Observations:

October 2014- Girgensons has been about the only bright spot through two games to begin the year for the Buffalo Sabres. The young Latvian centre has two goals through two games with one coming by the highlight reel variety and it can be seen in the video below. Girgensons still just 20 years young should see an uptick in production this season playing on a line with Cody Hodgson and captain Brian Gionta. You can peg him for at least 15 goals with the chance of 25 ending the year in the 40-50 point range. You can take it to the bank barring injuries of course. Travis Watson

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May 2014- With the Sabres season long over by now Girgensons will join Latvia for the 2014 IIHF World Hockey Championships where he will look to lead the team at both ends of the ice in hopes of creating some upsets.This will be the second time this year that he makes an appearance for his native country after already representing them at the 2014 Sochi Olympics in Russia this past February. Travis Watson

Girgensons had a relatively successful rookie season showcasing his strong two-way play and in doing so provided a glimmer of hope for the future in a season that didn’t present many. He produced a modest eight goals and 14 assists on his way to 22 points in 70 games played which placed him 7th among team leaders in all three categories. As touched on before his two-way play is up to NHL standards and he proved that by leading the team in plus/minus for players that played an everyday role. Girgensons is an important building block for the Sabres future and they are looking to give him every opportunity to succeed and prove worthy of his 1st round selection. Travis Watson

February 2014 – Latvia will be heading to the 2014 Winter Olympics with only one active NHL player on the roster. That player just so happens to be Zemgus Girgensons who is also their youngest player. This doesn’t mean that Latvia lacks experience as they have a slew of former NHL players including former Avalanche defenceman Sandis Ozolinsh, Flyers forward Oskars Bartulis and former Senator/Bruin Kaspars Daugavins. Latvia is in tough having to battle against the Czech’s, Slovak’s and Swede’s to help advance to the knock out stages. If they hope to have any chance of moving on they will be needing some major contributions from their talented youngster. Travis Watson

October 2013 – Zemgus was the beneficiary of being in the right place at the right time when he potted home his first career goal in his NHL debut. Girgensons is coming off a very strong training camp where he was amongst the Sabres leaders in scoring with three goals and an assist. The Sabres are going to need everything they can get from Girgensons this season if they are anticipating on making a push for the playoffs. It’s nice to see the former first round pick making an impact early after posting only 17 points in 61 games in the AHL last season. Look for the rebuilding Sabres to let the young guns play this season in hopes that it helps speed up their development process. Travis Watson

June 2013 – Girgensons had a rough start to the season, as he had to adapt to the pro game. He suffered a few small injuries along the way which hindered his development. He finished with a modest six goals and 11 assists in 61 games. Perhaps the more telling headline though was his improvement near the end of the season, which saw him develop great chemistry with recently acquired Johan Larsson and three goals in three playoff games. He was nominated as most improved player on the Rochester Americans by his team. Girgensons is a speedy forward who is both tenacious and relentless on the forecheck. He is described as a well-balanced forward by many scouts, and his work ethic is impressive on and off the ice. Look for the highly-touted Latvian forward to take a bigger top-six role on Rochester in the 2013-2014 campaign and expect him to be among the first call-ups should the Sabres get hit with the injury bug. Kevin Won

July 2012 – Buffalo has given Girgensons a three year entry level contract. He will start his pro career in Rochester of the AHL and prove his value right away amongst men. The AHL normally does not allow players to start a year if they are not turning 20 years of age before the new year (Zemgus is 18 and has a January birthday), but he fits in a loophole in their rules because he is a European based prospect, despite playing the past couple seasons in the USHL. Jason Banks

June 2012 – Buffalo swung a deal withthe Calgary Flames grabbing their 14th overall pick to grab heart-and-soul type of player Zemgus Girgensons. Brendan Ross

February 2012  – Currently in his second season as a member of the USHL’s Dubuque Fighting Saints, Zemgus Girgensons has a lethal shot and a bit of a nasty side. The skilled Latvian has committed to the University of Vermont for 2012, where he’ll continue to develop his skating and defensive zone play against a higher level of competition. John Canario

Fantasy Outlook: B

Has a nose for the net and is fearless in the danger areas, but upside is secondary scoring only. Will put up respectable penalty minute totals though.

Footage:

Zemgus Girgensons with the nifty play and the finish to boot:

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