Sharpen Up: July 24. 2017

Summer keeps rolling on, but the hockey news hasn't stopped.
Here's what you need to know.

Okposo's back on the ice

Kyle Okposo skated for the first time last week in a summer league and that's great news since he missed the final six games of 2016-17 due to an illness.
General manager Jason Botterill said a few weeks ago that Okposo should be ready for training camp so him taking the ice now appears to be a good sign.

NHL.com was at Okposo's Da Beauty League debut and filed this report:
Okposo took to the ice at Braemar Ice Arena, 19 miles from his hometown of St. Paul, Minnesota.
"Obviously seeing a teammate go through something like that and struggle to get healthy is tough," Sabres forward Hudson Fasching said. "He's such a good guy and going through a lot with that whole deal, trying to figure out what was wrong.
"I'm just happy he's healthy and happy for him to get back."
Okposo, who did not speak to media, gave a wave when the announcer drew the attention of fans during his first shift in the 4-on-4 game. He smiled before skating the puck down the ice with linemates Stu Bickel and Riley Tufte, and taking a shot that went just wide.
Okposo had an assist for Team RBC in a 10-3 loss. New York Islanders forward Brock Nelson also played Wednesday and was glad to see his former teammate on the ice.
Minnesota Wild captain Zach Parise, another native of Minnesota (Minneapolis) who plays in Da Beauty League, has kept close ties with Okposo over the years.
"Really good [to see him out there]," Parise said. "I've spent a lot of time with him this summer. It sounded like a pretty scary thing to happen, so for him to be out here and skate, it was great. I'm sure for him mentally it feels good, but for us as friends, it's really good to see."
"I guess this was kind of his return back to the scene and to the public. He didn't play [in Da Beauty League] last year, so I don't think he knew what to expect either, so I think he was pretty surprised with the turnout also."

Adding to the staff

The Sabres announced last week that Chris Hajt has been hired as an assistant coach.
Hajt spent the last three seasons as an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Kings' AHL affiliate, where he helped guide the Manchester Monarchs to a Calder Cup Championship after the 2014-15 season. The team also made the playoffs in each of the last two seasons as the Ontario Reign, including a division title in 2015-16.
He's also the son of former Sabres alumnus Bill Hajt, who spent his entire 15-year career in Buffalo.
Tom Ward will also return for his second season as an assistant.

Prospects Challenge

Before a majority of prospects took off for the summer after development camp, Brian Duff sat down with them for some exclusive 1-on-1 interviews.
Here he is with Sean Malone, Rasmus Asplund and Vasily Glotov.

For a little bit more on Sabres prospects, here's an NHL.com feature on forward Cliff Pu.
And stay tuned to the 2017 World Junior Summer Showcase in Plymouth, Michigan this weekend. Pu (CAN), Casey Mittelstadt (USA), Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (FIN), and Marcus Davidsson (SWE) are the future Sabres slated to participate.
The next time we'll see Sabres hockey will be during the Prospects Challenge from Sept. 8-11 at HarborCenter. You'll also see top prospects from the Bruins, Devils and Penguins in the round-robin showcase.
We have more details for you here. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. on August 7 and are $10 for each game.