NHL Prospect Roundup: Buffalo Sabres’ Devon Levi continues to dominate

Steven Ellis
Steven Ellis
NHL Prospect Roundup: Buffalo Sabres’ Devon Levi continues to dominate
Credit: Northeastern University

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The NCAA has been all the rage recently – and for good reason.

The ‘Duel in the D’ took place at Little Ceasars Arena over the weekend, featuring the incredible rivalry of Michigan State vs. Michigan University. The Michigan Wolverines won the mini-series for the sixth straight year, with New Jersey Devils prospect Luke Hughes scoring with 0.6 seconds left to win it all.

The night before, Adam Fantilli, the second-ranked prospect for the 2023 NHL Draft, was ejected after a skirmish and was seen taunting the crowd in a show of expression you don’t often see from him. It made the weekend fun and kept the rivalry alive.

That was all fun, but the focus of this week’s NHL Prospect Roundup can be found at Northeastern University. Meet Devon Levi, who highlights this week’s showcase:

NCAA

– The legend of Devon Levi continues. After having one of the most unbelievable seasons by an NCAA goalie in quite some time, the Northeastern University netminder has kept things moving along this season with a 14-9-4 record with four shutouts and a .930 save percentage. He’s been unstoppable recently, posting a 6-0-1-1 record over the past 10 games. Levi, a Buffalo Sabres prospect, had one of the best performances of the season with a 54-save effort against Providence on Friday, a week after stopping 45 shots against UConn. Levi is the best goaltending prospect in the NCAA right now, and it won’t be long until the Sabres make him turn pro. Sure, he’s 6-foot-0, but his sample size at all levels – which includes the 2022 Mike Richter Trophy as the top NCAA goaltender last year and seven Hockey East player of the week awards over the past two years – makes it seem like he may be one of the few smaller goalies who make it work in the NHL.

– He was quiet as the 13th forward at the World Junior Championship, but Samuel Lipkin‘s freshman season can be viewed as a success. The Arizona Coyotes drafted the 20-year-old with the second last pick in 2021, so his seven-goal, 26-point run with Quinnipac can be viewed as a success. Lipkin doesn’t do anything overly spectacular, but he’s a solid skater for a 6-foot-3 power forward and he works his butt off every shift. He’s the type of guy that will continue to find work in the bottom six.

AHL

– There were high hopes for Yaroslav Askarov before coming to North America, and he’s living up to expectations. Askarov made 83 saves in two victories over the Rockford IceHogs over the weekend in a pair of shootout wins, including one that resulted in one heck of a highlight. The Nashville Predators prospect has allowed just five goals in three starts in February and is 4-1-0 over the past five games – with the one loss being a 2-1 score. Before Askarov was drafted, I predicted he’d win a Vezina quite quickly in his NHL career. He’s 20, thriving in the AHL, and getting more comfortable with every passing game. Big things are ahead.

– At 23, Trey Fix-Wolansky is on the older side of NHL prospects. The Columbus Blue Jackets drafted him in the seventh round in 2018 after a wicked 89-point WHL season, with the most significant issue being his 5-foot-7 frame. He showed promise as an AHL rookie in 2019-20 but only played nine games in 2020-21, so he lost some development time. Now, he’s on pace for 85 points with Cleveland and is third in points-per-game among players with at least 30 games played this season with 1.27. Fix-Wolansky had a four-game run with the Blue Jackets but hasn’t managed to stick with the club full-time. Fix-Wolansky can be a human highlight reel, and, just once, it would be nice to see the Blue Jackets give him a longer leash.

SHL

– With an average of 20:48, Vancouver Canucks prospect Filip Johansson has been counted on big-time with Frolunda – a veteran-laden club. The 22-year-old was drafted in the first round by Minnesota in 2018 but Vancouver signed him to a two-year entry-level contract, and he’s had the best season of his career in terms of ice time and offensive output. Johansson looked excellent against Orebro earlier this month with two points and 24:04 of ice time with six shots, tying his season-high. Overall, good progress for the Canucks prospect.

KHL

– The Minnesota Wild‘s prospect pool is considered by many to be one of the best in the game today, and Marat Khusnutdinov is a big reason why. The 20-year-old second-rounder from 2020 has 39 points in 61 games, a massive improvement from his 12-point output with SKA St. Petersburg last season. That’s good to lead all U-21 prospects, which is impressive given how hard it is to earn ice time as a young player. The Wild haven’t signed him yet, with Khusnutdinov inked with SKA until 2024. By then, he should be NHL-ready, and the wait will be worth it.

OHL

– Tucker Robertson has received so much attention as of late, and justifiably. Taken in the fourth round by the Seattle Kraken as one of the more notable overage prospects last year, the 19-year-old is up to 31 goals and 72 points in 51 games with Peterborough this season. He had a three-goal, four-point effort on Thursday and finished things up with two assists against Guelph yesterday, giving him 19 points over his past 10 games to become one of the league’s most dangerous scorers. Robertson scored 18 points as a rookie and didn’t play as a sophomore, leading to him falling short on NHL radars. Now, everything he’s shown as of late suggests he might be one to watch.

– A sixth-round pick by the Pittsburgh Penguins last July, Nolan Collins is having quite the run. The 18-year-old blueliner only has 20 points in 45 games this year, but he has seven points in his past five games, led by three consecutive two-point efforts over the weekend. I’m not sure there was a ton of hype over Collins to start the season, and it doesn’t help that the Penguins have one of the worst prospect pools in the league, but Collins’ recent play has turned some heads.

WHL

– Toronto Maple Leafs fans will be happy with Brandon Lisowsky‘s progress this year. The small 18-year-old has 27 goals and 51 points in 81 games, putting him at just under a 40-goal pace with Saskatoon Blades. The goal-scoring exploits were always there, highlighted by his 33-goal run last year, with his quick release being a defining part of his game. His 5-foot-9 frame makes it hard for him to win physical battles, but scoring isn’t an issue.

QMJHL

– Could Cameron MacDonald become the next late-round gem for the Tampa Bay Lightning? He was selected at No. 160 in 2021. MacDonald’s numbers have been just decent over the past three years. But a trade from Saint John to Gatineau has spiced things up, with MacDonald scoring 10 goals and 19 points in 15 games since getting traded earlier this year. He has seven goals and 14 points over the past 10 games and has been a consistent scoring threat on a team with Zach Dean, Riley Kidney, Oliver Nadeau and other quality NHL talent. There’s still a long way for MacDonald to become a big-time prospect, but he’s looking good with his new club.

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