Sharpen Up: July 9, 2017

Some of the youngest players in the Sabre organization are in town for Development Camp. Yesterday marked the first day of on-ice workouts, and they'll resume today at 10 a.m. at HarborCenter. All sessions are free and open to the public.
Here's what you need to know.

Let's kick things off with a video

Brian Duff and Kris Baker of SabresProspects.com talk the Class of 2017 and 2016 seventh-rounder Vasily Glotov:

We'll have more from Duffer and Bakes after today's sessions…which start at 10 a.m.

Here's the remaining Development Camp schedule

Sunday: 10 to 11:15 a.m. and 2 to 3:15 p.m.
Monday: 10:30 to 11:45 a.m. and 1:45 to 3 p.m.
Tuesday: French Connection Tournament: 9:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. (Streaming live on Sabres.com!)

And here are today's groups

Group 1
Forwards
56 Justin Bailey
13 Christopher Brown
41 Vasily Glotov
37 Connor Hurley
74 Vaclav Karabacek
24 Bobby McMann
77 Casey Mittelstadt
70 Alexander Nylander
84 Victor Olofsson
49 C.J. Smith
17 Linus Weissbach
Defensemen
5 Jacob Bryson
42 Chukarov, Ivan
38 Casey Fitzgerald
46 Anthony Florentino
54 Brycen Martin
51 Austin Osmanski
6 Billy Sweezey
Goaltenders
50 Jonas Johansson
1 Jake McGrath
Group 2
Forwards
65 Rasmus Asplund
73 Nicholas Baptiste
86 Eric Cornel
8 Marcus Davidsson
52 Hudson Fasching
27 Brandon Hagel
42 Sean Malone
81 Brett Murray
61 Cliff Pu
57 Maxwell Willman
Defensemen
10 Erik Autio
3 William Borgen
79 Vojtech Budik
45 Brendan Guhle
20 Oskari Laaksonen
58 Devante Stephens
Goaltenders
33 Kyle Keyser
60 Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen

Speaking of the 2017 Draft Class

Marcus Davidsson didn't attend the NHL Draft in Chicago, so we didn't have the chance to speak with him until yesterday.
Here's Jourdon LaBarber's story on Buffalo's second-round pick.

What was the big takeaway from yesterday?

According to Sabres assistant general manager Randy Sexton, who also serves as general manager of the Rochester Americans, this week is truly about development - more so off the ice than on. Read more about that here.
"The on-ice is only one part. The more important part - and the part we're really watching for - is how do you handle yourself off the ice? How do you take advantage of all the incredible resources we have here to help you help yourself be better?" Sexton said.
"That's really the focus of this camp. It's not about stops and starts or bag skates. It's about helping each of these young players access the resources they need to be as good as they're capable of becoming."
Really recommend listening to Sexton's full comments:

And more video!

A lot of players spoke to the media yesterday and we'll have more on their stories as the week progresses.
For now, take a look at yesterday's notebook for Brendan Guhle's thoughts on Phil Housley, with whom Casey Mittelstadt is rooming, and Cliff Pu's reaction to learning that this year's IIHF World Junior Championship will be held here in Buffalo.
You can also watch their interviews here, and we'll give you some Nicholas Baptiste, Hudson Fasching and Justin Bailey to enjoy too. All of our videos from Development Camp can be found here.

Larsson's locked up

The Sabres and Johan Larsson agreed to a two-year contract yesterday worth an average of $1.475 million each season.
The pesky center netted six goals and added five assists in 36 games last year. His season was cut short when he crashed into the end boards on New Year's Eve (on just his third shift of the afternoon) and missed 2016-17's final 46 games.
Duffer has him penciled in as the team's third-line center. Where would you slot him in the lineup?