Buffalo prospect was injured Monday in the final game of the Prospects Challenge tournament
BUFFALO – Matt Savoie is expected to miss the start of NHL training camp after sustaining an upper-body injury Monday.
Savoie, the No. 9 pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, was injured 27 seconds after taking the opening faceoff in the Sabres’ 3-0 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins in their Prospects Challenge finale at LECOM Harborcenter. The 19-year-old collided with a Penguins player near the net in the defensive zone and then fell into the boards.
“He’s going to get reevaluated here in the next day, tonight, tomorrow,” Rochester Americans coach Seth Appert said. “Probably expected to miss a little bit of time at main camp. That’s where it’s at right now. We’ll have more details in the next couple of days.”
Savoie (5-foot-10, 170 pounds) is one of several rookies – along with Jiri Kulich, Isak Rosen, and Lukas Rousek – expected to compete for the vacant NHL roster spot created with Jack Quinn’s injury when training camp opens Thursday. He earned a long look last season before the Sabres returned him to the WHL.
“It’s a contact sport. You hate seeing it to any player, whether it’s your first-round draft pick or an invite,” Appert said. “This is a great opportunity to be at rookie camp, wear an NHL jersey and all that. Obviously with Matthew, there’s NHL training camp and bigger things ahead so you definitely hate it there but it’s never a good feeling as a coach to see a player leave the ice like that.”
He was one of the Sabres’ best players in their first game of the tournament with a pair of highlight-reel goals in a win against the Montreal Canadiens. In the second period, he jumped to catch a cross-ice lob pass from Zach Benson and skated below the goal line before turning in stride and scoring five-hole.
Later in the game, after taking a cross-ice pass from Filip Cederqvist around a Canadiens defenseman and cutting to the net, the rebound of a poke-check by goalie Jakub Dobes landed back on Savoie’s stick and he scored backhand with his back to the net as he glided to the right.
The Sabres finished the tournament 2-1-0.
