While the Buffalo Sabres have been divided up into two teams (one overseas for the NHL Global Series and the other remaining in North America), the messaging to the 50+ players that have been a part of training camp remains the same.
The 2024-25 Sabres want to play to an identity that is smart, hard, and fast. That was on full display Wednesday afternoon at KeyBank Center as Rochester Americans head coach Michael Leone led the team through a near hour practice that saw each of those three elements.
The Buffalo roster that remains stateside is largely made up of players with robust AHL resumes, but there is NHL experienced sprinkled in here and there. Among those qualified is goaltender Felix Sandström, whom the Sabres penned to a one-year, two-way contract when NHL Free Agency began in July. The 27-year-old was drafted by Philadelphia in 2015 and played in the Flyers organization for parts of six seasons before joining Buffalo.
“I’m really happy to be getting a new chance here,” said Sandström. “I felt like it was time for me to try and begin a new chapter in my career. I loved all of the people in Philly, but I’m excited that Buffalo decided to give me a chance. I want to prove that I belong at this level.”
Sandström recorded a .902 save percentage through his first full AHL season with Lehigh Valley in 2021-22, while facing the ninth most shots of any goaltender in the league. Those numbers, coupled with his 44-game workload allowed the Gävle, Sweden native to appear in 20 games for Philadelphia the following season, and another 5 NHL outings last year. Sandström has enjoyed the pace of practice in Sabres camp thus far, noting that goaltenders aren’t an exception to the smart, hard, and fast mantra.
“You wanna push the pace as hard as you can. In games, guys are so skilled and pucks are moving so quick that you want to stay ahead of it. It’s great to see the pace in practice and it helps with getting prepared for games. I’m always trying to be relaxed and giving my team a relaxed feeling of comfort to know that they have a guy back there in goal that doesn’t get startled and can come up with big saves when they need it.”
Sandström is an example of a player trying to make it back into the NHL, while third-year pro Graham Slaggert is aiming to reach the National Hockey League for the first time in his career.
“I feel like this is the closest I’ve ever been to making that jump,” said Slaggert following Wednesday’s practice. “It’s not to sound arrogant or anything. I’m using it as a confidence boost to stay motivated and keep pushing and working as hard as I can, because you are that close to being able to achieve that lifelong dream of reaching the NHL.”
The 25-year-old forward enters his second season in the organization. Slaggert scored six goals and 12 points in 46 games with Rochester a season ago. In that time, Graham watched his younger brother, Landon, achieve his dream of making it to the NHL, as the younger Slaggert played 16 games for Chicago. The siblings spent ample time together in the offseason trying to get ready for the road that lies ahead.
“This year I got to skate and train with him (Landon) in the summer. It was nice because we got to go one-on-one against each other and pick each other’s brains and learn from each other throughout the whole process. He’s had NHL games, but I have a few years pro under my belt, so it helps to talk about things and discuss different situations. It was really beneficial to have him around. We went back to Notre Dame and trained with the strength coach I’ve worked with since growing up. What’s really nice about that is we got to pick and choose what areas of our game we really needed to work on and hone in on. If we went somewhere else, we may not have had that chance.”
Slaggert feels he’s inched closer to his dream, but he’s done so by being his authentic self and playing to his strengths, rather than going and trying to be something he’s not.
“It’s really hard to think anybody could take Tage Thompson’s spot,” he said. “He’s uber-talented and skilled. For me, I’m not trying to achieve that. I’m trying to play my game and play the right way in Rochester to turn some heads up in Buffalo. This is the way I play and it’s a winning way of hockey. I’m a coach’s son, so I tend to always err on the side of caution and responsibility on the ice. I’ve been told it’s my greatest asset and my biggest curse, so I’m still learning and trying to take risks while still playing responsible and staying within my game.”
Here's how the group lined up at practice today:
