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Wednesday, November 8, 2000
Buffalo Sabres
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First Round Picks: No. 15
1999-2000 Record: 35-36-11 (4), 85 points (16th overall)
What they need
Scoring is still a primary need in Buffalo. The Sabres were 20th in offense in 1999-2000
(2.60 goals/gm.).
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HOMEGROWN SABRES
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Sabres draftees who played over 20 games with Buffalo in 1999-00: (All stats with Sabres) |
| Name (drafted) |
GP |
G-A-Pts |
Jay McKee
(14th in '95) |
78 |
5-12-17 |
Curtis Brown
(43rd in '94) |
74 |
22-29-51 |
Erik Rasmussen
(7th in '96) |
67 |
8-6-14 |
Maxim Afinogenov
(69th in '97) |
65 |
16-18-34 |
Brian Holzinger
(124th in '91) traded to TB |
59 |
7-17-24 |
Rob Ray
(97th in '88) |
69 |
4 pts., 158 PIM |
Richard Smehlik
(97th in '90) |
64 |
2-9-11 |
Cory Sarich
(27th in '96) Traded to TB |
42 |
0-4-4 |
Martin Biron
(16th in '95) |
41 |
19-18-2, 2.42 |
Wayne Primeau
(17th in '94) Traded to TB |
41 |
5-7-12 |
In their system
A rising offensive star in the Buffalo organization is right wing Maxim Afinogenov (69th overall in
'97). In his first season in North America, Afinogenov split time between Rochester (AHL) (6-12-18 in 15 games) and
Buffalo (16-18-34 in 65 games). He also represented Russia in the World Championships this past spring.
A pair of OHL
snipers are also of note in the Sabre portfolio. Mike Zigomanis (64th overall in '99) had 40 goals and 94 points in 59 games at Kingston, while Norm Milley (47th overall in '98) had 52 goals and 112 points in 68 games for Sudbury. However, questions about size have come up on each of them (Zigomanis is 5'11", 185, Milley 5'11", 183).
On the blueline, Dmitri Kalinin (18th overall in '98) had a solid first pro season, notching 21 points and 52 PIM's in 73 games at Rochester. Another standout European in Rochester was goaltender Mika Noronen (21st overall in '97), who won 33 games and had a 2.18 GAA in 54 appearances en route to AHL Rookie Of The Year honors. Noronen also set an AHL playoff record with six shutouts while helping the Amerks to their second consecutive Western Conference Championship.
Recent draft history
Though the team has been inconsistent on offense in recent seasons, only two of the
Sabres' last six first round pick have been used on forwards (Erik Rasmussen in '97 and Barrett Heisten in '99).
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FIRST-ROUND SELECTIONS (LAST FIVE YEARS)
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| YEAR |
PICK |
PLAYER |
POS. |
'99 TEAM |
'99 G-A-Pts |
| 1999 |
20 |
Barrett Heisten |
LW |
Maine (NCAA) |
13-24-37 |
| 1998 |
18 |
Dmitri Kalinin |
D |
Rochester (AHL) |
2-19-21 |
| 1997 |
21 |
Mika Noronen |
G |
Rochester (AHL) |
33-14-3, 2.18 |
| 1996 |
7 |
Erik Rasmussen |
C |
Buffalo (NHL) |
8-6-14 |
| 1995 |
14
16 |
Jay McKee
Martin Biron |
D
G |
Buffalo (NHL)
Buffalo (NHL) |
5-12-17
19-18-2, 2.42 |
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ALSO SEE
Sabres' first-round history
Team Needs: Boston Bruins
Team Needs: Montreal Canadiens
Team Needs: Ottawa Senators
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