It’s a warm Monday evening in July when the players begin trickling into the cold confines of HarborCenter. Dressed in shorts and t-shirts, hockey bags slung over their shoulders and sticks in hand, they look like any bunch of guys playing summer league men’s hockey.
But this isn’t your typical men’s summer league.
See over there? Yes, that’s Buffalo Sabres forward Zemgus Girgensons.
Who are those guys wearing Ottawa Senators gear? Forwards Shane Prince and Cole Schneider, who played in the AHL last season.
Check out the other rink and some of the best college players in Western New York – Alex Iafallo (Minnesota-Duluth), Ryan Schmelzer (Canisius), Nolan Sheeran (Canisius) and Vince Muto (Niagara) – are skating.