The Kids Arrive: Prospect Cup Generating Buzz in Buffalo
September 9 2005 (Buffalo News) -
The strapping young defenseman took a crisp pass from the side boards, wound up and ripped a thundering slap shot past the overmatched goaltender. About 20 onlookers shouted out approval. The goal scorer, 17 year old standout Erik Johnson from the U.S. National Development Program, just winked in the direction of his new-found fan club.
"This is gonna be a fun weekend", he'd say after the practice concluded.
That could be the understatement of the year.
All of the participants in the first annual Prospect Cup hit the ice for the first time Thursday in Buffalo in preparation for the tourney's Friday night start. The U.S. Under-18's took the ice first and will be led by the aforementioned Johnson (shown above at right), a top prospect for the upcoming 2006 NHL Entry Draft. Also expected to make an impact for the NTDP are Buffalo native Patrick Kane and team captain Brian Strait (also shown above).
The University of Denver, the 2005 NCAA Men's Champions, were next to hit the ice. Peter Mannino (pictured) almost single-handedly guided the Pioneers to the Frozen Four win and will be counted on heavily again this season. Also sure to make contributions this weekend include Paul Stastny, son of NHL legend Peter Stastny and Buffalo Sabres prospect Chris Butler, who was drafted in the fourth round this past June. Also keep an eye on slick forward Ryan Dingle, who has shown a great scoring touch in recent games.
The Golden Gophers took the ice an hour later. The team is a who's-who of future NHL stars and is led by the phenomenally talented Phil Kessel (pictured). Kessel played for the NTDP last year and is in his freshman year at Minnesota. He will be one to watch this weekend. Also sure to grab attention are Ryan Stoa, Ryan Potulny and Blake Wheeler, all of whom are highly touted, NHL draft picks. Scouts feel this tournament is Minnesota's to lose.
The Sabres prospects were the last to practice today after getting a long practice in on Wednesday. The star of the brief Thursday session was the team's top pick in the 2005 draft, Marek Zagrapan. Creative and crafty, Zagrapan dazzled in his short time on the ice. Looking impressive at his side was London Knights forward Dylan Hunter, a ninth round selection in the 2004 draft who shot up the Sabres depth chart after a sizzling 104 point year in the OHL last season.
On defense, 6'4" defenseman Michael Funk from the Portland Winter Hawks of the WHL and Slava Buravchikov from Krylja in Russia were the standouts.
The Sabres Prospects take on the University of Denver in the opening game at HSBC arena tonight. The puck drops at 5:00pm for that contest. The game between the University of Minnesota and the U.S. National Development Program will follow at 8:00pm. Tickets are still available for $10 and are good for both games.