John-Jason Peterka

May 2023 – Peterka and fellow 2020 first-rounder Jack Quinn embarked together on their rookie NHL campaigns in 2022-2023, faring similarly to one another. Peterka, receiving an average of 13:39 of ice time, managed to score 12 goals and 32 points in 77 games with the Buffalo Sabres. While his offensive production was somewhat sparse across the majority of the season, he found his rhythm in March, scoring three goals and 11 points in 13 games during the month. As an intelligent forechecker who seemed more comfortable towards the final stretch of the season, Peterka seems poised to continue where he left off come October. Kevin Wong

May 2022 – Peterka’s transition to North American pro hockey was seamless. He led all AHL rookies in goals and points, and even got into two NHL contests. He still needs to work on his play away from the puck and sometimes he tries to do too much on his own, but it will come. – Dobber

May 2021 – Peterka took a significant step forward in his development this season playing in Germany. While on loan with EC Salzburg of Austria’s IceHL early in the year, he scored seven goals and 16 points in 12 matches before joining the Deutsche Eishockey Liga’s EHC Munchen for the remainder of the 2020-2021 campaign. In December 2020, he joined Team Germany at the 2021 World Junior Championship, scoring 10 points in five games to tie linemate Tim Stutzle for third in tournament scoring behind only Team Canada’s Dylan Cozens and Team USA’s Trevor Zegras. Upon returning to Germany, Peterka completed his DEL season with nine goals and 20 points in 30 games representing EHC Munchen, averaging thirteen to sixteen minutes per night with powerplay time. During this stretch, he demonstrated a high degree of offensive ability at the DEL level, contributing heavily to his team’s possession of the puck in the lower half of the offensive zone. He often generated pressure by the goal line and was a frequent shooter from the right faceoff circle. He also showed improvements in his skating, moving up the ice with haste and recognizing when opportunistic odd-man breaks would occur. Peterka, who was previously viewed as a potential first-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, has shown much for Sabres fans to be excited about this year. He is currently competing in exhibition matches with Team Germany’s men’s team against other international opponents. Kevin Wong

October 2020 – Peterka was drafted 34th overall by the Sabres. Peterka is expected to spend another two years in Europe before crossing the pond.  Jokke Nevalainen

December 2019 – Peterka has been playing against men in the DEL this season. He has put up five goals and nine points in 24 games with Red Bull München, the top team in the league right now. Peterka’s point totals may not look that impressive but he has only played an average of 11:34 per game, although he has been frequently used on the power play. Peterka is expected to play a big role for Germany at the World Juniors later this month. Peterka’s value comes from his great skating ability which is noticeably good even at the men’s level. He has both great speed and quickness, and he is a very fluid skater. He uses his speed effectively to force opponents to take penalties. Peterka also has good skills, especially his puck-handling skills and passing skills which are both very good. He has great patience with the puck, most noticeably on the power play where he shines. Peterka’s hockey sense is good but not great. His all-around game is still very raw, even though he is on the older side for his draft class. Shift-to-shift and game-to-game consistency is also a bit of a concern. Peterka is projected to be drafted in the second/third round range of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft.  Jokke Nevalainen