Sharpen Up: December 28, 2020｜Sabres hockey returns this week

It's been a long time coming, and it'll be well worth the wait.
The Buffalo Sabres' last game was March 9, a shootout win over the Washington Capitals. Seems like yesterday, doesn't it? They'll open the 2020-21 season against those same Capitals a mere 10 months later on Thursday, January 14. It'll be here in no time.
But first: training camp, which will open this week. We'll have more information on that for you soon.
In the meantime, welcome back to Sharpen Up. Here's what you need to know.

Let's take a quick look at the schedule

Times are still TBD, but we know who and where Buffalo will be playing this season. You can view the full schedule here.
They'll open things up with a back-to-back against the Caps at KeyBank Center. They'll then head to Philadelphia for a Monday-Tuesday set against the Flyers. Most matchups this season will happen in two-game segments.
Also of note, the NHL shook up the divisions this year. There will be an all-Canadian North Division, which means we won't be seeing the Maple Leafs, Canadiens or Senators this regular season. In fact, we won't see anyone out of division during this 56-game campaign.
Buffalo is in the East Division with the Capitals, Flyers, Bruins, Rangers, Islanders, Devils and Penguins.
We put together a quick video for you with some of the biggest takeaways:

We tried to answer any other questions you may have in a special FAQ published last week.
For some of the bigger questions across the NHL, we've found this link to be super helpful.

NHL's critical dates

The NHL announced its Return To Play plans last week. Opening Night for the league will be on Wednesday, January 13 and the last day of the regular season is slated for May 8.
The trade deadline, which could be extra interesting this year based on travel protocols, is at 3 p.m. on April 12. That's a Monday if you need to rearrange some virtual meetings.
The playoffs, which will be all divisional to start, are tentatively scheduled to begin May 11. And because the Seattle Kraken are joining the league next year, there will be an expansion draft on July 21, two days before Round 1 of the 2021 NHL Draft.

World Junior showcase

Buffalo has four prospects participating in the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship, which is taking place now in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta.
Dylan Cozens, Buffalo's first-round pick in 2019, is serving as Team Canada's co-captain following an injury to fellow countryman (and Blackhawks prospect) Kirby Dach. Cozens is currently the tournament's leading scorer with 7 points (3+4).
He punched in a hat trick to go with three assists on Saturday in a 16-2 victory over Germany and was named Canada's Player of the Game.

Cozens' demeanor is also receiving rave reviews from coach André Tourigny. Canada held off Slovakia in a 3-1 win on Sunday,

Jack Quinn, selected eighth overall in October, has a goal and an assist through two games for Canada. Quinn iced Sunday's contest with an empty-net goal in the final minute of play.
Forward J-J Peterka (34th overall in 2020) posted an assist in Germany's opening day loss to Finland and notched a goal and an assist against the Canadians.

Defenseman Ryan Johnson, Buffalo's other first-round pick in 2019 (31st overall), is representing Team USA. He has one assist and is averaging 13:55 of ice time over two games.
Stay tuned for updates each day a Sabres prospect takes the ice.

Another player in the fold

Buffalo signed Casey Mittelstadt to a one-year deal on Wednesday.
Mittelstadt, 22, split the 2019-20 season between Buffalo and Rochester. He tallied 25 points (9+16) in 36 AHL contests and ranked third on the Amerks with an average of .69 points per game.
The 2018 first-round pick has tallied 34 points (16+18) in 108 career NHL games with Buffalo.
General manager Kevyn Adams has had a busy first offseason that will finally come to an end this week. In addition to re-signing forwards Mittelstadt, Sam Reinhart, Tage Thompson, Zemgus Girgensons, Curtis Lazar and Victor Olofsson, he also brought in Eric Staal, Taylor Hall, Cody Eakin and Tobias Rieder among others to help solidify the group.
The battles at training camp will certainly be worth watching and we'll have full coverage for you on Sabres.com.