The Buffalo Sabres have signed top goaltending prospect Devon Levi to a three-year, entry-level contract after Northeastern was eliminated from the NCAA playoffs, the team announced Friday.
Levi won the Mike Richter Award as college hockey’s top goalie last season, and is once again a finalist this year following a season in which he led the nation with a .923 save percentage. He also led Hockey East goalies with 14 wins, six shutouts, a 1.81 goals-against average and a .947 save percentage.
Drafted by Florida in 2020, Buffalo acquired him in a trade that sent forward Sam Reinhart to the Panthers in July 2021.
Levi is considered the Sabres’ goalie of the future at a position that’s been mostly unsettled since Ryan Miller’s era ended with his trade to St. Louis during the 2013-14 season.
The Sabres have a three-goalie rotation, which includes Eric Comrie and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, who are both signed through the end of next season. Levi’s path opened up when Buffalo traded Erik Portillo to Los Angeles earlier this month and after Michigan’s goalie expressed no interest to sign with the team.
Northeastern failed to qualify for the NCAA Tournament, its season ending in a 2-1 overtime loss to Providence in the Hockey East quarterfinals.
After missing his freshman season due to injury, Levi finished with a 38-22-6 record, and leaves Northeastern holding career school marks with a 1.9 goals-against average and 16 shutouts.
Levi is from suburban Montreal and represented Canada at the 2022 Beijing Winter Games in the absence of NHL players. He dressed as a backup for one game, but did not play.
In 2021, he was named the world junior championship tournament’s top goaltender in helping Canada win a silver medal.
–with files from Sportsnet staff