During a break in the action at Camp U-Turn in Wallaceburg on Monday, Seth Griffith was handed a Buffalo Sabres hat for him to autograph.
“That’s the first Buffalo item I’ve ever signed,” the 24-year-old said.
And Griffith undoubtedly hopes to sign more and more Sabres memorabilia for years to come.
On July 1, Buffalo announced they had signed Griffith to a one-year contract worth $650,000.
This will mark the fourth organization Griffith has been a part of since last fall.
“It’s been a crazy year,” Griffith told the Sydenham Current.
“I started in Boston, went to Toronto and then obviously went to Florida and then I ended up going back to Toronto. We were in a bit of a hole when I first got (to Toronto’s AHL affiliate the Toronto Marlies) but we turned it around and ended up making the playoffs. We were actually one point off winning our division. So we ended on a strong note.”
After signing the one-way NHL contract with Buffalo, Griffith said he is looking forward to the opportunity.
“I am really excited to be with them,” he said.
“Looking forward to create an opportunity there. Great young team, up and coming. Just enjoying the rest of this summer and I’ll be back playing before you know it.”
Griffith said the connection with Bufflao came up on July 1, when the club called him on free agency day.
“They really liked me,” he said.
“They were really excited to give me an opportunity there and I am looking forward to it. They just said all the right things that I was looking for and I think they were looking for the player style that I play too, so it was just kind of a good fit.”
Griffith said it will take a lot of hard work to stay up in the NHL ranks.
“Just work hard. Do what I know I can do. I have got to play a strong offensive game. That is the kind of player I am, but at the same time, especially in the NHL, you have got to be a two-way player. How many points you are putting up and all that, if you aren’t playing defence, than teams aren’t going to want you,” he said.
“Just looking forward to playing a solid two-way game.”
Griffith recorded five assists and a plus-6 rating in 24 NHL games last season, 21 with Florida and 3 with Toronto.
He also played 38 games for the Marlies, where he posted 44 points (10 goals and 34 assists) and led the team in points per game at a 1.16 clip.
Despite it being a roller-coaster year, Griffith said he still took a lot away from the experience.
“It was a crazy year, but at the same time I learned a lot. I got to play with a lot of great players too. You know, the biggest thing is you just got to take it day-by-day is what I learned,” he said.
“Work hard everyday because you never know where you could end up. One day I am sitting in Florida where the sun is shining and it’s 80°F and then the next thing you know, you are back in Toronto wearing your winter coat. So just take it day-by-day and make sure you are working hard everyday. You can’t take a day off.”
Griffith said his off-season is going well.
“I live in Wallaceburg in the summer. It’s a small town. I love being back home for the summers and seeing my old friends and stuff like that, but I train in Chatham with Colin Roeszler at Athletes’Fuel and I do my on-ice skill sessions and power skating with Todd Warriner still. When I can, I still go over to Rod Langstaff’s (Ballistic Fitness.) He helped me out when I was growing up, so I still get over there once in awhile. Just a lot of training, a lot of working out.”
Griffith said he is still getting on the ice this summer as well, playing in the Eastside Elite League in Michigan.
In fact, he is tearing it up.
In seven games Griffith has 10 goals and 21 assists for 31 points.
“It is a great group of guys over there,” he said.
“A lot of pro guys. Vladislav Namestnikov of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Dylan Larkin of the Detroit Red Wings… guys like that over there. So its a great group of guys. It’s a great league and it really prepares you for the upcoming season.”
The Sabres open the season on October 5, when they host the Montreal Canadiens.
