Daniel Catenacci

The feisty winger still hasn't quite found his game in the pros yet after an outstanding junior career. Catenacci has at least shown improvement, however, scoring 15 goals and 29 points in 68 games last year in the AHL, both of which were career highs. Entering his third full season as a pro, Catenacci is expected to play a top-six scoring role in the AHL and improve his consistency and point production. If he plays well, the Sabres may call him up for a cup of coffee to see what he can do at the next level.

Catenacci didn’t play with the same kind of feistiness he exemplified in junior and growing pains were felt with just 10 goals in 76 games with Rochester. The third-round pick from 2011 is still adjusting to life in the pros and until he can be a more consistent performer he will continue to play in the AHL. Catenacci could be a spark plug for the Sabres but there too many players ahead of him on the depth chart at this point.

Catenacci showed well in his final season of junior hockey, posting 79 points and 115 PIM in 67 games for Owen Sound (OHL). He joined the Sabres’ AHL affiliate in Rochester at the tail end of the season and scored three points in two games. The three-year entry level deal he signed in 2012 will begin this season, and he should prove to be a primary contributor in Rochester. The Sabres are in a rebuild and will want to get a good look at the talent in their system, so he could make his NHL debut at some point in 2013-14.

Catenacci possesses a unique combination of skill and feistiness that has made him a valuable player with Owen Sound of the OHL. He put up 72 points in 67 games and added 114 PIM during his third season in juniors. Catenacci has already signed an entry-level contract with the Sabres, but is likely to return to the OHL for his final junior season before turning pro in next season.

The speedy Catenacci was one of the fastest skaters available in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft and the Sabres snatched him up in the third round. He fits the mold of a Sabres forward, skilled, albeit a bit small. He'll spend 2011-12 back with Sault Ste. Marie of the OHL and try to improve on a solid 2010-11 campaign in which he had 71 points (26 G, 45 A) in 67 games for the Greyhounds.