Sabres get ready for this weekend's Prospects Showcase

Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR) - The Buffalo Sabres prospects hit the ice on Friday, getting ready for the Prospects Showcase against the Boston Bruins. Games will be at Harborcenter on Sunday at 5 p.m. and Monday at 12 p.m.

2022 second-round pick goalie Topias Leinonen won't be playing for Buffalo, as he deals with a lower-body injury suffered while training this offseason. Rochester Americans head coach Mike Leone says he'll miss a little time.

The 22-year-old goalie, who was labeled by Sabres assistant general manager Jerry Forton as the best goalie in the 2022 draft, only played 15 games last season between the Amerks and Jacksonville Icemen in the ECHL.

Scott Ratzlaff was the Sabres' fifth-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, and played 13 games last season in Rochester and 15 in Jacksonville.

With Devon Levi traded to the Edmonton Oilers this offseason, Buffalo is looking for someone to step up as their young goalie on the rise. Leone says this season, both goalies should get more of a chance.

"There was a lot with the goalie situation, where guys were going up and down, but I think it was a real eye-opening experience for the young kids," said Leone after Friday's practice in Buffalo. "Both got to play AHL games, both of them did well in the East Coast Hockey League, and with goalies, you have to play. You have to spend time in the American League, and I think for both those kids, it's an opportunity. When 'Dev' got traded, we signed an older goalie [Matt Villalta], but now there's an opportunity for someone to earn a spot."

Other drafted goalies for the Sabres in the system are Sam Meloche (fourth round, 2025 NHL Draft), Evgeny Prokhorov (seventh round, 2025 NHL Draft), and Ryerson Leenders (seventh round, 2024 NHL Draft).

Ratzlaff, Meloche and Talyn Boyko will be the goalies for the Sabres Prospects Showcase against Boston. Boyko is an invitee who was drafted in the fourth round of the 2021 NHL Draft by the New York Rangers.

Leone will have a whole new staff this season in Rochester, as Vinny Prospal is now an assistant coach with the St. Louis Blues and Nathan Paetsch is the head coach of the Youngstown Phantoms in the United States Hockey League. Hiring new coaches on his staff was a process, according to Leone.

"[Amerks general manager] Stacy [Roest] and I had an idea of the people we wanted to bring into the organization and we were looking for, and all three bring something different," he said. "'Sammy' [Philip Samuelsson] just got done playing, his dad coached in the NHL a long time. He called me when I was on my vacation, but I didn't know him. Heard great things about him as a player, and he wanted to get into coaching. He was living in Florida looking for a job, and for me, when you get into coaching professional hockey, it's about people.

"Stacy and I did our homework, and heard he's a worker."

Scott Moser also comes to Rochester after serving as an associate head coach at the University of Vermont.

"He's from the Buffalo area (Tonawanda). I knew him a little bit from USA Hockey, he wasn't really on the radar, but the way he went about it, he just wanted to coach," Leone said.

"They're both younger guys, and we wanted the energy and the passion that each guy brings.

Rochester will also have a new goalie coach with Neil Conway coming in from Youngstown in the USHL.

"I actually played with him 10 years ago in the East Coast Hockey League (Toledo Walleye), and we were actually stallmates. He's another guy who has grinded," Leone said. "You don't make much money as a goalie coach in the USHL, and the job he did in Youngstown, he had Jacob Fowler - who is now with the Montreal Canadiens.

"We just wanted to find people that were passionate, worked, no ego, selfless and we feel like we have a really good staff."

You'll be able to hear both games this weekend on The Bet 1520. I'll be joined by Brayton Wilson and Owen Parker on Sunday at 4:55 p.m., while it'll be me, Wilson and Pat Malacaro for Monday's broadcast at 11:55 a.m.