Buffalo will host NHL Combine in 2015, 2016
Buffalo will host the NHL Combine in 2015 and 2016, the league announced Monday.
The event had been held in Toronto since 1999.
John Shannon of Sportsnet in Canada reports that the Sabres have agreed to fund the Combine, which the NHL had previously operated at a loss.
The 2015 and 2016 Combines will be held at HarborCenter, a facility with two hockey rinks, a hotel, restaurant and retail outlets. The facility, funded by Sabres owner Terry Pegula, is still under construction. It is expected to open in May 2015.
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"We've had our eye on hosting the combine for quite some time and we are thrilled that it will be coming to Buffalo," Sabres president Ted Black said in a statement. "Terry and Kim Pegula have made it a goal of this organization to create an environment here in Buffalo that is ideal for hosting highly visible events like the combine, and we are certainly ready to meet that challenge. All of our resources will be in place to ensure a successful event for the League, and we're proud to have the next wave of NHL players pass through Buffalo."
- Dan Gartland