Dylan Cozens' first training camp and preseason with the Buffalo Sabres has officially come to an end.
The team announced on Thursday that the 2019 first round pick has been assigned back to his junior team, the Lethbridge Hurricanes in the Western Hockey League.
The Sabres have assigned forward Dylan Cozens to the Lethbridge Hurricanes (WHL). pic.twitter.com/HxksYtQbeD
— Sabres PR (@SabresPR) September 26, 2019The 18-year-old had a strong showing at this year's training camp, and managed to appear in three preseason games. Although he went pointless in those three games, Cozens was able to show off his strong skating skills, as well as his two-way vision in both ends of the ice. He also averaged 12:56 of total ice-time in the three games he played.
The best game of the preseason for Cozens came in his second game against the Toronto Maple Leafs last Friday at Scotiabank Arena. Cozens played in 15:12 of action, while getting some time on the power play and looking fast against some of Toronto's top players like Auston Matthews and William Nylander. He also managed to put three shots on goal in the loss, while also picking up two hits and two takeaways.
Where Cozens will need improvement in his game is in the faceoff circle, where he struggled in the preseason, and even as far back as the Sabres Prospects Challenge. He also needs to build some more strength, which shouldn't be an issue playing in a physical and grinding WHL.
Cozens' first opportunity to return to the Hurricanes' lineup will be on Friday night when the team plays host to the Red Deer Rebels.
It is also likely that Cozens will represent Canada this year at the 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship in the Czech Republic. He had a strong showing for Canada at the IIHF Under-18 World Championship this past spring in Sweden, where he scored four goals and registered nine points in seven games.
