‘Many teams were interested in the UMass-Lowell junior, but he had his reasons for picking the Sabres, “It kind of fits the person I am, I grew up in Des Moines, Iowa which is a blue collar city, played in Lowell and played in Austin, Minnesota. They’re all blue collar communities and they all play blue collar hockey and I think that’s what the Buffalo Sabres are about and I think I fit their identity.”’