JJ Peterka lists being drafted by the Buffalo Sabres, playing in his first NHL game and leading Germany to a silver-medal finish at the 2023 IIHF World Championship as his top three moments in hockey.
The 21-year-old forward has a fourth moment in mind he plans to add this season.
Helping to lead the Sabres into the Stanley Cup Playoffs, a feat they haven't achieved since 2011 and the longest active postseason drought in the NHL.
"We know we can make the playoffs," Peterka said. "We have such a young and good team. We have everything to make the playoffs."
They will try for their first win of the season on Tuesday when they host the Tampa Bay Lightning at KeyBank Center (7:30 p.m. ET; ESPN).
Peterka, selected in the second round (No. 34) of the 2020 NHL Draft, is a big part of it. He has all the tools to become one of the League's top breakout players this season after he had 32 points (12 goals, 20 assists) in 77 games as a rookie last season.
"He's going to break out at some point, there's no question," Buffalo coach Don Granato said. "There's too much talent there and he continues to absorb, grow and mature. Guys his age, you just see the growth day by day, week by week."
Peterka clearly took a big step last season, learning the NHL game, understanding the grind of an 82-game season, how his body reacts and what he needs to do to make sure he's ready to play.
"At the start it was like, 'Oh, we're going there, and then there,' and I had basically no clue," Peterka said. "But I became more of a pro to know what's going on. I didn't have to ask the guys too many questions at the end compared to the start. It was just a little bit slower and more of a feeling of how everything works."