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The Buffalo Sabres opened up their 2025 Prospects Challenge on Friday with a 4-2 loss to the New Jersey Devils prospects at LECOM HarborCenter, but for those who attended to get their first look at 2025 first-rounder Radim Mrtka, the big 18-year-old defenseman put on an impressive performance. The Czech blueliner scored the Sabres opening goal in the first period and throttled a Devils player to the ice with a hard check in the third period.   

"He was great, I'll have to watch the game back, but you could argue that he was the best player out there." Amerks head coach Michael Leone said after the game.  "He plays really hard. I probably didn't realize how good he can move. His lateral movement at the blue line is really good. He just makes good decisions with the puck."

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Topias Leinonen started and went all the way for Buffalo, allowing four New Jersey goals on 27 shots, including a pair in the third period to snap a 2-2 tie. 

“I thought he was good. If you look at the the first (goal), it was a broken play in front of the net, really good play. Then you give up an odd man rush,' Leone said. "The other one was a turnover and an odd man rush, but those are 50/50, the one-on-ones. But I thought he did a really good job. He looked quick and it's I thought he gave us a chance."

Center Noah Ostlund missed the end of the game after taking a shot to the knee area. Leone indicated that he was hit in the area where there was a gap in the padding and that he thought the 2022 first-rounder would be alright, but that he did not return out of an abundance of caution. 

The Sabres take on the Columbus BLue Jackets prospects on Saturday at 7 pm. Scott Ratzlaff is expected to get the start in goal.  

Follow Michael on X, Instagram  @MikeInBuffalo

The Winnipeg Jets face off against the Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators in the 2025 Prospects Showcase on Saturday and Sunday.

The Winnipeg Jets officially kick off the 2025–26 season with a pair of prospect showcase games, beginning Saturday, September 13, at the Bell Centre against the Montreal Canadiens. Winnipeg will wrap up the weekend with a matchup against the Ottawa Senators on Sunday. 

Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) on XHOCKEY! HOCKEY! HOCKEY! 📺: https://t.co/rSDnSZLePm

This will be the first time the Jets are ever participating in a prospects showcase and will feature a lineup that is a mix of the organization’s top prospects, along with several free agent signees and players attending on professional tryouts. 

Some of the notable names playing for the Jets will be 2023 NHL Draft first-round picks Colby Barlow and Brayden Yager, as well as three picks from the 2025 draft class in Owen Martin (third round), Edison Engle (sixth round), and Jacob Cloutier (seventh round). 

Interesting names to look out for on the opposing side of the showcase is high-end prospects in Ivan Demidov, Jacob Fowler, and David Reinbacher for the Canadiens and Carter Yakemchuk, Tyler Boucher, Blake Vanek, 2025 third round pick and the son of former NHLer Thomas Vanek for the Senators. 

The showcase kicks off Saturday night at 6:00 p.m. CT with a matchup against the Habs, followed by another 6:00 p.m. game on Sunday against the Senators. The games can be streamed on winnipegjets.com with Manitoba Moose play-by-play announcer Daniel Fink and colour commentator Jamie Thomas on the call. 

Winnipeg's Newest Top Prospect Eying Redemption After Devastating NCAA FinalsWinnipeg's 2025 first round pick Sascha Boumedienne eyes another shot at a national title following loss in last season's final. 

Winnipeg Jets Prospect Showcase Roster: 

Jets Saturday Lineup vs Habs:

Wagner-Yager-Chibrikov

He-Zhilkin-Barlow

K.Walton-Julien-Cloutier

Yoder-Martin-Newman

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Zloty-Salomonsson

Engle-Fryer

Hamilton-Hartmann

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DiVincentiis

Worthington

Exclusive: Jets Goalie Prospect Domenic DiVincentiis Eyes NHL Debut in 2025Winnipeg Jets prospect Domenic DiVincentiis talks season goals with AHL All-Star Game, Calder Cup and NHL Debut in new exclusive interview with The Hockey News. 

The Toronto Maple Leafs are signaling a new era by dropping their unique tradition of wearing practice jerseys during prospects games. As the club's rookies hit the ice at Bell Centre in Montreal this past weekend, they did so in their official NHL game jerseys

While this might seem like a small detail, it marks a significant departure from a policy implemented during the previous management's tenure.

Easton Cowan Headlines Maple Leafs Roster For Prospects Showdown in Montreal, Schedule Of GamesThe Toronto Maple Leafs rookie roster is set to take on the rookies of the Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators at the 2025 Prospect Showdown this weekend at the Bell Centre in Montreal.

Under former General Manager Kyle Dubas the team adopted the tradition of wearing practice threads for prospects games, a policy he continued after becoming the President and General Manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2023. According to sources, the reasoning behind the switch to practice jerseys was to ensure that every prospect understood they had to earn the right to wear the traditional game jersey. While the logic made sense, the on-ice look often appeared mismatched, as other teams participating in the tournaments clearly do not share that same view.

First year post Shanahan era and the #Leafs have done away with wearing just the practice jerseys at these games like they have in previous years. I like it. https://t.co/RZa2kbdjKs

— David Alter (@dalter) September 13, 2025

Now, with Dubas having departed and Brad Treliving at the helm as the new general manager, the policy has been reversed, although it took a couple of years. This change, which comes as the team prepares to open training camp next week is one of many expected with Treliving reporting directly to MLSE president Keith Pelley and Brendan Shanahan no longer serving as team president. 

With Shanahan out of the picture, Treliving's influence on the day-to-day of things has increased and this is just one example of it.

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The Chicago Blackhawks announced they have signed goaltender Spencer Knight to a three-year, $5.83-million per season contract extension

Knight’s contract will kick in at the start of the 2026-27 campaign. He is entering the final year of his three-year, $4.5-million deal that he signed with the Florida Panthers in September 2022.

The Darien, Conn. native is coming off his first season with the Blackhawks. He was traded to Chicago from Florida on March 1 as part of the deal that saw defenseman Seth Jones move to the Panthers.

Since joining his new team, Knight has made 15 starts, registering a 5-8-2 record. With that, he’s put up a 3.18 goals-against average and a .896 save percentage. 

The below-average numbers don’t tell the whole story, as he had six games where he recorded at least a .915 SP. That includes his impressive Hawks debut, a 41-save victory over the Los Angeles Kings.

“After joining the team in March, Spencer quickly cemented himself as a crucial piece of our future,” Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson said. 

“A talented, young goaltender, he brings athleticism, sound positioning and a calm demeanor to his game, and we’re excited to watch Spencer continue to flourish in Chicago over the next four seasons.”

Last year was Knight’s first season back in the NHL after he voluntarily entered the NHL and NHLPA’s player assistance program to seek help and combat a case of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).

Since joining the program in late February 2023, he transitioned back into professional hockey with one season with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers. He played 45 games in that 2023-24 campaign, recording a 2.41 GAA and a .905 SP.

Despite all the obstacles he had to face in his personal life that ultimately affected his hockey career, he’s set to be the starter for Chicago and to cement himself as one of the better young goalies in the NHL.

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CHICAGO - Rookie camp is in the books for the Chicago Blackhawks. A full roster of prospects came to Chicago to prepare ahead of the Tom Kurvers Prospect Showcase. This event features the Chicago Blackhawks alongside the hosting Minnesota Wild and St. Louis Blues. 

Before traveling to Minnesota, the Blackhawks prospects had one final practice on Saturday morning for any fine-tuning ahead of the showcase. 

Throughout the week, there were a lot of noteworthy moments from players on the roster looking to get noticed by the decision makers at the top of the organization. Of every player on the prospect roster, these five stood out above the rest: 

AJ Spellacy

There wasn't a more noticeable player during the rookie camp than AJ Spellacy. He had a mediocre year in terms of production last year in the OHL, but he has the tools to be an impactful NHL player, whether he is scoring or not. 

Spellacy was not afraid to mix it up during camp, even though he was going against players who were on the same team as him. When he is competing, he is giving it his all, no matter what. 

"I think you need to have high intensity and stuff like this. It just brings everyone together. Even when you're battling against a guy, you get off the ice and you're best buddies."

Spellacy was noticeable during the preseason last year before being shipped back to the OHL, and now he is looking to take his game to the pro level one way or another. 

Sam Rinzel

It would be fair to leave off anyone who played in the NHL last season, which would apply to guys like Artyom Levshunov, Ryan Greene, Oliver Moore, and Sam Rinzel. However, Rinzel was too noticeable during camp to ignore.

He is a step above his peers around his age. Whether they are working on the power play units, even strength play, or killing penalties, he is an impact player.

This is a highly drafted, incredibly gifted player who still believes that he has to earn a spot on the team. After the way he ended last year and is starting camp, he feels like a lock to make the NHL roster. The fact that he feels he still needs to earn it tells you that the compete-level is there for him to be better than great. 

Rinzel's impact during camp suggests that he will make a difference during the Tom Kurvers Prospect Showcase, which will prepare him even further for training camp and the regular season ahead. 

Nick Lardis

Nick Lardis scored 71 goals in the OHL last season. Then he showed up to rookie camp this week and looked like one of the top snipers in the organization. As he prepared for the showcase in Minnesota, Lardis was a standout player. 

It is expected that Lardis will play with Marek Vanacker and Oliver Moore, which is the team's number one forward line. Vanacker and Moore are former first-round picks with great playmaking ability, and Lardis earned the right to play with them as the primary sniper on the line. 

"It's good. We built some chemistry over the past couple of days. It's a fast line. Those two guys are really fast. We just have to use our speed to our advantage. Our skill and playmaking will take over." 

Of every line that the Blackhawks are going to run out there, this one will be the highest octane with the most speed and skill. Expect them to follow up a big week of practice with big performances in the games, led by Nick Lardis. 

Nathan Behm

The Chicago Blackhawks selected Nathan Behm with their third-round (66th overall) pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. So far, he has made that look like a sensational pick. He was one of their most noticeable players throughout the week, and now he will be a big part of their lineup in the Tom Kurvers Prospect Showcase. 

Behm is a big player who used his size to bring physicality and skill to the group. While playing on a line with Spellacy and Martin Misiak, he scored goals during scrimmages, set up his linemates, and was hard to play against from a physical standpoint. 

You don't see big players who are as skilled or as fast as Behm come through as often. He believed that he had a good camp, based on his comments to the media following practices, and that confidence could be what he needed to continue improving his game going into 2025-26. 

Marek Vanacker

Marek Vanacker was already mentioned when talking about Nick Lardis, because they will be linemates alongside Oliver Moore. 

Vanacker, who wasn't able to participate in the Tom Kurvers Prospect Showcase last year because of an injury, showed up in a big way this time around. There were multiple instances where he drove play on that speedy line. 

The former first-round pick is going to be a net-front presence/down low forward on the power play as well, so his impact should be felt in the games as much as it was during practice. The former first-round pick has a ton of talent and is expected to be a difference-maker going forward. 

The Blackhawks will begin the showcase on Saturday night against the St. Louis Blues at 6 PM. On Sunday, they will take on the Minnesota Wild at 3 PM. 

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