What to expect from Devon Levi: Why the Sabres should be patient
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Devon Levi joins the Buffalo Sabres with no shortage of expectations. And he’s accumulated the hardware to warrant the hype. But will he live up to it?
On March 17, after the completion of his second NCAA season at Northeastern University, the Sabres signed Levi to a three-year, entry-level contract. And with 13 games left in Buffalo’s 2022-23 season, the 21-year old netminder from Dollard-des-Ormeaux, PQ is likely to make his NHL debut.
How will he fare? That remains to be seen. But what I can tell you is that the Sabres now have a special prospect under contract. One that – oddly enough – came via trade with the Florida Panthers in July 2021. Levi was acquired along with a first-round pick in exchange for forward Sam Reinhart.
Obviously Buffalo believes in Levi. And they should. He’s been a standout goaltender dating back to U18 AAA hockey. Levi posted a .941 save percentage in his lone year of junior hockey with the CCHL’s Carleton Place Canadians. Then backed it up by leading NCAA Div. I hockey in save percentage for two consecutive seasons.
Levi was the NCAA’s top netminder during the 2021-22 season, taking home the Mike Richter Award. He’s the odds-on favorite to win it again this year. Levi led Northeastern to a Beanpot tournament championship in 2023 and has a good shot at winning the Hobey Baker Memorial Award as the NCAA’s top player.
I could go on and on with Levi’s accomplishments. He was an Olympian for Canada in 2022 and competed in the 2021 World Junior Championships. No doubt Levi’s bedroom is a shrine to excellence, decorated with countless awards and trophies.
And while those past experiences are incredibly valuable, Levi is entering a new chapter that is bound to be a bigger challenge than anything he’s yet faced. Jumping straight to the NHL from NCAA hockey is no small undertaking.
So what does he do well? What can Levi do better? I have some thoughts.
First things first: Levi is only six feet tall. In the NHL, that’s under-sized. And it was probably a major reason why Levi was selected so late in the 2020 NHL Draft. He went 212nd overall in the seventh round. So his (lack of) size is immediately noticeable.
But Levi isn’t tiny. Nashville Predators standout netminder Juuse Saros stands just 5-foot-11 and has no problem being successful. There’s still a place for six-foot goaltenders in the NHL.
Saros is an unbelievable skater. And I do see that with Levi. His pushes are powerful and his stops are crisp. Levi’s skating routes are very precise – much like Saros’. For smaller goalies, being on the proper angle is of paramount importance. And that only happens through disciplined skating.
Levi’s diligence to the angle shows up in where he tends to allow goals. As you can see in the graphic below, he’s very balanced. Levi isn’t vulnerable to either blocker or glove side.
For me, there’s two key elements. First, Levi rarely ventures outside the blue paint unless he knows the shooter is all alone. He prefers to stay close to home. That means Levi is never far away from the centerline of being square.
The other key aspect is how well Levi rotates. He turns before pushing – a key to arriving square. He consistently gets his torso – a goalie’s biggest blocking surface – in front of the shot. Levi’s arms and legs are equidistant from the shooter’s blade more often than not. It’s simple geometry. Levi’s efficient rotations allow him to triangulate the puck.
I also like that Levi is really good about going to his post and getting into proper alignment. He isn’t lazy after the first shot attempt. He gets up to his edges and pushes to the next destination in a timely manner. The posts are home base for a goalie, and even some NHL goalies lack urgency getting there.
That’s not Levi. He’s dynamic, explosive, and has energy to spare. By arriving at his posts early, it allows him to survey the scene. He uses shoulder-checks well to identify the threats in front him.
Another byproduct of Levi’s crisp movements is that it gives him time to track the puck. It’s something he does very well and at times, he reminds me of New York Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin. Both goalies make the game look easy on clean shots because they know what’s coming and have ample time to react.
However, there is a difference between Levi and Shesterkin. The Rangers goalie tends to play more upright than Levi. And that’s something to keep an eye on.
At the NCAA level, especially on a team like Northeastern that doesn’t allow many chances against off lateral players, Levi could employ a wide stance. He played behind a predictable and effective Northeastern defense that allowed him to focus on the shooter.
That’s not going to be the case with the Sabres, a team that has yet to figure out how to defend. Chances against are up in Buffalo. Odd man rushes are happening far too often and passes are zipping through Buffalo’s seams. Should Levi receive his first NHL start this season, he’s going to face the fastest offense he’s ever seen while tending goal behind the worst defense he’s played behind in years. Maybe ever.
Levi’s wide stance, and lack of height, is slightly concerning. No matter how well he tracks pucks, the visual space available to NHL shooters will be enticing. And his width will be troublesome moving side-to-side. The lower a goalie’s stance, the more locked into position they become.
Occasionally Levi gets stuck reacting to quick plays by lunging rather than pushing, and it’s directly attributable to his wide stance. But Levi could get away with it at the NCAA level due to his natural flexibility and outstanding body control. He doesn’t spend much time on his stomach or back. Levi gives himself a chance to make most saves.
I’m also curious to see how Levi handles traffic at the pro level. When the play is at a distance, he prefers to stay upright in his stance. But once he loses sight of the puck, Levi has a tendency to widen out and try to look around traffic rather than over it.
It’s a byproduct of his smaller stature. But traffic is something that he’ll have to adjust to at the professional level. Players are bigger than college and traffic moves quickly. Levi won’t be able to peek around bodies as effectively as he did at Northeastern.
My last area of concern is puckhandling. Levi isn’t afraid to get out of the net and make a play. But he’s very one-dimensional. Levi plays most pucks to his forehand side. And he has a tendency to get caught with his head down.
From afar, it looks like Levi knows he has to handle the puck. But he’ll never be totally comfortable in doing so. He can be indecisive, which leads to turnovers. NHL teams will forecheck Levi with a purpose.
After watching Levi the past few years, there’s no doubt in my mind he’s a special talent. I think he’s going to be an NHL goalie. And a very good one at that.
But keep in mind that there will be a learning curve for Levi. Dallas Stars goalie Jake Oettinger came from Boston University with similar hype, but required over 50 games of AHL experience before he was ready to step into a No.1 role at the NHL level.
Carter Hart started in the AHL before graduating – possibly early in my eyes – to the Philadelphia Flyers. And Carey Price won a Calder Cup with the AHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs before starring with the Montreal Canadiens. Patience matters with goalies.
Spencer Knight of the Florida Panthers might be the closest comparable to Levi. After two monster seasons at Boston College, he jumped immediately to the NHL after the completion of his sophomore year.
Knight looked incredible in his first six NHL games at the tail end of the 2021 season, including two appearances during the Stanley Cup playoffs. But reality hit hard the following season, and Knight was sent to the AHL to retool.
I think Knight is the perfect example of a goaltender being rushed. He needed some AHL time at the start of his pro career but didn’t get it until he hit a rough patch in the NHL. The process was backwards. And he’s still trying to find his way as an NHL goaltender.
I hope the Sabres are prepared to be patient with Levi. And hopefully they have a plan in case things go sideways. Maybe Levi starts in the NHL and never looks back. He has the talent to do it.
But Buffalo has to get it right with Levi. He’s the best goaltending prospect to come out of NCAA hockey since Ryan Miller, who won the 2000-01 Hobey Baker Memorial Award his junior year and signed shortly thereafter with the Sabres.
Miller played three full seasons – including the 2004-05 NHL lockout year – in the AHL before cracking Buffalo’s lineup on a full-time basis.
I don’t think Levi will need that long to adjust to the NHL. He’s a cerebral goaltender who has been able to adapt to different leagues and circumstances very quickly. Levi’s play has been consistent because it’s rooted in technique and restraint. There’s a self-awareness to his game that breeds confidence among teammates.
Maybe most importantly, Levi has experience with pressure situations. The Beanpot is a huge deal in college hockey, and Levi shined for Northeastern in this year’s tournament. He won a silver medal at the World Junior Championships and competed at the Olympics.
I’ve seen Levi perform and succeed on some big stages leading up to his NHL debut. And I think with time, he can replicate it. Just be patient.
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