Getting To Know Your Newest Buffalo Sabre: Cody Hodgson

While many fans are likely sad to see their hero of the future, Zack Kassian, head west, all is not lost. Darcy Regier shrewdly turned the boasted bruiser into a top young center who happens to be having a good year. Don’t know much about this kid? Here you go:

Cody Hodgson

Center
Will wear: #12 #19
Height/Weight: 6’0″ / 185 lbs
Birthplace: Haliburton, Ontario (about four hours north of Buffalo)
Birthday: February 18, 1990 (age 22)
Drafted: 1st round, 10th overall by Vancouver in 2008 NHL Draft
Junior club: Brampton Battalion (OHL)

Scouting report prior to being drafted:

NHL Director of Central Scouting, E.J. McGuire
Strengths: “Cody is a treat to watch. He is a very skilled centerman who’s hockey sense has him quarterbacking the power-play from down at the half boards. He knows when to shoot and when to pass – his point total reflects that. He’s also a good face-off guy; he can take face-offs with the best of them and win them at the OHL level. Quite an all-around asset to any team that draft’s him.”

Areas to improve: “With a little bit of continued maturity he will add a bit of size and strength to his frame and he won’t lose any of that hockey acumen or any of that ability to see the ice.”

Outlook: “In the NHL he is going to be a skilled centerman and he’s going to be on one of your top two lines. If you’re a really good team you are fortunate to have him as your second centerman because he is capable of being your first centerman.”

Brampton Battalion head coach Stan Butler
“Cody’s a great two-way player for our team. He’s kind of one of those guys who goes under the radar. But when you see what he does for our hockey team as a 17-year-old, you gain a greater appreciation for him . . . he’s a game breaker. He’s made a difference everywhere he’s played, and those types of players are hard to get.”

CODY HODGSON – NHL.COM DRAFT PROFILE

Getting to know: Jessie Pegula

Sabres fans are, for good reason, extremely excited about the new ownership situation at HSBC Arena. After having to question how much winning meant to management over the past few seasons, now there is no reason to question.

We’ve heard all about Terry Pegula by now and how much of a fan he is, but the whole family is as into it as he is… especially his daughter, Jessie.

Jessie Pegula, when not playing tennis, is a die-hard hockey fan and a budding Twitter sensation. 3MI had a chance to talk to Jessie about her family’s latest acquisition, the Buffalo Sabres.

3MI: What is your first memory of the Sabres?
JP: I don’t remember how old I was, but my older sister actually took me to a Sabres and Penguins game in Pittsburgh. I was really young and she was really intense in her Mogilny jersey! We were with a bunch of Pens fans and pretty sure we got stuff thrown at us. It was awesome.

3MI: Is that the best experience you’ve had at a game or is there a more memorable game you attended?
JP: We got to go to the first Winter Classic and that was really special. I’ve been to a Sabres vs. Flyers playoff game, which was unbelievable.

3MI: Who is your favorite Sabre ever?
JP: Um… considering I’m young, I never really experienced some of the older players, the French Connection and that era. But I loved Drury, Afinogenov and Roy. Roy has probably been consistently my favorite player.

3MI: Which team do you enjoy seeing the Sabres beat, and why?
JP: Hands down, the Caps and Flyers. Being from Pittsburgh, and somewhat a former Pens fan, they are our cross-state rival. I just don’t like Washington either. They kind of annoy me. (laughs)

3MI: Has it been weird seeing your father all over the news?
JP: Extremely weird, because my dad is just so not like that. I also now truly understand the whole “don’t believe what you read”. I will no longer read stuff in magazines and believe it. There has been stuff we have read about my family or my dad and I’m just like “Where did they come up with this stuff?” I think its funny, if anything.

3MI: Are you worried or excited about all the attention you’re getting now?
JP: A little bit of both. It is exciting how many people are just excited about the situation. It is a lot of pressure though. We will lose games. We can’t have a new owner and BAM have an undefeated season or something. Hopefully people can understand that.

3MI: Do you think people underestimate how much you know about hockey?
JP: Absolutely! I am a girl! Hopefully, I can prove them wrong. I obviously am not a genius at the game by any means. I am trying to increase my knowledge though. I also want to be the first female owner or GM. I realize that’s a scary thought for a lot of people! (laughs)

3MI: Speaking for Sabres fans, it’s awesome to hear your enthusiasm for the game. How do you think this season will end?
JP: Well thanks! Um, I really want the Sabres to make the playoffs. I think they can do it. Especially with all the hype to fire them up.

3MI: Anything else you’d like to say to Sabres fans, now that your family is taking over?
JP: I just want to say that I know my dad will work as hard as possible to try and get this team on track. It has been his dream to own them and I know he hates to lose. Oh, and go Sabres!

For more insight from the new princess of Sabreland, you can follow Jessie on Twitter (@JPegula) or read her new blog.

Photo courtesy Jessie Pegula. Follow Eric on Twitter @3rdManIn.

Getting to Know Your Newest Buffalo Sabre: Mathieu Darche

So, the Sabres have a new player. Here’s what you might want to know:

Mathieu Darche
Left Wing
6′1″/217
Shoots: Left
Born: November 26, 1976 / Montreal, Quebec
Drafted: Signed with Columbus Blue Jackets as undrafted free agent
NHL Seasons: 6
Former Teams: Columbus, Nashville, San Jose, Tampa Bay
Contract: One year, two way contract, expires 2009

3RD MAN IN – 3 BIG POINTS

• Played 4 years at McGill University in Canada, the same McGill University credited with having the first organized hockey club, producing basketball inventor James Naismith, and playing Harvard in the first ever game of american football.
• Younger brother of Kansas City Chiefs long snapper J.P. Darche
• Darche’s NHL debut in 2000 made him the first McGill player in the NHL in almost 50 years

So what kind of player is he? Let’s turn it over to the one who broke the signing, Lindsay Kramer of the Syracuse Post-Standard:

“The first word that comes to mind when I think of Darche is “rugged.”

Getting to Know Your Newest Buffalo Sabre: Craig Rivet

So, the Sabres have a new player. Here’s what you might want to know:

Craig Rivet
Defense
6’2″/210
Shoots: Right
Born: September 13, 1974 / North Bay, Ontario
Drafted: Montreal’s 3rd rd pick, 68th overall in 1992
NHL Seasons: 13
Former Teams: Montreal, San Jose
Contract: $3.5M per year, expires 2011

3RD MAN IN – 3 BIG POINTS

• Scored his first NHL goal against Eric Fichaud, then of the New York Islanders.
• Real first name is Anthony.
• Played on Team Canada in the 2003 World Championships, winning a gold medal with then-Sabres Daniel Briere and Martin Biron.