‘”The way he plays, he pushes the pace quite a bit out there,” Sabres general manager Jason Botterill said. “Versatility, playing center, playing wing, his ability to play a two-way game. There were so many different attributes. … There’s a drive in him, a motivating factor in his work ethic and a knowledge of what he has to work on in his game. That really came across in the meetings. He was driven to become a National Hockey League player.”‘