NHL Prospect Roundup: Buffalo Sabres’ Devon Levi is finding groove in AHL

Steven Ellis
Steven Ellis
Devon Levi
Credit: Christian Bonin/TSGphoto.com

Devon Levi’s first pro season has been anything but smooth sailing.

After bouncing between the Buffalo Sabres and Rochester Americans throughout the past few months, the 22-year-old has started to find his groove with the Amerks as the team’s No. 1. He’s 4-3-3 over the past 10 games, but he has .930 save percentage in that span to put him among the league leaders. During the stretch, Levi has faced at least 31 shots nine times, with his best performance being a 52-save victory over the Toronto Marlies midway through February.

It’s easy to forget Levi is just 22 years old. Just days after finishing his sophomore campaign at Northeastern – where he established himself as one of the best goaltenders in NCAA history – he was thrust into the spotlight in an attempt to save Buffalo’s season last year. That’s enormous pressure for a young kid with no previous pro experience.

So when he started to struggle with the Sabres out of the gate this year, it was understandable. There’s a reason so few goaltenders go straight from college to the NHL – it’s a massive leap for anyone. But his play with the Amerks is promising, and with more reps and more patience, Levi should still be able to establish himself as one of the game’s top young goaltenders.

AHL

– Outside of a rough five-goal effort against Rockford on Saturday, Sebastian Cossa was on a bit of a nice run with the Grand Rapids Griffins. He had a shutout against Texas on Feb. 21 and followed it up with two impressive victories against Milwaukee and Iowa. He’s been working alongside – and outplaying – veteran Michael Hutchinson as a 21-year-old, which is no simple task. The 6-foot-6 goaltender has been viewed as one of the best goaltending prospects in the game since going 15th overall to the Detroit Red Wings in 2021, and his size, athleticism and overall stable presence inside the net make him difficult to beat.

– Vasily Podkolzin‘s name has been linked to trade rumors, and his recent call-up to the Vancouver Canucks could be a challenge to showcase him. He was a polarizing prospect in his draft year because he dominated with Russia’s junior team but struggled in the KHL. He made the Canucks out of training camp in 2021-22 and had an OK rookie season, but he was sent back down to Abbotsford last year to help try and find his game. Now in his second year in the AHL, Podkolzin has a solid 15 goals in 44 games, showing he still knows how to put the puck in the net. Could a new home be what he needs to unlock his potential? You have to wonder, because the talent is there, but the execution isn’t always.

KHL

– With the KHL’s regular season coming to a close last week, Minnesota Wild prospect Danila Yurov finished the season as the top drafted U-22 prospect with 21 goals and 49 points. That was good for first on Metallurg Magnitogorsk, a team that won primarily due to strong defensive play. Yurov is a 20-year-old forward with great skating and a high hockey IQ, and someone many scouts think would have no issue integrating into the Wild’s roster when he eventually comes over. His deal ends at the end of April, for what it’s worth.

– Drafted as a double overager last year by the Montreal Canadiens, Bogdan Konyushkov was named captain of Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod as a 20-year-old in just his second KHL campaign. He made an impact with 28 points in 65 games while averaging 23:20 of ice time a game. That’s a lot of responsibility for a prospect his age, but from watching him, you can see someone who’s mature beyond his years while displaying good puck skills. I know Canadiens fans are excited about him, and the Habs brass think they have a gem on their hands. He’s under contract until 2026, but I can see him ready to challenge for a top-four spot a few years down the line.

WHL

– After cracking the 100-point mark on Feb. 24, Jagger Firkus kept the ball rolling and now sits at 105 points in 55 games – good for first in league scoring despite missing five games. Firkus has been the WHL’s most dominant forward all season long, and he’s one goal away from becoming a 50-goal scorer. All he does is produce points, showing that despite not being the biggest guy on the block, he can get the job done when it matters the most. The Seattle Kraken drafted him 35th overall in 2022, but many scouts called that an instant bargain.

– The Washington Capitals signed Zac Funk to an entry-level contract last week, and it was so well deserved. The 20-year-old undrafted forward took a while to really show what he was capable of, but he was one of the first players to crack the 100-point mark after doing so this past Friday – hours after officially signing his first NHL deal. You’d expect numbers like this from an overage player, but Funk always had the skill – it was just putting it together consistently that he seemed to lack. He’s one of the best players in the WHL, and it wouldn’t be surprising if he became just the third player over the past 20 years to score 70 goals in a season.

BCHL

– After going 207th overall to the Ottawa Senators last year as an overager, Vladimir Nikitin got off to a rough start with the BCHL’s Chilliwack Chiefs. Despite an overall strong record of 12-3-3, Nikitin needed eight starts over three months to allow fewer than four goals in a game. But it seemed like his tremendous run with Kazakhstan at the Division IA World Juniors – in which he helped his nation qualify for the main event in 2025 – turned his season around. He hasn’t lost a game in regulation since and has allowed just three goals in his past four games played. The best part? He scored a goalie goal on Saturday.

NCAA

– I’ve caught some Colorado College games as of late, and one guy I liked is New York Rangers prospect Noah Laba. He had four points in two games over the weekend against the University of Minnesota Duluth, showing how effective he is as an aggressive, heart-and-soul forward. He’s the guy you could feel comfortable with putting in your bottom-six in the NHL because he lays it all on the line while still showing a nice scoring touch.

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