By NICK LENAHAN
It’s time for another installment of Buffalo Sabres Prospect Watch as I take a look at Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. UPL is one of the Buffalo Sabres most anticipated prospects and arguably the best between the pipes. With very little time at the NHL level so far, his most polished and complete goaltending is yet to come, but the 22-year-old Finnish goalie adds a glimpse of hope to a position that hasn’t felt completely sufficient/adequate since Ryan Miller’s time in Buffalo.
With only 14 games played for the Rochester Americans last season, his role should increase and begin to give the Sabres a better idea of the net-minder that he can be. Luukkonen’s butterfly style is strong along the lower half of the net and keeps him remaining in a good position to make the initial save. It also leaves a position where he’s ready to face a possible rebound. His lateral movement is clinical. He dominates on one-on-one opportunities and can foil odd-man rushes with his ability to shift across the crease fluidly.
With Luukkonen showing some growth this past season and Buffalo having a veteran standoff between Aaron Dell, Dustin Tokarski, and Craig Anderson for those top-two spots, UPL will look to build off his momentum from last season and put an impressive campaign together this season in Rochester and try to earn his way to the number one role. I have no doubt his promotion will come soon, but for the time being, we shouldn’t rush him into the league and make him play 30 games yet. At 22, he’s still extremely young, especially in terms of goalies typical careers, and if the Sabres develop him properly, we just might have our franchise goalie.
This post is part of an ongoing series where I breakdown the Sabres’ top prospects. So far I’ve covered Prokhor Poltapov, Jack Quinn, and Aaron Huglen. Be sure to follow me and 2 Goalies 1 Mic on Twitter so you know when the next Buffalo Sabres Prospect Watch drops!
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