After playing nine games with the Buffalo Sabres in the fall, Sam Reinhart, the second-overall pick in the 2014 NHL Draft, was loaned back to junior for a bit more seasoning.
He helped lead Team Canada to a gold-medal finish at the IIHF World Junior Championship and finished his junior career in Kootenay with 65 points in 40 games. He then came into this week’s Development Camp at First Niagara Center stronger and more experienced – and it showed.
Reinhart earned the Craig Ramsay Trophy, presented to the hardest working player at Development Camp.
The 19-year-old center, who scored twice and added an assist during the Blue & Gold Scrimmage, impressed Sabres general manager Tim Murray with his performance throughout the week.
“I thought he was outstanding. I thought he was one of the best players on the ice,” Murray said. “His team won the game and his line was a big part of it. I expected that.
“I expected him to come in here and say – without saying it – to us, to [the media], to the fans, ‘Don’t forget about me. I’m a big part of this organization going forward.’ And I think that’s what he did.”
With Sabres press release
