Sharpen Up: Week of September 3, 2019

Hockey returns to downtown Buffalo this weekend.
The Prospects Challenge begins Friday at Harborcenter, with the Sabres set to host the New Jersey Devils and No. 1 pick Jack Hughes that night. The round-robin challenge runs through next Monday, with main camp set to open three days later.
So, for all intents and purposes, summer is over. Here's what you need to know.

Prospects Challenge roster

The Sabres released their roster for the Prospects Challenge on Friday, which you can find in its entirety in the tweet below:

The Pittsburgh Penguins have also released their roster for the event, which you can find here.
Tickets for the games are $10 and are available for purchase at the KeyBank Center Box Office, by phone at 1-888-223-6000 or online here.
A full game schedule for the Prospects Challenge is below:
Friday, Sept. 6
• Pittsburgh vs. Boston, 3:30 p.m.
• Buffalo vs. New Jersey, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 7
• New Jersey vs. Pittsburgh, 3:30 p.m.
• Buffalo vs. Boston, 7 p.m.
Monday, Sept. 9
• Boston vs. New Jersey, 9:30 a.m.
• Buffalo vs. Pittsburgh, 12:30 p.m.

Countdown to camp

We're nine days away from players reporting to KeyBank Center, and we're counting down with the storylines we'll be following throughout training camp. We kicked things off Monday with a look at what could be next for the trio of Jeff Skinner, Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart. Read that piece here.
Here's the full training camp schedule, including open practices and how to watch preseason games:
All practice times subject to change
Thursday, Sept. 12
Players report for testing and physicals
Friday, Sept. 13
Gold Group: 10 to 11:15 a.m.
Blue Group: 1 to 2:15 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 14
Blue Group: 10 to 11:15 a.m.
Gold Group: 1 to 2:15 p.m.
Sunday, Sept. 15 (Open to public)
Gold Group: 10 to 11:15 a.m.
Blue Group: 1 to 2:15 p.m.
Monday, Sept. 16
Morning Skate: 10 to 10:30 a.m.
Practice: 12 to 12:45 p.m.
Buffalo vs. Pittsburgh: 7 p.m. (Pegula Ice Arena) (Streamed on Sabres.com inside the Sabres' local broadcast market)
Tuesday, Sept. 17
Morning Skate: 10 to 10:30 a.m.
Practice: 12 to 12:45 p.m.
Buffalo at Columbus: 7 p.m. (Streamed on Sabres.com inside the Sabres' local broadcast market)
Wednesday, Sept. 18
Day Off
Thursday, Sept. 19
Blue Group: 10 to 11:15 a.m.
Gold Group: 1 to 2:15 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 20
Morning Skate: 10 to 10:30 a.m.
Practice: 12 to 12:45 p.m.
Buffalo at Toronto: 7 p.m. (TV: Sportsnet feed carried on MSG)
Saturday, Sept. 21
Morning Skate: 10 to 10:30 a.m.
Practice: 12 to 1 p.m.
Toronto at Buffalo: 7 p.m. (TV: Sportsnet feed carried on MSG)
Sunday, Sept. 22
Day Off
Monday, Sept. 23
Practice: 10 to 11 a.m.
Tuesday, Sept. 24
Practice: 10 to 11 a.m.
Wednesday, Sept. 25
Morning Skate: 10:30 to 11 a.m.
Columbus at Buffalo: 7 p.m. (TV: Pregame show beginning at 6:30 on MSG followed by postgame show)
Thursday, Sept. 26 (Open to public)
Practice: 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. (Harborcenter)
Friday, Sept. 27 (Open to public)
Practice: 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. (Harborcenter)
Saturday, Sept. 28
Practice: 9:30 to 10 a.m.
Buffalo at Pittsburgh: 4 p.m. (TV: AT&T Sports feed on MSG)

Hunwick expected to miss season

Defenseman Matt Hunwick is expected to miss the 2019-20 season due to a neck injury, the Sabres announced last week.
Hunwick appeared in 14 games in 2018-19 after missing the first 30 games of the season with a neck injury. He was acquired along with Conor Sheary in a trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins last summer.

NHL Top Players

Jack Eichel checked in at No. 42 on NHL Network's Top 50 Players list, but their experts see a much higher ceiling for the Sabres captain. Check out the video below to find out why.