In his own words: Oglevie's path to joining the Sabres organization

Andrew Oglevie, who signed with the Sabres as a college free agent in April, shares how he started in hockey and his journey to Buffalo while attending his first development camp presented by BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York.
I was four years old the first time I stepped into a pair of skates, and I still remember it to this day. My mom had a birthday party for me at Disney Ice, a skating complex near my hometown of Fullerton, California. It was a typical kids party, an hour-long whip-around with a cake waiting upstairs.
The reason I remember the day so vividly is because I got stuck with a pair of figure skates that day, and I hated it. I loved skating right away, but the figure skates were so flimsy. I was watching other kids blow by me, doing hockey stops and that sort of thing. Now that is what I wanted to be doing.

My mom got me my own pair of hockey skates that Christmas, and things took off from there. See, my mom was originally from Bedford, New York, just north of the city. She was a New York Rangers and Mark Messier fan. My dad was a typical California native, a football and basketball guy, until mom got him hooked during the Stanley Cup Final in 1994.
I came one year later, so my love for hockey sort of came naturally. The road from that time to my being in Buffalo now has been a long one, with stops in Indiana, Iowa and Illinois along the way.
I left home at age 15 to attend Culver Military Academy, a prep school in Indiana known for its hockey program. Culver is a long way from California, but I loved being on my own. That same year, I was drafted by Cedar Rapids in the first round of the USHL Futures Draft.
I was like most kids growing up - of course I said I wanted to play in the NHL. But there comes a time when, suddenly, that dream starts to become feasible. For me, that moment came when I was drafted by Cedar Rapids. What I didn't know was just kind of challenge awaited me.
I'll be honest, I struggled my first couple years in the USHL. I went in right after the draft and, looking back now, I think I was a little too young. I didn't have the strength to play at that level yet. Meanwhile, I had already committed to play at Notre Dame and was waiting to take that next step.

There was a lot of frustration at that time, just knowing I could perform at a higher level that I hadn't reached yet. I wanted to go to Notre Dame, I wanted to play pro hockey. I leaned on my family, as well as my billet family in Cedar Rapids, a lot to get through that time.
In the end, all it took was maturity. Things took off during my fourth season with Cedar Rapids and continued into my college career. I played behind talented seniors as a freshman, then seized my opportunities for more ice time as a sophomore and junior.
It all led to the incredible run we had last season. We won 16 games in a row at one point and made it all the way to the Frozen Four championship game. It didn't end the way we hoped, but it was an experience I'll never forget.
Now, I'm ready to take the next step. I had interest from a few NHL teams, but Buffalo seemed like the best opportunity. Management seemed to know me and what type of player I could become best. Plus, I grew up playing with a lot of Buffalo natives who had plenty of good things to say about the city.
I knew I'd fit in right away. So far, it's been a perfect fit.