Bagnall: Sabres culture change starts with the Amerks

Drew Bagnall said he was grateful to have been given a chance to play for the Buffalo Sabres in a preseason game (at Toronto on Sunday).

He knows he wasn't going to be on the opening-night NHL roster. His only two career NHL regular-season games came back during the 2010-11 season with the Minnesota Wild.

Still, it's always nice when the coaching staff shows that they know who you are, that they reward you for your effort. Especially when it's a new staff.

But now that he has cleared waivers, Bagnall is ready to assume his mentorship role with the Rochester Americans. At 30, he's the veteran leader on defense. Only left winger Matt Ellis, at 33, is older.

{UPDATE: Bagnall and Ellis both went unclaimed on waivers so they are officially on the Amerks roster. They were sent down Tuesday afternoon and went on waivers at noon Wednesday. END UPDATE}

Bagnall also will be helping instill an organizational mindset. The way Sabres coach Ted Nolan wants his team to play will be the way the Amerks need to play.

"I think a lot of the culture change they want to make has to start down here," Bagnall said. "We'll be talking and communicating and making sure all our goals are aligned."

He's not just talking about breakouts and forechecking systems, either. In fact, it's much more about the intangibles.

It's making sure everyone plays with some snarl and grit. It's forcing opponents to venture into the toughest areas of the ice.

When the Nolan-coached Sabres won a division title in 1996-97, they prided themselves on the motto: "the hardest working team in hockey."

"It's the compete level and the tenacity guys play with," Bagnall said. "If we get beat, it's because the other teams make great plays."

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The philosophy will quite likely extend right to Buffalo's new ECHL affiliate, the Elmira Jackals. A good percentage of players that are in training camp with the Amerks will end up in camp with, and also on the roster of, the Jackals.

In the long run, that means a semblance of oneness for the organization when it comes time for the Amerks to find emergency and/or long-term replacements. Systems and concepts won't be foreign.

"As soon as they get in the room, we just have to make sure they understand we're making teams earn every inch of ice," Bagnall said.

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Chadd Cassidy said each goalie will play one of the two preseason games against the Toronto Marlies.

Andrey Makarov starts Friday at Schomberg, Ontario. Nathan Lieuwen will play in Saturday's 7:05 p.m. home game at Bill Gray's Regional Iceplex at MCC.