BUFFALO, N.Y. — A much-anticipated sight: 69 days after Matthew Savoie was drafted ninth-overall by the Buffalo Sabres, the forward finally took the ice at Harborcenter, draped in blue and gold, for practice ahead of the 2022 Prospects Challenge.

Savoie, Jiri Kulich (16th overall) and Isak Rosen (14th overall, 2021) headline the Sabres' roster for the seventh annual tournament they are hosting Sept. 15-19. The Sabres will first face Montreal, along with first-overall pick Juraj Slafkovsky, Thursday night.

With Kulich considered day-to-day for precautionary maintenance according to Amerks head coach Seth Appert, all eyes were on Savoie Wednesday.

"Just electric," Appert said when asked about his first impressions of Savoie. "His pace of play is so high with and without the puck. A lot of times guys of his age and his caliber offensively might not have the work level and the hunt of the puck he does. I just was incredibly impressed with how competitive he is on the puck, how smart he is."

Savoie's mission is to earn as much playing time with the Sabres as possible. If he does not make the club's roster, Savoie will return to Winnipeg to continue WHL play with the ICE.

"My biggest goal is definitely to play some NHL games this year," Savoie said Wednesday after practice. "It's not easy to crack the roster at the start of the season, so I think just putting my best foot forward, always working hard and making sure I have attention to detail -- just sticking with it this year."

Savoie, Kulich, Rosen and Slafkovsky are just four of 17 first-round draft selections playing among the Sabres, Bruins, Canadiens, Devils, Penguins and Senators at the 2022 Prospects Challenge tournament.