Latest news with #Ostlund
New York Times
06-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Sabres thoughts: Noah Ostlund's debut, Tage Thompson scores 40th and more
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Rochester Americans coach Michael Leone has come to expect that Noah Ostlund will be at the rink hours before practice is scheduled to start. That's the reputation the Buffalo Sabres' 2022 first-round pick has developed among the coaching staff during his first year in North America. The 20-year-old spent two seasons in Sweden before coming to the AHL, and he already has the habits of a pro. He's regularly watching video and going through an extensive off-rice routine to get his body ready for practice. Advertisement 'He practices like his life depends on it,' Leone said this week before Ostlund got called up to make his NHL debut in the Buffalo Sabres' 3-2 shootout win against the Lightning on Saturday. Ostlund smiled when asked where that work ethic comes from. 'I don't see it as work,' Ostlund said after practice Friday. 'I just love hockey and want to get as good as possible.' So far, so good. Ostlund was recently named the AHL rookie of the month. He has 36 points in 44 games for the Amerks this season after starting the year with one point in his first 11 games. Ostlund was battling through a hand injury that required surgery. Amerks assistant coach Vinny Prospal said, 'He came back a totally different player.' When Ostlund first came over from Europe, the coaching staff talked about whether he would start at wing or center. When Jiri Kulich got called up to the AHL, Ostlund got an opportunity to center Rochester's top line and hasn't looked back. He has 14 goals since the AHL's All-Star break, and the Amerks have 58 percent of the goals when he's on the ice at even strength. 'He's a relentless worker,' Leone said. 'He's an every-dayer. He's a quiet leader with the group. He's playing 1C in the AHL and the consistency, he's got 14 goals since the All-Star break and it's his play away from the puck that stands out. He's a winning hockey player. He's everything you want.' Prospal echoed that, calling Ostlund 'a coach's dream' because of the way he works and brings others along with him. The Amerks use him on the power play and penalty kill. He has three short-handed goals. Coming out of the draft, Ostlund was lauded for his skating, 200-foot game and playmaking. None of that has changed, but Ostlund also has put work in on his shooting. He has 19 goals in the AHL this season. If there's a knock on him at this point, it's that he's dealt with injuries the last few years. He's listed at 5-foot-11 and 171 pounds. Coaches see a player who doesn't use size as an impediment. Advertisement 'The amount of hits he takes to make plays in hard areas, you would think he's 6-2, 6-3,' Leone said. 'He's fearless.' Added Prospal: 'I know everybody is saying, 'Oh is he strong enough?' He's proving every freaking game that he is a good enough player to go around it. The strength and the finish of his growth and development, it will come … He's not afraid to go into the corner to take a hit and make a play. You don't often see it with young prospects that they would be willing to play that complete game. Noah is a complete hockey player. All he needs is time to develop.' This call-up gives Ostlund a chance to get a taste of the NHL. In his debut, Ostlund got just 8:37 of ice time, 2:04 of which came on the power play as part of Buffalo's second unit. Ostlund played on the fourth line between Beck Malenstyn and Sam Lafferty, mostly because Ruff didn't want to disrupt the other three lines that have been playing well. Ostlund took a tripping penalty but was engaged in puck battles throughout the game. He still has to develop more in Rochester. He'll get to be one of the key players during the Amerks' playoff run and will likely be back there next season. Ruff said he would have liked to have gotten Ostlund more ice time in his debut, but the Lightning were shortening their bench and the Sabres followed suit. He thought Ostlund made smart plays in the defensive zone. 'He's going to play some hockey for us and I thought that was a good start,' Ruff said. 'A win in his first NHL game.' 1. Tage Thompson hit the 40-goal mark for the second time in his career with a powerful wrist shot from the slot. He leads the league with 30 five-on-five goals and he's second in the NHL in goals since the 4 Nations tournament. 'I thought he was dominant tonight,' Ruff said. TAGE THOMPSON HITS 40 GOALS ⚔️#LetsGoBuffalo — Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) April 6, 2025 It's worth pointing out that Thompson has done this with a few different linemates throughout the year. Ruff shifted Thompson to the wing, and it seems clear that's benefited Thompson. Lately, he's been playing with Zach Benson and Jiri Kulich, two of the youngest players on Buffalo's roster. And still, Thompson is producing the way he is. Thompson was quick to credit Benson, who forced a turnover and got the assist on Thompson's goal. Advertisement 'His tenacity on the puck, he's a little rat,' Thompson said. 'I love the way he plays. He's hard working, moves his feet. It doesn't matter the size of the guy he's going against, he's going to come out with the puck. For me when I'm playing with him I just try to put it in areas where he's going to get it. I think you see that on that goal. Place the puck in the corner, he goes in there, strips and makes a great play to get it to the slot. He's got some really good hands and vision. Pair that with his work ethic and he's a lot of fun to play with. 2. Jason Zucker got his 20th goal of the season and added to his team lead in power-play goals. Once again, Zucker scored right at the front of the net, grabbing a loose puck and quickly depositing it into the back of the net. The Sabres could use another player with Zucker's net-front skills in their forward group next season. 3. James Reimer now has wins in six straight starts. He made some key saves throughout the game and stood tall in the shootout. Zucker joked that the 37-year-old goalie is 'about to turn to dust with how old he is.' 'He's a heck of a guy,' Zucker said. 'He's a hell of a teammate and had an amazing career. He's showing why right now.' Reimer told me after practice Friday that he's going to sit down with his family after the season and discuss what the future holds. His kids are getting older, so he thinks whatever he decides needs to be a family decision, especially considering how much he's moved around the last few seasons. But Reimer certainly has looked like someone who has something left in the tank the last couple of weeks. 'There's the strictly hockey side of it, the family side of it, the whole life part of it,' Reimer said. 'I'm just enjoying these last couple of weeks here and then when the season is over, we'll take some time as a family, see where we're at and go from there.' 4. Josh Norris skated on his own on Friday, but Ruff still didn't commit to a timetable for his return from a mid-body injury. At this point, there are seven games left in the season, so the Sabres are running out of time to get him back into game action. The same goes for Jordan Greenway, who also hasn't practiced with the team since leaving Buffalo's March 23 game against Winnipeg with a lower-body injury. Ruff said he would like to get them both back in, but time will tell. Tyson Kozak, meanwhile, is dealing with a hip injury and is week-to-week. He's unlikely to play for the Sabres again this season but should be able to play for the Amerks in the AHL playoffs.
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Rochester Americans Forward Noah Ostlund Named AHL Player Of The Week
Rochester Americans forward Noah Ostlund has been named AHL Player of the Week for the period ending Mar. 30. Ostlund recorded three goals and six points in three games last week. He has 18 goals and 35 points in 43 games this season. The 16th overall selection by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2022 draft, Ostlund is on a five-game goal scoring streak and scored in each of Rochester's games last week. That's a five-game goal streak for Noah Östlund, in case you weren't counting😏@AmerksHockey | #SYRvsROC — American Hockey League (@TheAHL) March 30, 2025 His performance helped the Americans pick up five of six possible points and moves the team closer to clinching a playoff berth. The 21-year-old played two AHL regular season games and three Calder Cup Playoff games last season and has followed it up with a fantastic rookie AHL campaign. Ostlund notched 10 points in seven games and won a silver medal with Team Sweden at the 2024 World Junior Championship. Keep an eye on The Hockey News Buffalo for more updates on the team's prospects. Make sure you bookmark The Hockey News' AHL Page for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns and so much more.
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Buffalo Sabres Prospects – #4 Noah Ostlund
The Buffalo Sabres are considered to have one of the best prospect pools in the NHL, not only because of their selecting high in recent drafts but also due to their eye for talent and their organizational choices of either leaving players to develop in their home countries or bringing them to North America. All are 25 years old or younger, whose rights are currently held by the Sabres or are on AHL or NHL deals and have played less than 40 NHL games. 4. – NOAH OSTLUND - C (ROCHESTER – AHL) Ostlund was the Sabres second first-round pick (16th overall) at the 2022 NHL Draft in Montreal after scoring 42 points for the Djurgardens junior-level club, 10 points for Sweden at the Under-18s, and a brief stint in the SHL. The following season, he had 26 points (8 goals, 18 assists) in 37 regular season games in the second-level pro league Allsvenskan and four points (1 goal, 3 assists) for Team Sweden at the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championships. He travelled to North America after his season in Sweden and joined the Rochester Americans for their Calder Cup Playoff run, but did not play. The Stockholm native chose not to come over and play for the Amerks last season, instead returning to Sweden to play for Vaxjo and play again for his country at the 2024 World Junior in Gothenburg. The 20-year-old thrived at the WJC, scoring 10 points (3 goals, 7 assists) in seven games and earning a silver medal. Ostlund was also a solid contributor for Vaxjo, with 23 points (12 goals, 11 assists) in 38 games, and joined Rochester at the end of the AHL season, earning an assist in two regular season games and one goal in three playoff games. In his first full season in North America, Ostlund missed nearly two months with a hand injury, but returned just before Christmas and went goalless in his first 10 games, but has begun to produce consistently, with nine points (3 goals, 6 assists) in his last nine games. Noah Östlund with an absolute LASER 🎯 — Rochester Americans (@AmerksHockey) February 1, 2025 The Hockey Prospect Black Book said of the speedy center 'Östlund is quick, mobile, and has perfect knowledge of his surroundings. His balance and mobility are what is allowing him to perform as well as he does at the j20 level. He has the ability to process the game while moving in all directions, even with the puck on his stick, this makes him very elusive and hard to catch. On the occasions where he gets caught, he is often outmuscled and can be found bumped off his feet, but he was close to never caught off guard by a hit that he didn't know was coming his way.' Follow Michael on X, Instagram, and Bluesky @MikeInBuffalo
