Levi decided to stay for what he looks back on now as one of the most challenging, productive seasons of his life. Jon Goyens, who coached Levi with the Lions, recalls outsiders at the time advising Levi to make the jump to junior hockey after that season. He led his league in save percentage in his second season of U18 AAA hockey with the Lac St-Louis Lions and improved on the mark in the team's best-of-5 playoff series (the number jumped from. A lot of people have a hard time with that." "You play so many seasons and coming off a good season, how are you going to do it again? That's the question. "It's an additional challenge that you're going to face at the pro level for sure," Levi said in July. He wanted to feel the pressure of living with the expectations that would accompany his success.
He decided to return to school in part for another shot at the Frozen Four. He won the Mike Richter Award as the top goaltender in college hockey. 952 save percentage in 2021-22, first in the nation and second all-time. He chose instead to return for his junior year at Northeastern University, where he had just completed one of the great seasons in NCAA history. Levi could have turned pro around this time last year. I was ready for that leap and I'm really excited." "I felt like I was ready coming out of college, that's why I left," he said. He said last summer that he never chased the highest level, but instead let it come to him, working diligently on his development along the way.Īs he addressed reporters Thursday in the Sabres' dressing room, the time felt right. Levi will make his debut for the Sabres against the New York Rangers at KeyBank Center.
He participated in three full skates with the team after watching that initial practice from the stands.Īll of it speaks to the patient, studious nature that has carried Levi throughout his journey - from the undersized, underaged pee-wee goaltender who was not on Hockey Canada's radar to World Juniors MVP to Hobey Baker finalist and, tonight, to National Hockey League starting goaltender. He has carried a journal to the press box to watch games, dissecting the goalie's role in Buffalo's system, the patterns in shots against, and the skill sets of opposing goaltenders. The moment was a microcosm of how Levi has spent his time since joining the Sabres on March 20.
"I think he wanted to just probably feel as though he's in the play." And I've seen him a couple times really zoned in, focused on their blades, on their bodies. "I can kind of see Devon watching the players that are shooting, watching their releases. "The way our rink is set up, on one of the rinks you can be directly behind the net," he said.
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