Jason Pominville and Thomas Vanek will be inducted into the Buffalo Sabres Hall of Fame prior to the Jan. 14 game against the Colorado Avalanche at KeyBank Center, the team announced Wednesday.
The former captains and high-scoring wingers entered the NHL together in 2005-06 and will become the 45th and 46th members of the team’s hall of fame.
During a reunion last season of the beloved team they starred for as rookies, the Sabres surprised Pominville and Vanek by playing a video introducing them as the latest members of the hall of fame.
Vanek ranks fifth in franchise history in goals (254) and 11th in points (497).
Meanwhile, Pominville ranks eighth in franchise history in games (733), 10th in goals (217) and eighth in assists (304) and points (521).
All fans in attendance that night will receive a special pennant.
The rest of the Sabres’ 2026-27 promotional schedule will be released today.
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Nathan Paetsch, who spent the last three seasons as an assistant coach with the Rochester Americans, has left the Buffalo Sabres’ AHL affiliate to become head coach of the Youngstown Phantoms.
The Phantoms, a junior team, play in the United States Hockey League. Ryan Ward, their last coach, recently moved up to the AHL to become an assistant with the Providence Bruins.
Paetsch, 43, spent 17 seasons in Buffalo’s organization as player, assistant coach and development coach.
The Sabres must fill a vacancy on Amerks coach Mike Leone’s staff for the second time this offseason. Scott Moser, a Tonawanda native, recently replaced Vinny Prospal, who left to become an assistant coach with the St. Louis Blues.
After retiring as a player in 2020, Paetsch, a former defenseman and winger, spent three seasons as a development coach before moving behind the bench and running the Amerks’ blue line.
He began his pro career with Rochester in 2003-04 before graduating to Buffalo, where played 157 total games for the Sabres from 2005-06 to 2009-10, including Game 7 of the 2006 Eastern Conference final, just his second NHL outing.
After moving around pro hockey, he returned to Rochester to play his final three seasons.