Sharpen Up: June 22, 2019

Round 1 of the 2019 NHL Draft is in the books. The Sabres selected center Dylan Cozens (no, not that Dylan Cozens) seventh overall and defenseman Ryan Johnson with the 31st pick to close out the night.
Round 2 begins at 1 p.m. today on NHL Network. Buffalo could have as many as six picks today (more on that later). We'll have full coverage for you here on Sabres.com and on social.
Here's what you need to know.

Round 1 recap

Brian Duff takes us through a relatively tame Friday night around the league, but certainly a very exciting one for general manager Jason Botterill, the picks, and the entire Sabres organization:

We have some of the basic bio info on Cozens, who recorded 84 points for the Lethbridge Hurricanes of the WHL last season, here.

He hails from the Yukon and is the first player to from that Canadian territory to be drafted in the first round. And only three players have made it from the Yukon to the NHL: Hazen McAndrew played seven games with the Brooklyn Americans in 1941-42. Bryan Baltimore made two appearances with Edmonton in 1979-80, the same season in which Peter Sturgeon played his first of six career games for Colorado.
Dylan's mother, Sue Bogle, said it felt like the entire territory was watching to see her son get drafted on Friday night. The weight of that achievement has not been lost on Dylan, who feels a level of responsibility as a trailblazer for his hometown of Whitehorse.

"There's definitely pressure," he said. "There are just so many people that are talking to me about it and watching me. So many people that want to see me succeed. I don't want to let them down. Now that it's here and the draft's happened, I'm so excited."
We have lots more on Cozen's journey, which led him to leave home at the age of 14 to pursue his dream here. It's definitely worth your time.
He also got to meet Sam Reinhart as the Vancouver native was back home for the draft:

Johnson, meanwhile, has strong hockey bloodlines. His father, Craig, is a veteran of 557 NHL games. Johnson suited up for Sioux Falls of the USHL last year and is committed to playing at the University of Minnesota in the fall.

"He has] similar characteristics to Dylan - very good athlete, very good skater, has that ability to play well in his defensive zone, play against other teams' top players," Botterill said. "Then he also has the sense from a puck-moving ability [standpoint].
"When we talk about how our team wants to play, how we want to play when we're successful, it's our defensemen joining the rush, the defensemen moving the puck to our talented forwards, and we really feel Ryan fits the bill."
**[For more on Johnson's playing background, click here.**

Botterill had more to say and we have all of that here.

What's coming up

Round 2 will begin at 1 p.m. today. Catch all of the action on NHL Network.
As of now, the Sabres' next pick is slated to come in the third round (67th overall). Then, they'll have to wait and see if they'll have a fourth-round pick. As a condition of a trade made two seasons ago, the San Jose Sharks could opt to give Buffalo the 122nd-overall pick or keep it and send the Sabres their third-round pick next year instead. They have until they're on the clock to make that decision.
Buffalo also has three picks in the sixth round (160, 175 and 177) and one seventh-round pick (191) today.

Development camp is next week

Don't forget that we'll likely see all of these players at the annual development camp presented by BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York next week at Harborcenter.
Session times are as follows:
Wednesday, June 26
• First Session: 1 to 2 p.m.
• Second Session: 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.
Thursday, June 27
• First Session: 10:15 to 11:15 a.m.
• Second Session: 11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.
Friday, June 28
• First Session: 10:15 to 11:15 a.m.
• Second Session: 12 to 1 p.m.
Saturday, June 29
• French Connection Tournament: 10:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
On-ice sessions from June 26 to 28 are free and open to the public. Admittance will be on a first-come, first-served basis and not guaranteed.
The French Connection Tournament, an intra-squad 3-on-3 tournament, will highlight the final day of camp on Saturday, June 29, beginning at 10:45 a.m. The tournament will be a ticketed event. Tickets will be made available exclusively for 2019-20 season ticket holders. Tickets will be free and limited to two per account. Season ticket holders for the 2019-20 season will receive an email on Monday, June 24 to claim their tickets. Tickets will be limited and distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.
The French Connection Tournament will also be streamed live on Sabres.com and on our social media platforms.