Camp Days

by Ryan

The Sabres have officially announced their roster for Prospect Camp, which will be held on July 6-10 at Niagara University. The Sabres have invited a total of 21 forwards, 16 defenseman, and four goaltenders. Sabres Prospects has the full list in a handy non-pdf form, as well as a bit of background on why a few players aren’t making the trip.

Overall it’s nice to see a lot of players make the invite list. Every player from the last two drafts is on there, as well as fringe players like Gerbe, Kennedy, Myers, and Weber. I’m interested to get a better look at guys like T.J. Brennan and Paul Byron as well, both of whom have signed contracts with the team this spring.

I can’t promise I’ll make it to Rookie Camp, but expect a report from at least one of us. I’m trying to clear my schedule as we speak.

—

Another roster announcement of interest is the Olympic camp announcements from Team USA and Canada. Each team picked a Sabre, with Team USA going with Ryan Miller and Canada selecting Derek Roy. Interesting that Roy gets the nod over someone like Marc Savard.

Notable Sabres left off the Team USA invitee list include Paul Gaustad, a guy rumored in the running for a roster spot for quite some time. However, given the number of other players left off the roster, including vets like Bill Guerin, it seems pretty obvious why Gaustad didn’t get the call. Jason Pominville is another player that didn’t receive an invitation. It doesn’t mean he can’t still make the team, but it will be a bit more difficult — especially after his less than sub-par 2008-09 season.

It’s sad that a lack of free agent news makes this noteworthy, but then again, any hockey news is good news these days.

Ugh.