Zac Brown tribute band) and Bryan Lyndsay. Attendees can bid on silent auction items, including a suite at an upcoming Rochester Americans or Rochester Knighthawks game and other autographed hockey items. There will also be food trucks, a beer tent, a used hockey equipment sale and games. All proceeds will benefit Kyle’s Slap Shot Challenge Foundation for Golisano Children’s Hospital.
In addition, nearly 250 Jr. Amerks youth hockey players, ages eight to 18, will participate in the 3v3 hockey tournament, which includes games and the Jr. Amerks Slap Shot Challenge, where players will compete to win prizes for the hardest slap shot in each age division. Last year, the Jr. Amerks raised $6,500 for Kyle’s Slap Shot Challenge Foundation.
The Hockey Buddies Charity Cup game will follow the Jr. Amerks 3v3 tournament at 6 p.m. at Rochester Ice Center.
Information on the tournament, including the schedule for the day:
WHERE: Rochester Ice Center, 80 Lyndon Road, Fairport
WHEN: Saturday, August 3, 2024
- Games run from 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. indoors at Rochester Ice Center
- Outdoor festival in Rochester Ice Center parking lot runs from 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.
WHO: Kyle O’Donnell, 19, is the founder of Kyle’s Slap Shot Challenge Foundation. He’s a former Jr. Amerks player who was diagnosed with pediatric cancer in 2021 and underwent treatment at UR Medicine Golisano Children’s Hospital.
Cornell Men’s Hockey To Face ECAC Hockey Rival Quinnipiac In Frozen Apple At Madison Square Garden
Sixth Biennial Event to Take Place Saturday, Nov. 30
NEW YORK — The cream of the crop of ECAC Hockey will convene on the storied ice in Manhattan on Saturday, Nov. 30, as the Cornell men’s hockey team will face Quinnipiac at the 2024 Frozen Apple at Madison Square Garden, it was announced jointly by Cornell, Quinnipiac, and Madison Square Garden.
Puck drop between the Bobcats and Big Red is scheduled for 8 p.m., and game action will be broadcast on ESPN+. With regular-season contests already scheduled on Nov. 22 in Ithaca and Jan. 18 in Hamden, the meeting in New York City will serve as one of Cornell’s seven non-conference contests for the 2024-25 season.
“I’m incredibly excited for this year’s Frozen Apple game at Madison Square Garden,” said Dr. Nicki Moore, Cornell’s Meakem & Smith Director of Athletics and Physical Education. “I am eager to see two of the top programs in ECAC Hockey face each other at such a historic venue as they continue their longstanding rivalry. For Mike Schafer, it will be his final trip to the Garden as head coach, and as a driving force behind the annual Thanksgiving series, I know Cornell fans all around the world will cherish the opportunity to celebrate him in person.”
“We’re really excited to get back to Madison Square Garden. Over the years, we’ve tried to bring quality opponents,” said Mike Schafer ’86, the Jay R. Bloom ’77 Head Coach of Cornell Men’s Hockey. “This year with Quinnipiac, obviously a rival in ECAC Hockey but also being a nationally recognized name across the country as far as their success is concerned, we hope they bring a lot of fans and alumni to Madison Square Garden to make it a tremendous environment once again. We’re excited for our players and are looking forward to come down and play at ‘The World’s Most Famous Arena’.”
Tickets for the contest will go on sale tomorrow (Aug. 1) at noon through bigredtix.com. Fans will be able to choose a section and seats will be assigned best available at time of purchase by the Cornell Athletics Ticketing Office.
“We are pleased to welcome our long-time college hockey partner Cornell University back to Madison Square Garden to continue the tradition of The Frozen Apple,” said Joel Fisher, executive vice president, MSG Marquee Events and Operations. “The matchup between Cornell and Quinnipiac, the 2023 NCAA National Champions, will pit two powerhouses against each other for a can’t-miss game.”
“Part of playing in ECAC Hockey is having outstanding opportunities on and off the ice, and this matchup at Madison Square Garden is something special for the student-athletes, coaches, students, fans, and alumni,” added ECAC Hockey commissioner Doug Christiansen. “The defending Cleary Cup winner (Quinnipiac) versus the defending Whitelaw Cup (Cornell) champion is a matchup not to be missed. I am looking forward to a great night at ‘The World’s Most Famous Arena’.”
Cornell will be playing at Madison Square Garden for the 29th time in program history and the 21st time at the venue’s current location. The Big Red has fared well at the venue, winning its last four games and going unbeaten in nine of its last 11 contests (8-2-1).
During its four-game win streak at Madison Square Garden, Cornell has outscored its opponent by a 16-5 clip, which includes registering shutouts over Boston University, 2-0, in the 2019 Red Hot Hockey game and against UConn, 6-0, in the most recent Frozen Apple contest in 2022.
In the last iteration of The Frozen Apple, Cornell registered its shutout thanks to a hat trick by then-freshman forward Dalton Bancroft, who joined Dick Bertrand ’70 as the lone Cornell players in program history to notch a hat trick at the venue.
This year’s Frozen Apple game will be the sixth in the biennial series that dates back to the first contest in 2012 against Michigan, which was a 5-1 triumph for the Big Red. Cornell also defeated Penn State, 3-1, in 2014, New Hampshire, 3-1, in 2016, and UConn in 2022. The lone setback for Cornell in a Frozen Apple contest was against Harvard, 4-1, in 2018.
Quinnipiac is coming off a 27-10-2 campaign in 2023-24, registering a 17-4-1 mark in conference play to record its fourth consecutive Cleary Cup. The Bobcats became the second ECAC Hockey program on record to win at least a share of the Cleary Cup in four straight campaigns, joining Harvard (1985-89), who won the regular-season title outright three times (1986, 1987, 1989) and splitting the honor with St. Lawrence in 1988.
Last year, the Bobcats ultimately fell to Boston College, 5-4, in overtime of the Providence Regional Final in last year’s 2024 Division I Men’s Hockey Championship. It was Quinnipiac’s second consecutive overtime game in the NCAA Tournament after it edged Wisconsin, 3-2, in the regional semifinal.
This year’s Frozen Apple game will be the Bobcats’ third time playing at Madison Square Garden in program history. Quinnipiac most recently played at the venue on Jan. 9, 2016, where it beat Harvard in overtime, 5-4. The first time Quinnipiac played at “The World’s Most Famous Arena” was when it beat its Nutmeg State rival UConn, 4-3, on March 1, 2003.
“We are very excited to head back to Madison Square Garden and participate in The Frozen Apple,” said Quinnipiac head coach Rand Pecknold. “It was a very memorable contest in 2016 and we can’t wait to get back to MSG for another great chapter in our rivalry with Cornell.”
“We are really excited to get back to such a great venue and play in front of a large-scale audience,” Quinnipiac Director of Athletics Greg Amodio added. “Our experience in 2016 was incredible for our university and this night will serve again as a great way to bring together our greater New York City alumni and fans, as well as our Hamden faithful for another milestone night in Quinnipiac hockey.”
The remainder of Cornell’s non-conference schedule, along with its pair of exhibition contests, will be announced this Friday (Aug. 2) at 10 a.m.
(Photo provided by Cornell Men’s Hockey Dept.)
Flyers, Phantoms Sign Sawyer Boulton
Rookie Tough-Guy with NHL Bloodline Added to Organization
| Lehigh Valley, PA – The Philadelphia Flyers and Lehigh Valley Phantoms announced they signed forward Sawyer Boulton to a two-year AHL contract through the 2025-26 season, according to General Manager Daniel Brière. Boulton, 19, played 40 games for the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League in 2023-24 and appeared in 16 games throughout the postseason en route to lifting the J. Ross Robertson Cup as league champions and earning a spot in the Memorial Cup. Prior to signing with London this past October, the tough-guy forward started the season as a member of the Rochester Jr. Americans in the North American Hockey League where he registered five points (3-2=5) in 10 games. The six-foot, 210-pound native of Buffalo, NY, grew up surrounded by the game of hockey as the son of longtime former NHLer Eric Boulton (2000-2016) and older brother of Knights’ teammate Ryder Boulton. “(My father is) a big inspiration for me,” said Sawyer following his first on-ice practice at Flyers Development Camp in Vorhees, NJ on Tuesday. “Starting hockey and continuing hockey, it was always my dad—former NHL player, former tough-guy. I always find motivation and inspiration through him. The rest of my family has been a good support system getting me here all the way.” After receiving the invitation to camp from the Flyers and later signing his first professional contract, Boulton added, “It’s a big honor. I always wanted to get to this level and I’m glad it’s Philly that gave me the opportunity to be here. I’m very excited to play for this organization. This style of hockey, this group—it’s exciting.” (Photo provided by Phantoms) |
Buffalo Sabres Day Two
(Pictured above is Adam Kieber)
By Warren Kozireski —
The second day of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft in Las Vegas began with Buffalo trading one of their two second round selections to the Washington Capitals for 6’3”, 200 lb. left wing Beck Malenstyn.
The former WHL product spent the entire season in the NHL in 2023-24 for the first time since turning pro and scored six goals with 15 assists over 81 games.
“He’s big (6’3”), led their team in hits, penalty killer as well, character guy…and we’ve been looking at ways…to be harder to play against and he’s certainly something who brings that every night and it was a big need that we saw coming into this offseason,” Sabres General Manager Kevyn Adams said.
The Sabres opened their draft selections taking 6’5”, 214 lb. right shot defenseman Adam Kleber with the 42nd overall pick. Heading for the University of Minnesota-Duluth this fall, Kleber spent the last two seasons with Lincoln in the USHL registering 26 points over 56 games.
“I think I’m really good defensive defenseman and I’m just trying to become more of a complete player,” Kleber said. “At Duluth they breed a lot of defensemen and they’re very good at developing those guys and I think Coach (Scott) Sandelin has a really tight structure and they make sure guys don’t cheat the defensive side. Hopefully, I can have the role of defending the other team’s top players.”
“Obviously a big kid, skates well, I think has a good brain for the game; the character of this kid is just as much a part of the story as anything else…forced his way onto the US team at the World Junior A Challenge, was the youngest d-man on that team and started as the seventh d-man and, by the end of the tournament was their best player,” Sabres Assistant General Manager Jerry Forton said.
In the third round, U.S. National Team Development Program forward Brody Ziemer was taken 71st overall. The 5’11”, 196 lb. right wing combined for 35 goals and 59 assists in 88 games and added 12 points in seven games at the U-18’s. He is headed to play for the University of Minnesota this fall.
(Brody Ziemer)
“This is kind of a dream growing up as a kid and for it to become real is super-special for me and my family,” Ziemer said. “I’d say my hockey sense (is a strength); I’m still trying to become a better skater and my hockey sense allows me to play a little bit faster than I really am.”
The Sabres had two fourth round selections at 108th and 123rd overall and took USHL defenseman Luke Osburn and QMJHL Drummondville right shot defenseman Simon-Pier Brunet.
Osburn stands 6’0” and 172 lbs. and is committed to the University of Wisconsin in 2026. The Michigan native racked up eight goals and 23 points over 60 games last season with Youngstown.
(Luke Osburn)
When I was younger, I was a lot smaller, so I had to figure out ways to be a little slipperier and then I grew a little bit,” Osburn said. “I’m going to go back to Youngstown and finish my senior year of high school…and figure it out from there.”
Brunet stands 6’2”, 196 lb. and is more defensive minded with 14 points in 52 games and added six more during a long playoff run.
In the sixth round, the team selected local product Patrick Geary from Hamburg, NY. The 19-year-old was passed over at the draft last season, but had a solid freshman season at Michigan State with 13 points in 32 games playing a shutdown role at a solid 6’1”, 185 lb.
“Great story; another high-compete player…forced his way into the lineup at Michigan State last year,” Forton said. “We brought into our mini-combine…we ran him through the same tests as the NHL uses at the Combine and he would have tested out in the top three percentile of all athletes at the Combine and top-five of our NHL players.”
With their two seventh round selections, Buffalo took Russian 6’0”, 181 lb. right wing Vasily Zelenov 204th overall and 6’2”, 179 lb. Mississauga goaltender Ryerson Leenders 219th.
(Ryerson Leenders)
Zelenov has been playing in Austria over the last five years and cracked the professional Red Bull Hockey Juniors team, where he put up 14 goals and 23 assists for 37 points in 40 games.
Leenders had a 24-17-4 record, a 3.12 goals-against average and a .909 save percentage in 46 games.
“It was a long wait I guess, but it was definitely worth it to be drafted to Buffalo,” Leenders said. “You always hope you go sooner, but definitely proud of myself and excited to be a part of Buffalo. Going to do everything I can to show Buffalo what I’m made of and do right for them.”
(Photos by Koz, NY Hockey OnLine)
NY Islanders Day Two
(Pictured above Xavier Veilleux)
By Warren Kozireski —
One day after adding Cole Eiserman to their stable of prospects in the first round, the New York Islanders added five more on day two of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft in Las Vegas.
The second day began with two second round selections.
They went defense and size in 6’6”, 220 lb. left shot Finnish defenseman Jesse Pulkkinen with the 54th overall selection.
“I’m so excited with this team; good city and fans,” Pulkkinen said. “I am an offensive defenseman.”
He registered a combined 40 points in 53 games with three different squads in Finland and added three points in the seven game U-20 World Juniors.
Their other second round selection—61st overall—was U.S. National Team Development Program and Boston University bound forward Kamil Bednarik, who joins his former and future teammate in first round selection Cole Eiserman. The 6’0”, 180 lb. center netted a combined 37 goals with 58 assists over 88 games and added six points at the U-18 Worlds.
(Kamil Bednarik)
“I’m a 200-foot player; I think I play really well at both ends of the ice…me being good defensively at the same time I can produce offensively as well, so I think that’s a good balance,” Bednarik said. “I lived in New Jersey for one year when I played for the New Jersey Rockets, so I kind of fell in love with that east coast area.”
The Islanders then chose goaltenders in back-to-back rounds in 21-year-old Russian Dmitri Gamzin in the fourth round and 6’6”, 212 lb. Swedish goaltender Marcus Gidlof in the fifth.
Gamzin played in both the VHL and the KHL with CSKA Moscow and had a solid .922 save percentage and 2.42 goals against average in the higher-level league. In 26 games with J20 Nationell at Leksands, Gidlof registered a 2.22 goals against average and .923 save percentage during the regular season.
Their sixth round and final draft choice was Quebec native and 6’0’, 190 lb. defenseman Xavier Veilleux, who played last season with Muskegon in the USHL and is committed to Harvard in 2025. He had 32 points in 62 games last season.
“Nothing against the QMJHL, but I just wanted a longer path for my development,” Veilleux said about his decision to pursue junior hockey in the U.S. “They showed interest…I knew they were one of the teams that showed interest, but I’m super-happy.”
(Photos by Koz, NY Hockey OnLine)
NY Rangers Day Two
(Pictured above is Raoul Boilard)
By Warren Kozireski —
One day after selecting defenseman E.J. Emery late in the first round of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft in Las Vegas, the New York Rangers had only three additional picks on day two with the earliest in the fourth round.
QMJHL center Raoul Boilard was chosen 119th overall in the fourth round. The 6’1”, 189 lb. center played last season with Baie Comeau where he scored 22 goals with 62 points over 68 regular season games and added eight points in 17 postseason contests through the league championship round.
“Very excited; hugged my parents and my brother and there was a lot of joy there and really proud to be a Ranger,” Boilard said. That the Rangers traded up to select him “means a lot. That means they like me so that’s good. A good organization that likes me is a good sign.
“I’m an offensive center; I have some offensive tools. Good playmaker, good on faceoffs and…develop and be a two-way center.”
In the fifth round, New York chose 6’6”, 185 lb. left wing Nathan Aspinall, who played for Flint in the Ontario Hockey League last season. There he tallied 18 goals with 16 assists in 65 games using his frame as a net-front presence.
In the sixth round, Rico Gredig was the choice as a 19-year-old. The 6’1”, 179 lb. left wing has played mostly in Switzerland with Davos. He tallied 15 points in 17 games with the U20-Elite program, added four points in 28 games up with Davos HC and played with Team Swiss at the U-20 World Juniors.
(Photo by Koz, NY Hockey OnLine)
Josh Sciba Moves On to Coach Professionally with PWHL NY
SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – After eight years leading the Union College women’s ice hockey program, Josh Sciba has resigned his head coaching position to accept a spot on the coaching staff of PWHL New York, it was announced on Saturday afternoon.
The position reunites Sciba with new PWHL New York head coach and former Colgate University head coach Greg Fargo, under whom Sciba served as an assistant for four years in Hamilton from 2012-16 before making the move to Schenectady.
“I want to thank Josh for his dedication to our student-athletes over the last eight years and the work that he put into our women’s hockey program. The opportunity to coach at the professional level does not come around often, and so we wish Josh well in his new position,” said Director of Athletics Jim McLaughlin ’93. “We look forward to finding the next leader of our women’s hockey team and seeing the continued strides forward that this program will take in the future.”
“I want to thank my student-athletes, President David Harris, Jim McLaughlin, my coaching staff, and the entire Union College community for embracing my family and I over the last eight years,” said Sciba. “I’m so grateful for this experience and everything that I’ve learned throughout it. I wouldn’t be the coach that I am today without Union College. With the talented women in our locker room, a new facility, scholarships, and a very distinguished degree, I know the best years of Union women’s hockey are yet to come. Union College will always hold a special place in my heart.”
The winningest coach in Union women’s hockey history, Sciba and the program have taken steps forward in both wins and level of competitiveness over the last two seasons. The team won 11 games and earned its first-ever win over a nationally ranked team during the 2022-23 season, and the team’s 19 victories over the last two seasons are the most in a two-year span in the program’s Division I era. The last two seasons have also seen three new entries in both the team’s single-season goals and points record books, as well as three of the program’s nine hat tricks as a D-I program.
In addition, Sciba recruited and guided student-athletes to success off the ice as well. Union players merited 125 ECAC Hockey All-Academic Team selections over the last eight seasons as well as four College Sports Communicators Academic All-District honors, and two recent graduates (Meredith Killian ’24 and Allison Smith ’24) were inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. The team also continued its long history of community engagement and support through multiple initiatives both in and out of the rink.
With the recent addition of athletic scholarships and a new hockey rink on the horizon for 2025, the future is bright for the Union women’s hockey program. A national search for the program’s next head coach will begin immediately.
(Photo by Union College Women’s Hockey Dept.)
Two Clarkson Recruits Now NHL Draft Picks
(Pictured above is Jonathan Morello)
By Warren Kozireski —
The coaching staff at Clarkson University, despite the departure of head coach Casey Jones to be the heir apparent in Cornell, is smiling today as two of their Class of 2025 recruits were selected at the 2024 NHL Entry Draft held in Las Vegas.
Center Jonathan Morello was taken by Boston in the fifth round (154th overall) and soon-to-be 18-year-old defenseman Matt Lahey was a seventh-round selection (200th overall) by Toronto.
Morello had 25 goals and 32 assists in 50 games last year with St. Michael’s in the OJHL and added 21 points in 11 playoff games. The 6’1”, 168 lb. center plans to play one season at Dubuque in the USHL before heading to the North Country.
“I knew Boston was definitely a team that was looking at me,” Morello said. “I’m grateful that Boston made the choice on me, and I’m really excited to get started.
“The coaching change was a bit of a shock, but I know the coach coming in is definitely really excited and came from the AHL as well and getting that experience is something that I’m looking forward too.
“I’m a two-way centerman mixed with a bit of a power forward. I use speed a lot in my game—speed is probably the biggest attribute in my game—and that’s something that I use whether I’m carrying the puck…or I’m on the back-check.”
Lahey, the top-rated defenseman in the draft from the BCHL, stands 6’5”, 2023 lbs. and played last season with Nanaimo Clippers where the physical defenseman recorded 19 points in 54 games as more of a disruptor on the blueline.
(Photo by Koz, NY Hockey OnLine)
Sabres Take Finn Helenius With First Round Selection
By Warren Kozireski —
After trading down three spots for an extra second round draft pick courtesy of San Jose, the Buffalo Sabres selected 5’11”, 189 lb. forward Konsta Helenius with the 14th overall selection in the first round of the 20204 NHL Entry Draft in Las Vegas.
In addition to his regular season with Jurkurit, Helenius played with both Finland U-18 and U-18 teams for a combined 94 game season. He is described as skilled and quick with a high compete level. The right-handed shot scored five power-play goals, won 50.2 percent of his face-offs, and averaged 16:57 of ice time in 51 games for Jukurit in Liiga, Finland’s top professional men’s league.
“It was a long season; I think I played really well.” Helenius said moments after being selected. “I think it was good for me to play against men because I like to play hard. I’m not the biggest guy, but I think I’m a very strong guy and it was good for me.
“I have older brothers and we fight when I was a kid, so that probably is one reason why I like to battle hard.
Helenius is known as responsible defensively and credits former NHLer and his coach Oli Jokinen.
“Biggest reason was my coach before every game that you need defense first and then you get the puck and you can do whatever you want. It was hard for me because I like to do a lot of things with the puck…but it was good for me too.”
“I know Oli well from we were teammates…and he spoke (to our staff) really, really highly of Konsta; his belief in him and the path he’s on,” Buffalo General Manager Kevyn Adams said.
“So much due diligence goes into these players before you make your pick and everything came back: high character, well liked by teammates, coaches love him, work ethic so all the stuff that we look for. So it’s an exciting player to add into our organization.
“This isn’t a fully developed player for sure, but you don’t play in the men’s league in Finland at 16 or whatever he was for the last year and a half without being able to handle yourself.
“I like the fact that, to me, he is a true center. We believe 100% that he’s a center and will be in the National Hockey League.”
(Photo by Koz, NY Hockey OnLine)
Islanders Nab Eiserman With First Round Selection
By Warren Kozireski —
One year after using their first three selections on forwards and not having a first-round pick since 2019, the New York Islanders took U.S. National Team Development Program and future Boston University Terrier Cole Eiserman 20th overall at the 2024 NHL Entry Draft in Las Vegas.
Eiserman is a 6’0”, 195 lb. left wing who broke Montreal Canadian Cole Caufield’s record of 126 goals with the National Program. This past season he netted 49 goals in 49 games and added 27 assists. He won’t turn 18 years old until late August.
“I think Cole Eiserman is the best goal-scorer of this draft; it’s an elite quality,” said Craig Button, TSN resident director of scouting, NHL analyst and former NHL general manager told The Hockey News.
“I had no idea (who was going to select him) going into the day and that made it exciting, and it was super-cool when I heard my name called,” Eiserman said after his election.
“I’m definitely a shooter who loves to score goals; I definitely bring a positive attitude and a competitive side. As time goes on, definitely going to become more physical to use my body a lot.
“I definitely see the game different than a lot of people and, whether you like it or not, it’s something that I’m going to bring.”
When asked about his next best hockey trait, Eiserman said at the NHL Draft Combine in May: “probably my playmaking. I think it’s a pretty underrated thing that I get to show because my teammates want me to shoot the puck all the time.
“You see a guy like (Auston) Matthews who scores a lot of goals, but now is being looked at as a Selke guy…and that’s the guy I’m trying to be like in the NHL one day.”
Eiserman is the latest hockey playing family member with older brothers William (UMass-Lowell & Bentley), Chris (goaltender for SUNY Fredonia 2013-15), Shane (U. New Hampshire and ECHL) along with some older cousins.
“They taught me to be more of a person and a man than a hockey player and they’re a lot older than me, so they went through life, and they went through good times and bad times and in between and taught me everything that I need to know and how to deal with adversity. And work—they didn’t have as much skill as I do, so they made it from working and that’s what they tell me to do.”
The Islanders are scheduled to make five more selections in rounds two-seven on Saturday with two of those second rounders.
(Photo by Koz, NY Hockey OnLine)
