Prospect Info: Devon Levi, G, Northeastern University (obtained in Reinhart deal) - Signed 3/17/23, Assigned 4/3/24

[GameMisconduct]

Really nice article by Fairburn on Levi over at The Athletic

How Sabres goalie prospect Devon Levi is preparing to be Buffalo’s future in net

Love the Star Wars inspiration behind his time-out meditation:

Levi found calm in the chaos. Like he does during every T.V. timeout during every game, he skated out toward the blue line, turned toward the net, and dropped to his knees. He closed his eyes and started breathing. He recently discovered meditation and found it to be the ideal way to fill the otherwise idle time. When the whistle blows to signal an impending faceoff, Levi pops up and gets back in the net refocused. The practice is rooted in Levi’s desire to stay present in the moment and not let his thoughts about the future cloud his head.

But Levi’s routine is one borne out of his wisdom and molded by his childlike joy. He said it is derived from his and his father’s shared love of “Star Wars”. There is a scene in which Qui Gon is dueling Darth Maul. A force field appears around Qui Gon, and he sits down, closes his eyes, and starts meditating.

“My dad loves that scene and he kind of got me on it and I thought it was pretty cool,” Levi said. “There’s nothing else to do during a TV timeout that will stop the puck in the next shift, so might as well take it as an opportunity to recenter and focus.

“I had my first TV timeout ever during the World Juniors. I didn’t know what to do. I was like do I go to the bench? Do I stay here? I just sat down and started breathing and it became a routine and I loved it. It made me feel good going into the next shift and engaged, so I kept doing it.”

 

[truthbluth]

Really nice article by Fairburn on Levi over at the athletic

How Sabres goalie prospect Devon Levi is preparing to be Buffalo’s future in net

Love the Star Wars inspiration behind his time-out meditation

I didn’t think I could love Timothy Chalanetminder more, and I was wrong.

 

[TehDoak]

I didn’t think I could love Timothy Chalanetminder more, and I was wrong.

Just don't start a jihad in his name, or his children may become a giant goalie worm and rule the universe for a 3000+ years.

 

[Push Dr Tracksuit]

We’re not?

That’d be more interesting tbh

It’s how the 2008 housing crisis started

 

[MarkusKetterer]

It’s how the 2008 housing crisis started

Damn that was a lot of oil!

 

[Husko]

I'm not saying we should rush Levi. And I don't think he should be in Buffalo next year or anything crazy like that. But I also don't subscribe to the "every other goalie took 400 years to develop therefore he must too" logic. The NHL is notorious for old school thinking and often being behind the trends and that doesn't mean consensus thought is correct thought. Given what we now know about what age athletes hit peak physical condition (young-mid 20s), many goalies are wasting their peak physical state in non-NHL leagues. Maybe it is just such a mentally grueling position that you need all that seasoning, but I dunno. I wish we'd see more goalies get more shots earlier in their careers so we had more of a sample size to evaluate if making your NHL debut at age 45 is really the optimal path.

 

[RefsIdeas]

I'm not saying we should rush Levi. And I don't think he should be in Buffalo next year or anything crazy like that. But I also don't subscribe to the "every other goalie took 400 years to develop therefore he must too" logic. The NHL is notorious for old school thinking and often being behind the trends and that doesn't mean consensus thought is correct thought. Given what we now know about what age athletes hit peak physical condition (young-mid 20s), many goalies are wasting their peak physical state in non-NHL leagues. Maybe it is just such a mentally grueling position that you need all that seasoning, but I dunno. I wish we'd see more goalies get more shots earlier in their careers so we had more of a sample size to evaluate if making your NHL debut at age 45 is really the optimal path.

I mean, I think the answer is pretty simple. He can play when he's ready. I don't think there has to be a certain set number of games he needs to play at the AHL or anything. If he comes in during training camp and he plays well and earns a starting spot - let him have it for as long as he keeps that level of play up.

 

[Husko]

I mean, I think the answer is pretty simple. He can play when he's ready. I don't think there has to be a certain set number of games he needs to play at the AHL or anything. If he comes in during training camp and he plays well and earns a starting spot - let him have it for as long as he keeps that level of play up.

I agree that's the obvious answer. Easier said than done, but yeah.

 

[Buffaloed]

Really nice article by Fairburn on Levi over at The Athletic

How Sabres goalie prospect Devon Levi is preparing to be Buffalo’s future in net

Love the Star Wars inspiration behind his time-out meditation:

Levi is taking that same approach to his development. Condon said he has no doubt Levi could play in the AHL next season without any issue. Sabres fans are certainly eager to see him in the net, but Condon appreciates the way Levi came to his decision. Yes, Levi wants to learn to deal with the external pressure that comes with success. He also wants the experience of digging for new motivation and trying to repeat that success. The Sabres aren’t rushing him, either. Goalies take longer to develop, and they want him to be ready when he makes the jump.

He's not going to be one of those flash in the pan goalies.

“Devon just wants to play hockey,” said Marco Raimondo, Levi’s personal goalie coach for the last four years. “That’s what people don’t get. In 14 years of coaching, I’ve coached a lot of kids. And everything is always about making the NHL. It’s not like that for Devon. It’s different. With Devon, he just wants to be the best goalie he can be, he wants to play hockey and he wants to have fun doing so. He’s not results driven. That’s what is going to make this guy special.”


Raimondo is transparent about his bias when it comes to Levi. He feels like a fan when he talks about him because their bond has grown so strong. It started years ago when, by chance, Raimondo and his wife were seated at the same table as the Levis at a bar mitzvah. Raimondo had coached against Levi, a Montreal native, in Quebec midget hockey, so he knew of him. And the two instantly hit it off.


“The way my wife tells it she felt like a third wheel that night because Devon and I were just talking goalie,” Raimondo said.

His motivation is Hasekian.

 

[dotcommunism]

Gonna be honest here, "act like Qui-Gon Jinn" is a strange thing to take away from The Phantom Menace

 

[Deep Blue Metallic]

Gonna be honest here, "act like Qui-Gon Jinn" is a strange thing to take away from The Phantom Menace

As long as he doesn't meditate *during* play, Levi can avoid the same fate.

 

[truthbluth]

Gonna be honest here, "act like Qui-Gon Jinn" is a strange thing to take away from The Phantom Menace

Eh, I think it’s more, act like him from that one part of that one scene, and not, let’s start the entire collapse of civil society because you’re impressed with a powerful young boy.

 

[dotcommunism]

Eh, I think it’s more, act like him from that one part of that one scene, and not, let’s start the entire collapse of civil society because you’re impressed with a powerful young boy.

Even then, in that very scene, Qui-Gon gets owned, like, two minutes later

 

[WhereAreTheCookies]

Even then, in that very scene, Qui-Gon gets owned, like, two minutes later

Guess that's it for Levi, chose the wrong Jedi to emulate.

 

[Doug Prishpreed]

I didn’t think I could love Timothy Chalanetminder more, and I was wrong.

I'm over here still trying to get over his Dad liking the prequels.

 

[Ace]

Even then, in that very scene, Qui-Gon gets owned, like, two minutes later

But he got to leave the prequels…so in the end he was the winner

 

[thewookie1]

My guess, Levi plays out the year at NE.
Signs with Buffalo at season’s end and depending on circumstances plays a couple games in Buffalo or Rochester. Penciled in as starter in Rochester for 23-24 and potentially ousts UPL or Comrie by 24-25. Not to mention that may be what he personally wants. He seems to like slow cooking and getting as much from each level as physically possible before moving on.

 

[MarkusKetterer]

Happy anniversary to this fantastic trade!

 

[Diaspora]

Happy anniversary to this fantastic trade!

TBH, we haven't actually seen any benefit yet. Looks promising tho.

 

[MarkusKetterer]

TBH, we haven't actually seen any benefit yet. Looks promising tho.

Of course not. But I bet 95% of the negative Nancies from when this trade was announced have flipped their opinion.

I recall being one of the few that liked the trade though.

 

[Diaspora]

Of course not. But I bet 95% of the negative Nancies from when this trade was announced have flipped their opinion.

I recall being one of the few that liked the trade though.

I think the big question at the time was whether or not his international play justified the value that Adams placed on him. Until the parade, that's still the question.

The chickens still need to hatch. Looks promising, tho.

 

[Dex]

Went back to look at the Reinhart trade thread and the reactions to Levi coming over as part of the deal.

Here's a quote from someone responding to a question about the deal that came from a Florida fan:

"You fleeced Kevyn From Accounting like the incompetent blundering unqualified clueless moron lackey that he is. Second best forward on our team and you got him for a giant pile of worthless dogcrap."

Here's a picture of me after reading several pages of reactions:

 

[MarkusKetterer]

Went back to look at the Reinhart trade thread and the reactions to Levi coming over as part of the deal.

Here's a quote from somone responding to a question about the deal that cam from a Florida fan:

"You fleeced Kevyn From Accounting like the incompetent blundering unqualified clueless moron lackey that he is. Second best forward on our team and you got him for a giant pile of worthless dogcrap."

Here's a picture of me after reading several pages of rections:

View attachment 572252

Oh come on now. Call them out!

 

[Dex]

Oh come on now. Call them out!

Hey, everyone says things from time to time that don't age well, right? I mean I once told my ex-wife that I loved her, of course before I realized what a skeeve she was.

 

[Butt Ox]

Oh come on now. Call them out!

I always drop the ess from Adam and add it to Kevyns, myself.