Crowe, director of scouting, breaks down Sabres' Class of 2020

Jeremiah Crowe has made a career out of scouting NHL talent, from his days with the U.S. National Team Development Program to his three seasons as a scout for the Buffalo Sabres.
When he envisioned one day running his own NHL Draft, he likely imagined himself seated on the floor of an arena. The fact that it happened instead from the KeyBank Center offices did not take away from the moment for Buffalo's director of scouting.
"The different environment didn't really change anything for me," Crowe said. "It was fun to partake in the process and, really, for our scouts' work to come to fruition was a good experience and a good one for the Sabres. We're happy with how it played out. It was a really good two days."
Crowe - who spearheaded the Sabres' pre-Draft scouting process along with director of analytics Jason Nightingale - met with the media Thursday to discuss each of the five selections that make up the Class of 2020. Here are the takeaways.

Jack Quinn, RW - Round 1, Pick No. 8

Crowe echoed the points that impressed general manager Kevyn Adams when it came to Quinn, a late bloomer who developed into a 52-goal scorer for Ottawa of the Ontario Hockey League last season. In addition to Quinn's goal scoring and growth mindset, Crowe referenced the forward's versatility.
"He's also used in a number of situations for one of the best teams in the Ontario Hockey League," Crowe said. "He's a top PK guy. Their PK was ranked third at the end of the regular season, so we think there's a strong base to his game and it comes with production, which is exciting.
"We also thought he was another guy that is trending positively from a growth perspective. Adding strength and size are only going to help him. He's got good speed, he has an elite shot, but he also makes a lot of plays. The versatility of his game combined with the productive output is what ultimately made him very attractive to us."

JJ Peterka, RW - Round 2, Pick No. 34

Adams revealed that the Sabres had tried to move into the first round to select Peterka, who impressed with how he handled himself playing against men in German's top pro league.
The Sabres were instead able to draft Peterka with the 34th pick, which they acquired from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for picks 38 and 100.
"In terms of what made him slip, I'm not sure," Crowe said. "He's a competitive guy, he's got very good speed, he's already playing at the men's level in Germany, he's had success at the World Junior with the four goals, and that's largely a 19-year-old event where you're playing some pretty stiff competition. We had a lot of confidence and I think it showed with how we attacked in the second round."

Matteo Costantini, C - Round 5, Pick No. 131

Buffalo Junior Sabres president Patrick Kaleta described Costantini in a similar manner to how Adams described Quinn: as a late bloomer who worked tirelessly to develop into an NHL prospect.
Costantini went from being left off NHL Central Scouting Service's mid-term rankings to being ranked 96th on their final list. He scored 68 points in 50 games with the Junior Sabres, earning Rookie of the Year honors in the Ontario Junior Hockey League.
Crowe said that the organization's familiarity with Costantini - who trained with the Academy of Hockey, for which Adams formerly served as president - helped instill confidence both in the centerman's character and skill level.
"We talked about guys that have a desire to have an impact on the game that are invested in their own personal development," Crowe said. "Some of the knowledge that Matteo played in this area, Buffalo Junior Sabres, gave us a good understanding of where he lied in those two categories.
"But the other thing is he's had very good production, another guy that was used in all situations. Played in the Ontario Junior Hockey League, he had a great opportunity and good success. He's moving on to the BCHL, and the type of person he is has already led to him being an assistant captain as a rookie with that organization. So, I like the trend he's on from a development perspective."
Costantini will spend 2020-21 with Penticton of the British Columbia Hockey League before beginning his NCAA career at the University of North Dakota in 2021-22.

Albert Lyckasen, RHD - Round 7, Pick No. 193

Lyckasen said he was sleeping at a hotel in Toronto when a friend called to tell him he had been drafted by the Sabres.
"I was like thinking he was joking or something," the defenseman said. "I was really shocked and just called my parents. Then afterwards my agent called me. I was alone in a hotel room, so I was just sitting there celebrating on my own."
Lyckasen led defensemen in Sweden's U-20 SuperElit league with 14 goals last season. His 36 points led defensemen on his Linkoping team, which also features Sabres prospect William Worge Kreu (a seventh-round pick in 2018). He described himself as a mobile defenseman who likes to join the rush.
"Albert Lyckasen has some uniqueness to his game," Crowe said. "He's an active defenseman with good mobility. One of the things I said to you guys when we spoke the other day is a desire to impact the game and he certainly has that.
"He's a guy that likes to get up ice and have an impact every time he's out there. We saw those things in him and we think there's room for development, which is obviously encouraging and gave us the confidence to take him."

Jakub Konecny, C - Round 7, Pick No. 216

Konecny was still beaming when he met with the media Thursday afternoon. His story was similar to Lyckasen's in that he was awoken by a call from a friend when he found out he had been drafted. The difference was that his call came in the middle of the night in his home country of Czechia.
"It was amazing," he said. "I didn't believe it. It was unbelievable."
Konecny describes himself as a smart player with great skating and playmaking abilities.
"He has two distinct traits in hockey sense and skating," Crowe said. "He's a fast guy, he's a light guy. On the physical maturity perspective, we think there's an opportunity for growth with him, which is exciting, and we felt late in the draft we were excited he was still there."