JJ Peterka was named the top forward at the IIHF World Championship on Sunday while Buffalo Sabres teammates Jack Quinn, Peyton Krebs, and Devon Levi earned gold medals with Canada's 5-2 victory over Germany in Tampere, Finland. 

Peterka tied for second in the tournament with 12 points (6+6), including the opening goal less than eight minutes into the gold medal game against Canada on Sunday. Germany won its first silver medal at the World Championship since 1953. 

Germany was 0-3 to start the tournament but earned six straight wins to advance to the gold medal game, including a come-from-behind semifinal victory over the United States in which Peterka tallied an assist.

The Buffalo Sabres have signed defenseman Ryan Johnson to a two-year, entry-level contract, the team announced Saturday morning. He will report to the Rochester Americans.

The Sabres selected Johnson during the first round (31st overall) of the 2019 NHL Draft. His senior season at the University of Minnesota ended with an overtime loss to Quinnipiac in the national championship game in April. 

Growing up, I was never really in touch with my Asian roots. That started to change with a family trip to Seoul for the Korean Open in 2019.

My mom was born in Seoul. She was left by her birth parents outside of a police station, spent time in an orphanage, and was adopted by my grandparents and brought to Fairport, New York when she was five years old. She had never gone back - I don't think she ever would have if not for tennis.  

I played in that tournament mostly because I wanted my mom to go. We visited her orphanage and learned about the process that brought her to the United States. It was a special experience we were able to share with my whole family, and it was tennis that brought us together for it. 

Matt Savoie, the ninth-overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, will make his AHL debut tonight for the Rochester Americans in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Hershey Bears. 

"(I'm) really excited," Savoie said. "It's been a bit of a whirlwind the last couple of days."

Kyle Okposo spent the immediate weeks following the Sabres' season mulling his future in conversations with his wife, Danielle, and others in his inner circle. 

It quickly became evident that Okposo would continue playing, a decision that was vindicated after he received the phone call making his one-year, $2.5 million contract with the Sabres official. The first person he told was his son, Odin, who was brushing his teeth before bed. 

"His reaction was worth it," Okposo said Thursday morning. "Sometimes I forget how much it means to them, especially my older two kids."

The Buffalo Sabres have signed defenseman Vsevolod Komarov to a three-year, entry-level contract, the team announced Thursday.

Buffalo selected Komarov during the fifth round (134th overall) of the 2022 NHL Draft. The 19-year-old native of Chelyabinsk, Russia has spent the past two seasons playing for the Quebec Remparts of the QMJHL, with whom he captured a league championship last week.

Komarov and the Remparts will compete for the Memorial Cup, the top prize in the CHL, beginning Friday. 

Kyle Okposo reflected inside the visiting dressing room at Prudential Center last month, shortly after a loss to the New Jersey Devils had eliminated the Buffalo Sabres from playoff contention.

"I'm extremely proud to be a part of this group and to see how far we've come," Okposo said. "We've become a team. It started off the ice first and then slowly progressed on the ice. It's the first time in a long time that I think we can say that."

He wanted to remain a part of it. The Sabres captain signed a one-year contract worth $2.5 million on Wednesday, forgoing the option to become an unrestricted free agent this summer. 

Take one look at Sabres forward Peyton Krebs and the term "enforcer" might not be the first adjective that comes to mind. 

"I was getting a hard time in the locker room that I wasn't tough," Krebs said during the Sabres' locker room cleanout. "So, I was like 'Alright, I'll show you guys tough.'"

The 5-foot-11, 180-pound center may not look the part, but he has no qualms about sticking up for a teammate when it's warranted. Although "agitator" might be the more appropriate label.

"I'm a Western leaguer so I've got to live up to that," Krebs said. "I just like sticking up for my teammates if I need to. I love mixing things up out there and just trying to make the game a little more fun."

When the Buffalo Sabres assigned Matt Savoie to Rochester this past weekend, many hockey fans in Western New York were asking the same question.

Monday morning, Amerks coach Seth Appert answered it. 

"Matt Savoie is here to play," Appert said. 

The Rochester Americans announced today that MSG Network will carry WPMT Fox43's live broadcast of the first two games of the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals against the Hershey Bears, beginning with Game 1 of the best-of-seven series on Tuesday, May 23 at GIANT Center. Both matchups will start at 7:00 p.m.

Coverage will be available to everyone in the MSG Networks regional footprint, including all of New York State. Additionally, both games will also be available to authenticated subscribers of participating providers on "MSG GO," MSG Networks' live streaming and video on demand platform. Subscribers with a supported smartphone or tablet can download the free "MSG GO" app by visiting the App Store or the Google Play store. Viewers can also access the game by visiting www.MSGGo.com.