Not unlike Buffalo Sabres Hall of Fame goalie Ryan Miller's career, Devon Levi had an exceptional collegiate resume that included 16 shutouts over two seasons. As the first goaltender in NCAA history to win the Mike Richter Award twice, stacking them consecutively, expectations were considerably high and hyped for the Quebec native's arrival to the NHL.

When he joined the Sabres in March, Levi was able to ride the momentous wave of adrenaline, excitement and perhaps most importantly, consistency that was given to him when awarded seven starts in Buffalo's last nine games of the season, including five in a row. At that time, Levi was the third goaltender added to the room. Going into the 2023-2024 season, it was reasonably ascertainable that keeping three goalies on the roster would not be sustainable, especially as the team endured injuries and other issues in every other roster position.

By late November, Levi had gone 3-4-1 in his eight NHL starts this season. The bulk of those losses did not fall on him (some, like the author of this article, believe goalie wins and losses are equivalent to quarterback wins and losses, thus an irrelevant and overused stat), but regardless, it was clear that splitting the pie was no longer the answer when the 21-year-old deserved more in order to develop at the highest level. Levi was assigned to the Rochester Americans, care of head coach Seth Appert and goaltending development coach Seamus Kotyk.

It was there where Levi says he was able to reconnect with a purer love of the game that got him here.

"I had a lot of fun playing against Belleville. It was just fun. It just felt like pure hockey, just hanging out with the boys," Levi told Spectrum News 1 on Wednesday after Sabres practice at KeyBank Center. "It's a different atmosphere, because of like the pressures that are put on players and staff to win in the NHL; there, it's more focused on development. So, it feels a little bit lighter. Not that that's better than here — just it's a different feel, and it was easy. It was easy to connect with the love of the game and having fun. So, it was just a great week for me."

For Appert, Levi's review is an affirmation of his mission.

"That is my goal for all of our players, you know, is that the rink is their favorite place to be in the day," Appert said. "It's the place that they find the most joy and excitement and passion. There has to be work and competitiveness and that comes with that. It can't be just fun and goofy, but the best players that I've coached and the best teams that I've been able to coach combine work and competitiveness with energy and passion and fun."

Levi said that he met with Appert for an hour when he first got to Rochester. While this was not their first time meeting or speaking, this was their first chance to truly connect.

"He really wanted to get to know the person I was, and he wanted me to know him also,” Levi said. “Open-minded communication is always good between players and coaches, and he just seems like someone that has your back and wants you to succeed. I think that his focus is on, obviously he wants to win, but he really wants to develop his players. He told me that he wants the guys, when they get called up, to stay. He says, 'I never want to see you again when you get called up.' So he is very, very adamant about, you know, doing what's best for players, and it's just a great environment to be in. He makes practice really fun and the day to day is really fun there." 

Back in blue and gold, the stint in Rochester seems to have triggered a reset button for the netminder. 

"I felt my energy here in practice is also way better because, you know, I kind of brought that playfulness here with me and I'm just having fun," Levi said. "Just like reconnecting with, refreshing with, like, playfulness. And so, it feels good. I'm having fun out there. I had a fun practice. I’m excited for tomorrow."

Since Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen missed the second straight day on the ice with the Sabres due to illness, head coach Don Granato confirmed that Levi will be joining the team on their trip to Boston as Buffalo faces the Atlantic-best Bruins on Thursday. This emergency recall did technically interrupt the rhythm that Sabres management said they wanted Levi to get out of going to Rochester — instead, he missed both Amerks practice and Sabres morning skate on Tuesday, where retired Craig Anderson fielded the non-starter's net.

"I definitely wasn't expecting it that fast," Levi said of the call-up. "I'm happy to be here. I'm also happy to play in [Rochester]. Either way, I just want to play and have fun. But I'm definitely grateful to be back with the guys, back with the team. I mean, I'm not sure who's playing, but an opportunity maybe to play tomorrow against Boston and get some revenge on them for last time. So yeah, I'm just happy with what's going on and I just take it day by day."