Gilbert is the latest example of players from the Buffalo area playing for the Blue and Gold.
Gilbert is the latest example of players from the Buffalo area playing for the Blue and Gold
The Buffalo Sabres signing of free-agent defenseman Dennis Gilbert earlier this month is the most recent example of the club bringing in a hometown product. The 27-year-old blueliner has played with Chicago, Colorado, and Calgary and could fit in as a bottom-pairing option next season.
Marcus Foligno was a 2009 fourth-round selection of the Sabres and played his first six seasons with Buffalo. He did not become a scorer like his father Mike or his brother Nick, but the 32-year-old has been an extremely effective physical winger with the Minnesota Wild.
Patrick Kaleta was a 2004 sixth-round pick of the Sabres who slugged his way through 348 NHL games and nine seasons. After his career was finished, the Angola, NY native became an assistant coach of the Buffalo Jr. Sabres, as has Tim Kennedy, who played for Buffalo, Florida, San Jose, and Arizona during his 10-year professional career.
The Buffalo area is gradually becoming a fertile ground for NHL prospects. At the 2023 NHL Draft in Nashville, the San Jose Sharks selected Hamburg native Quentin Musty in the first round. The 19-year-old winger scored 102 points with Sudbury last season. In the third round, the Sabres selected Clarence Center’s Gavin McCarthy, who played for the Jr. Sabres before heading to the USHL for two seasons and to Boston University last season. Both were selected by Team USA for the upcoming World Junior Summer Showcase in Plymouth, MI later this month.
There are currently six active NHL players from the Western New York area, including Gilbert, future Hall-of-Famer Patrick Kane, the Foligno brothers, Colorado winger Miles Wood, and San Jose winger Justin Bailey, but Musty and McCarthy are a sign that more are on the way.
