Ostlund, Nadeau getting acclimated with Rochester

There are two fresh faces wandering around Blue Cross Arena as the Rochester Americans gear up for the North Division Finals of the Calder Cup Playoffs against the Toronto Marlies.

Noah Ostlund and Olivier Nadeau, a pair of highly regarded Sabres prospects, are savoring the Amerks' postseason run. Their taste of North American hockey is admittedly a little sweeter after a 5-4 overtime win over Syracuse on Saturday night to advance.

"It was a fun game to watch for sure," Ostlund said. "It's a little bit different (watching), maybe more nervous in the stands than you are playing."

Regardless of whether they are playing or watching, getting acclimated is the main goal for the two prospects. Ostlund, the Sabres' first-round pick from a year ago and Nadeau, a fourth-rounder from 2021, are getting to immerse themselves in a postseason run without the pressure of getting thrown into the fire.

Both players joined the Amerks during the past week after their respective seasons concluded.

"I'm a relationships-based coach. I don't think that you can have very important conversations with people until you've established that relationship," Amerks coach Seth Appert said. "The more honest you can be with them (the better), because they understand you're coming from a place where you're just trying to help them."

Their chatter so far has been mostly surface level, centered around the structure of practice and how intense the workflow is. They've been meeting coaches, training staff and teammates, establishing the baseline of a relationship that will be grown and cultivated down the road.

"The more time that we spend with them, the more I get to know them as human beings, then those conversations start to happen more organically," Appert said.

Ostlund is not practicing due to an injury but is utilizing his time to get acclimated to the American Hockey League. One of the first things he took notice of while watching Game 5 was the amount of space on the ice - or lack thereof - compared to the surface in Sweden.

"(The game) gets faster. It's more attack the net and stuff like that," Ostlund said. "It's much more physical and I need to build some more muscle."

Beefing up is at the top of his priority list. From a skills standpoint, the 163-pound forward already has drawn comparisons to Calder Trophy candiate Matty Beniers from Appert.

"Stylistically, they're very good on their edges, they're slippery, they're puck hounds, they're on the puck, they're intelligent, their habits are probably above their age," Appert, who coached Beniers at the U.S. National Team Development Program, said. "There's just so many good things and on top of that he's just a world-class kid from a great family."

Nadeau, meanwhile, boasts a considerably bigger frame at 6-foot-2, 198-pounds. While Ostlund wants to make strides in size, Nadeau is more concerned about speed.

"I really want to work on skating abilities," he said. "My explosion, my first step is my weakness. I'm a big guy, I like to play around the net. But I need to improve my skating to be able to take the next step."

Fortunately for both players, the next step can be taken at their own pace. Ostlund's season with Djurgardens ended with a Game 7 loss to Modo in the HockeyAllsvenskan Finals.

Nadeau arrived in Rochester Sunday after his junior hockey season ended when the Québec Remparts (featuring another Sabres prospect in Vsevolod Komarov) swept his Gatineau Olympiques of the QMJHL in the third round.

"With our junior team we had a little bit of pressure. We lost so I was down," Nadeau said. "Now, just being here, (it's a breath of) fresh air… It's good for me to be here and have the same mindset as them and be a part of the group."

That group includes fellow youngsters Jiri Kulich and Isak Rosen, who completed their first pro seasons. The two will inevitably be a source of information and insight for Nadeau and Ostlund, even if they won't be sharing the ice during a game in the near future.

"I think that those are incredible experiences, to watch how some of our best players prepare and go about their business," Appert said. "I've told both of those guys … absorb this experience but also fight for ice time. You want to mentally prepare like you're pushing to get into the lineup and make my decision hard."