Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR 550) – As expected, the Buffalo Sabres have signed Northeastern University goaltender Devon Levi to a three-year entry-level contract.
Levi was acquired in July of 2021 from the Florida Panthers, along with a 2022 first-round pick that turned into forward Jiri Kulich - having a great season with the Rochester Americans - for forward Sam Reinhart.
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Levi was taken in the seventh-round of the 2020 NHL Draft, because he chose to play in the Central Canada Hockey League (CCHL), which is a much lesser junior league. In his one season in the CCHL for the Carleton Place Canadians, Levi was 34-2-1 with a 1.47 goals-against average and a .941 save percentage.
It was also before Levi played for Team Canada at the IIHF World Junior Championship in 2021, where he stole the show with a 6-1-0 record, a 0.75 goals-against and a .964 save percentage. While he was great in that tournament, his only loss came in the gold medal game against the United States, where he still only gave up one goal.
With the Huskies last season, Levi won the Mike Richter Award for college hockey’s best goalie. He’s a finalist once again this season.
Levi went 21-10-1 during his 2021-22 season with a 1.54 goals-against average and a .952 save percentage. This season, he was 17-12-5 with a 2.24 goals-against average and a .933 save percentage. His save percentage leads the country for the second-straight year.
The 21-year-old was also named the Hockey East Player of the Year this past year.
Kevyn Adams talked to Levi about signing last summer, but he wanted to go back to Northeastern to see if he could play at the same level again.
Talking to Levi at Sabres Development Camp, you could tell he was already liking what he saw with the Sabres organization.
Buffalo plays in Philadelphia on Friday, and is looking to take 5-of-6 points on their road trip. As for the Flyers, they have lost four-straight games, have one win in nine games, and two wins in 14 games.
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