Eric Cornel

June 2019 – Cornel did not get a qualifying offer from the Sabres which means he becomes an unrestricted free agent.  Jokke Nevalainen

April 2018 – After opening his pro career with Rochester last year, Cornel has only seen a slight increase of production from last year. He tallied 18 points this year in the AHL in a total of 61 games, which is four more than last year. Half of his points were goals, so he’s starting to find a scoring knack. Next year will be a big year for Cornel who just turned 22. He’ll look to assert himself as a 1st line player on Rochester and try to work his way towards an NHL spot sooner rather than later. One of his biggest flaws in junior was scoring goals and working on his scoring touch, which seems to have improved over the course of the year. Marcus Griep

December 2016  – After some great seasons with the Peterborough Petes, Eric Cornel is now playing professionally in the Sabres organization with the Rochester American of the AHL. Cornel has done as well as he can so far, transitioning to the pro game and has gotten his first pro goal out of the way. Cornel now is getting his feet wet and bulking himself up in order to hold his own. He has three goals and four assists in 21 games. Max Marko

March 2016 – The Buffalo Sabres signed Eric Cornel to a three-year entry-level contract worth $2.775 million in total. Cornel is currently in the first round of the OHL playoffs and was the second highest Petes scorer this year, scoring 27 goals, 56 assists for 83 total points.

December 2015 – Cornel recorded three points (two goals and an assist) on the last day of 2015 for the Petes, who lost to the Guelph Storm. Eric Cornel is now tied for the team lead in scoring with 43 points in just 37 games played, 1.16 pts/GP pace. If Cornel continues at that rate he will finish with the most points this season than any of his previous three junior campaigns. 

November 2015 – Cornel is currently on a six game point streak for the Petes. He currently has six goals, 14 assists for 20 points in 22 games played this year. Eric Cornel was also named the Peterborough Petes captain at the beginning of the year, showing that Eric could develop into a strong leader at the NHL level. Eric could become a future two-way centre who can chip in with some offense, but he will probably play his first couple of professional years in the AHL before getting a long look from the Sabres. Keep him on your deep prospect roster. Paul Zwambag

September 2015 – Eric Cornel has been sent back to the Peterborough Petes for his final junior season. Eric played one game in the Prospects Challenge tournament hosted by Buffalo. He didn’t record a point and was a minus one. Cornel dressed for one preseason game this year, he only had one shot with just over nine minutes of ice time. Eric played on a line with Nicolas Baptiste and Jerry D’Amigo. He will head back to Peterborough as one of the veteran junior players on the team and look to continue to improve his game. Paul Zwambag

September 2015 – Cornel finished his third year in the OHL tied for second in scoring on the Peterborough Petes last year with 52 points. Eric played two less games, scored nine less goals and had one more assist than his second year. The Peterborough Petes were the last team to make the playoffs in the Eastern Conference of the OHL. In five playoff games Eric only had one assist, but it gave him the chance to show what he could do with the Rochester Americans, signing an Amateur Tryout Agreement in April. Cornel was able to get into the lineup for six games and record one assist. Cornel will be hoping to improve his numbers this year in Peterborough to closer to what his second year totals were. Paul Zwambag

February 2015 – Cornel hasn’t been able to replicate the same success he enjoyed from a season ago. He’s projected to drop in every statistical category other than his assist totals and his drop in goal scoring is a little alarming. Then you remember that this is just a kid we are talking about here who’s 18 years young and playing for a subpar team toiling near the bottom of the OHL Eastern Conference standings. There’s still time for him to kick it into overdrive and help the Petes make a push to solidify their standing in the playoffs and in turn help his numbers and personal growth. Cornel is most certainly a project for the Sabres with hopes of having him step into a NHL role someday down the road a couple years. Travis Watson

June 2014 – Eric Cornel was selected by the Buffalo Sabres at 44th overall in the 2nd round at the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. Cornel projects to be a lanky playmaking forward. If the Sabres are patient with him, he could turn out to be a great steal. Kevin Won

May 2014 – It took a while for Eric Cornel to come into his own after being drafted high in the 2012 OHL Priority Selection Draft (3^rd overall). Heading into his draft year, Eric Cornel’s game and overall confidence turned a corner and the tall lanky skilled winger started to find his niche. Switched to the wing, the strong skating Cornel has been more productive and his playmaking abilities are showing much improved confidence. Blessed with a good frame, Cornel is growing into it and starting to show that he understands how to use it. He drastically improved upon his career highs posting near point-per-game numbers scoring 25 goals and 62 points over 68 games. Cornel is expected to be a top 60 selection at the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. Brendan Ross