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Devon Levi

Devon Levi (born December 27, 2001) is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender currently playing for the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Devon Levi
Born (2001-12-27) December 27, 2001 (age 22)
Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Quebec, Canada
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb)
Position Goaltender
Catches Left
NHL team (P)
Cur. team		 Buffalo Sabres
Rochester Americans (AHL)
National team  Canada
NHL draft 212th overall, 2020
Florida Panthers
Playing career 2023–present

Levi was the MVP at the 2019 World Junior A Challenge. He was then the 2019–20 Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL) MVP and Top Goalie, and the 2019–20 Central Canada Hockey League (CCHL) MVP and Top Goaltender. He was drafted 212th overall by the Florida Panthers in the 7th round of the 2020 NHL entry draft, and in 2021 his rights were traded to the Buffalo Sabres.

He played for the Canadian national junior ice hockey team at the 2021 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. The team won the silver medal, and Levi ended the tournament with a .964 save percentage (SV%) (topping the all-time record established by Carey Price in 2007). He was named the Best Goaltender of the tournament, and to the tournament All Star Team. He was named to Team Canada in the 2022 Winter Olympics.

Early life

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Levi is from Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Quebec, a Montreal suburb.[1] His father Laurent Levi is a software engineer, and his mother Eta Yacowar is an office administrator at the software company they are building.[2][3] He has a younger brother, James.[4][5] He has been friends with fellow goalie Yaniv Perets since childhood, and the two played on the same youth teams for several years.[6] While Levi's first language is English, he also speaks French.[7]

Levi, who is Jewish, attended Hebrew Foundation School.[8] He then attended West Island College (2019), where he was a valedictorian.[8][9] He took online courses from Athabasca University.[10]

Playing career

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Levi began by playing street hockey with his father, and until he was 11 years old, his only experience in goal was on concrete.[9]

He is noted by media for his speed and technique.[11][12] He is also noted by coaches for his ability to read the players and the game in front of him, and track the puck through traffic.[13][14][15] During every timeout, he drops to his knees 15 feet in front of his net, bows his head, and uses breathing techniques to reset.[16]

Quebec Midget AAA Hockey League

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Levi played youth hockey for the Lac St-Louis Lions of the under-18 Quebec Midget AAA Hockey League in the Quebec Junior Hockey League (QMAAA) in 2016–19, beginning as their youngest player in his first season at 14 years of age.[7][5][17] In 2018 he won the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association (MAAA) Governor's Award for Student Athlete of the Year, and the Daniel Brière Award for Best Hockey and Academic Achievement.[7] In 2018 and 2019 he was chosen for the MAAA First All Star Team, and he was a two-time recipient of the Federation of Athletic Excellence of Quebec (FAEQ)/Montreal Canadiens' Foundation Award and Scholarship for Athletic and Academic Excellence (bursaries of $1,500).[7][18]

In 2019, he set the record for most saves ever in a 60-minute Quebec Midget AA game, in a game in which he made 64 saves on 65 shots.[19] In 2019 he also received the MAAA Ken Dryden Trophy as Best Goalie Prospect in the League, and was awarded the Patrick Roy Trophy as the best defensive player in the playoffs.[7] He holds the league record for career shutouts, with eight.[20]

Central Canada Hockey League

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Levi began his junior career in the Ottawa, Ontario, area with the Carleton Place Canadians in the Central Canada Hockey League (CCHL), a Junior A league, during the 2019–20 season.[9][21] For the season, he had a .941 save percentage (SV%), and a 1.47 goals against average (GAA), with 8 shutouts (in 37 games), all leading the league.[2][22][9][23]

He was named the 2019–20 Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL) Player of the Year, CJHL MVP, CJHL Top Rookie, and CJL Top Goalie.[9] He was also named the 2019–20 CCHL MVP, CCHL Top Goaltender, CCHL Rookie of the Year, CCHL Top Prospect, and a CCHL First Team All Star.[9][24][25][26] Canadians' head coach Jason Clarke said: "If there is anyone who is going to take the NCAA by storm next year and really do some special things, I’d bet my mortgage on Devon Levi."[27]

Draft and college

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He was drafted 212th overall by the Florida Panthers in the 7th round of the 2020 NHL entry draft. On July 24, 2021, Levi's NHL rights, along with a 2022 first-round pick, were traded by the Panthers to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for Sam Reinhart.[28][29]

Levi committed to play in Boston for the NCAA Division I Northeastern University's Huskies men's ice hockey team, starting in the 2020–21 season. However, Levi did not begin his college career until the following season, due to his lingering rib injury.[30][31][32] Levi majored in computer science at Northeastern, where he attended on scholarship.[10][9] He was named to the Hockey East All-Academic Team for 2020–21.[4]

He began his NCAA career in the 2021–22 season after missing the 2020–21 season with a rib injury suffered in the 2021 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.[33] He began his career with Northeastern by putting up back-to-back shutouts.[32] In both October and November 2021, Levi was named Hockey East Pro Ambitions Rookie of the Month.[4][16] By mid-season, he had set the Northeastern record for shutouts in a season.[12] Levi finished the 2021–22 season with a .952 SV%, tying Connor Hellebuyck for the second best single season save percentage in NCAA history. Levi won the Mike Richter Award as the top college goaltender and led Northeastern to the Hockey East regular season title.[34]

In 2022–23, Levi led Northeastern to a victory in the Beanpot tournament. Levi won both the tournament MVP and the Eberly award for having the best save percentage after stopping 63 of 66 shots. Levi once again led the country in save percentage during the regular season and won the Mike Richter award for a second consecutive season, becoming the first player to accomplish this feat. Levi's college career ended with a loss to Providence in the Hockey East playoffs, and he finished his NCAA Career with the second best career SV% in NCAA history.

Professional career

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Six days after his college career ended, Levi signed his entry-level contract with the Buffalo Sabres.[35] Levi joined a crowded goaltender room, joining Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Craig Anderson, and Eric Comrie on the NHL roster. Levi made his Sabres debut on March 31, in an overtime win against the New York Rangers.[36] Levi would play 7 of the Sabres' final 9 games, amassing 5 wins.

Levi began the 2023–24 season on the Sabres NHL roster with Luukkonen and Comrie. Levi started the first 4 games for the Sabres, going 1-3-0 with a 3.26 GAA and a .892 save percentage, before suffering a lower body injury and missing over two weeks.[37] Levi performed well in his first two games after the injury, but struggled in a game against the Boston Bruins, allowing 5 goals in 18 shots before being pulled. Levi would play one more game and won against the Washington Capitals, but with Luukkonen and Comrie both playing well, Levi was reassigned the Rochester Americans in order to get him more games.[37] After two games with the Americans, Levi was recalled[38] due to Luukkonen suffering an illness.[39] However, upon Luukkonen's return, he emerged as the Sabres clear top goaltender,[40] and Levi was loaned to Rochester again in order to allow him to play more games. Levi was recalled again ahead of the Sabres west coast road trip, and played in one game before being loaned to Rochester after the trip.[41] Levi would remain with the Americans throughout the month of February, and scored his first professional point on March 1, with an assist on Aleksandr Kisakov's game-winning goal.[42]

International play

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Medal record
Representing   Canada
Ice hockey
World Championships
Gold medal – first place  2023 Finland/Latvia
World Junior Championships
Silver medal – second place  2021 Canada

Levi first attracted the attention of Hockey Canada through his stellar performance at the 2019 World Junior A Challenge, an under-20 tournament.[9] He stopped 77 of 80 shots, led Canada East to a silver medal, and was named tournament MVP.[43][44]

He gained more widespread recognition during the 2021 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships due to his outstanding play for the Canada men's national junior ice hockey team, helping them win the silver medal.[45][46] Levi ended the tournament with a .964 SV% (topping the all-time record established by Carey Price in 2007) and a 0.75 GAA, both being the best in the tournament.[47][48] He became the second goaltender ever to record three shutouts in the tournament.[49] He was named the Best Goaltender of the tournament by the IIHF Directorate, and named to the tournament All-Star Team.[50][51] After the World Juniors, Levi revealed that he had played the entire tournament with a fractured rib, after sustaining the injury against the German team in the opening game.[33][52]

He was named to Team Canada in the 2022 Winter Olympics.[53][54] Levi did not feature in any games in the 2022 Olympics, as Canada chose to play Matt Tomkins and Edward Pasquale.

Career statistics

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Regular season and playoffs

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP W L OTL MIN GA SO GAA SV% GP W L MIN GA SO GAA SV%
2016–17 Lac St-Louis Lions QMAAA 23 11 10 0 — — 5 2.69 .925 4 1 3 — — 0 3.53 .877
2017–18 Lac St-Louis Lions QMAAA 26 14 11 0 — — 1 2.98 .927 5 2 3 — — 0 2.12 .942
2018–19 Lac St-Louis Lions QMAAA 28 14 13 0 — — 2 3.10 .909 16 9 7 — — 2 2.49 .937
2019–20 Carleton Place Canadians CCHL 37 34 2 1 2209 54 8 1.47 .941 — — — — — — — —
2021–22 Northeastern University HE 32 21 10 1 1875 48 10 1.54 .952 — — — — — — — —
2022–23 Northeastern University HE 34 17 12 5 2,065 77 6 2.24 .933 — — — — — — — —
2022–23 Buffalo Sabres NHL 7 5 2 0 430 21 0 2.94 .905 — — — — — — — —
2023–24 Buffalo Sabres NHL 23 10 8 2 1,295 67 0 3.10 .899 — — — — — — — —
2023–24 Rochester Americans AHL 26 16 6 4 1,561 63 0 2.42 .927 5 2 3 350 15 0 2.57 .923
NHL totals 30 15 10 2 1,724 88 0 3.06 .901 — — — — — — — —

International

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Year Team Event Result GP W L OT MIN GA SO GAA SV%
2021 Canada WJC 2nd place, silver medalist(s)  7 6 1 0 398 5 3 0.75 .964
2023 Canada WC 1st place, gold medalist(s)  1 1 0 0 60 2 0 2.00 .917
Junior totals 7 6 1 0 398 5 3 0.75 .964
Senior totals 1 1 0 0 60 2 0 2.00 .917

Awards and honours

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Award Year
Hockey East All-Rookie Team 2021–22 [55]
All-Hockey East First Team 2021–22 [56]
AHCA East First Team All-American 2021–22 [57]
Mike Richter Award 2021–22, 2022–23 [58]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Hoppe, Bill (July 27, 2021). "Sabres have unique goalie prospect in Team Canada star Devon Levi". Buffalo Hockey Beat.
  2. ^ a b John Meagher (October 14, 2020). "Dollard's Levi selected by Florida Panthers at NHL draft". Montreal Gazette.
  3. ^ Jim Matheson (December 17, 2020). "Canadian junior goalie Devon Levi grew up idolizing Carey Price in Montreal". Edmonton Sun.
  4. ^ a b c "Devon Levi - Men's Ice Hockey". Northeastern University Athletics.
  5. ^ a b Kathryn Greenaway (February 8, 2017). "Priceless Recognition for Young Netminder". Montreal Gazette.
  6. ^ Scales, Jason (April 6, 2022). "From Car Shares to Sharing the Spolight".
  7. ^ a b c d e "The Crazy Year of Devon Levi". New in 24 Sport English. September 6, 2021.
  8. ^ a b Cody Levine (January 5, 2021). "Jewish Montrealer Devon Levi represents Canada in WJC as starting goalie". The Jerusalem Post.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h Lysowski, Lance (September 6, 2021). "How Sabres prospect Devon Levi developed into a record-setting goalie". The Buffalo News.
  10. ^ a b Pat Hickey (May 11, 2020). "Dollard goalie Devon Levi is toast of Junior A hockey; Headed to Northeastern University after earning CJHL most valuable player honour following stellar season with Carleton Place Canadians". Montreal Gazette.
  11. ^ "Sabres goalie prospect Devon Levi off to torrid start at Northeastern". December 24, 2021.</ name="nhl.com">"On Campus: Six standout NHL prospects entering December".
  12. ^ a b "Sabres prospect Devon Levi's hot streak continues with record-setting weekend". December 5, 2021.
  13. ^ "Optimist's Guide to Future Buffalo Sabres Prospects: NCAA Edition". November 12, 2021.
  14. ^ "Sabres' 2021-22 Season Will Feature Transition in Net". September 13, 2021.
  15. ^ "Levi's Process Lead to World Junior Stardom".
  16. ^ a b "On Campus: Six standout NHL prospects entering December".
  17. ^ Kathryn Greenaway (February 7, 2017). "Star Midget AAA goalie bears striking resemblance to idol Carey Price; Devon Levi is a 15-year-old goalie with the Lac-St-Louis Midget AAA Lions. He's poised to break the Quebec Midget league record for most shutouts in a season. And he's smart. Last year he won six academic achievement awards at West Island College in Dollard-des-Ormeaux". Montreal Gazette.
  18. ^ John Meagher (February 13, 2019). "Montreal Canadiens award bursaries to local student-athletes". Montreal Gazette.
  19. ^ https://s3.amazonaws.com/northeastern.internetconsult.com/documents/2020/11/13/2020-21%20MEDIA%20GUIDE.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  20. ^ John Meagher (May 8, 2019). "Levi wins Patrick Roy and Ken Dryden trophies at midget AAA gala". Montreal Gazette.
  21. ^ "Devon Levi | CCHL". Central Canada Hockey League. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  22. ^ Spencer Sharkey (May 8, 2020). "Devon Levi Joueur de l'année de la LHJC et Félix Rioux reçoit la Bourse d'études de la famille Nickerson". Hockey Québec.
  23. ^ Jameson Olive (December 11, 2020). "World Juniors: Levi Makes Canada's Roster, Posts Shutout in Scrimmage". NHL.com.
  24. ^ "CJHL Release | Canadians Devon Levi named Most Valuable Player". Central Canada Hockey League. April 30, 2020. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  25. ^ "Devon Levi set to start again as Canada takes on Switzerland at World Junior Championship on TSN". TSN. December 29, 2021. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  26. ^ "2020 NHL Draft Player Card: Devon Levi". NHL.com. November 17, 2020.
  27. ^ "A year to remember; From league-leading numbers to international success and a truckload of awards, Devon Levi did it all and did it all well to be named CJHL Player of the Year". Hockey Canada. May 7, 2020.
  28. ^ "Reinhart traded to Panthers by Sabres". National Hockey League. July 24, 2021. Retrieved July 24, 2021.
  29. ^ "NHL Draft Tracker". NHL.com. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  30. ^ Davis, Mike (January 5, 2020). "Goaltender Devon Levi Commits to Northeastern". The Northeastern Hockey Blog. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  31. ^ "Devon Levi - Men's Ice Hockey". Northeastern University Athletics. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  32. ^ a b Hoppe, Bill (December 24, 2021). "Sabres goalie prospect Devon Levi off to torrid start at Northeastern". Buffalo Hockey Beat.
  33. ^ a b "Devon Levi reveals he played entire WJC with injury". TSN. January 20, 2021. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
  34. ^ Peters, Chris (March 13, 2023). "Why Devon Levi Should Go Down As One Of College Hockey's Greatest Goalies". FloHockey. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
  35. ^ DeDominicis, Chad (March 17, 2023). "Devon Levi signs an entry-level contract with the Sabres". Expected Buffalo. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
  36. ^ Lysowski, Lance (March 31, 2023). "Observations: Devon Levi wins stellar NHL debut behind Jeff Skinner's OT goal". Buffalo News. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
  37. ^ a b Fairburn, Matthew. "Did the Sabres put too much on Devon Levi too soon?". The Athletic. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
  38. ^ "Sabres recall Devon Levi, place Alex Tuch and Jordan Greenway on IR". Daily Faceoff. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
  39. ^ Reporter, Mike Harrington News Sports (December 12, 2023). "Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen's return gives Sabres another strong option in goal". Buffalo News. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
  40. ^ Bové, Matthew (February 7, 2024). "Have the Buffalo Sabres found their future starting goaltender?". WKBW 7 News Buffalo. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
  41. ^ Reporter, Lance Lysowski News Sports (January 20, 2024). "Devon Levi re-joins Amerks, delivers 14 saves in 7-3 win over Springfield". Buffalo News. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
  42. ^ Americans, Rochester. "AMERKS CRUISE TO 4-1 WIN IN BELLEVILLE | Rochester Americans". www.amerks.com. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
  43. ^ Spencer, Donna (December 29, 2020). "Devon Levi an outlier among Canadian junior hockey team goaltenders | CBC Sports". CBC. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  44. ^ Masters, Mark (January 4, 2021). "Revenge-minded Devon Levi leads Canada into Russia showdown". TSN. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  45. ^ "Devon Levi could set a new World Juniors shutout record in the gold medal game". Bardown. January 5, 2021. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  46. ^ "Devon Levi's rise to World Juniors greatness", TSN, January 5, 2021, retrieved January 13, 2021.
  47. ^ Lance Lysowski (December 5, 2021). "Sabres prospect Devon Levi's hot streak continues with record-setting weekend". The Buffalo News.
  48. ^ "IIHF - Statistics 2021 IIHF WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP". IIHF. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  49. ^ Chouinard, Kyle (February 16, 2021). "How Devon Levi Excelled at the World Junior Championship". Drive4Five.
  50. ^ Lucas Aykroyd (January 5, 2021). "IIHF - Zegras named MVP". IIHF. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  51. ^ "Trevor Zegras wins World Juniors MVP, Canada's Devon Levi top goalie". TSN. January 6, 2021. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  52. ^ "2021 World Junior Championship Goaltenders" (PDF). IIHF. January 5, 2021.
  53. ^ Shinzawa, Fluto. "Why sizzling Northeastern sophomore Devon Levi is no long shot for Canada's Olympic net: 'He loves the challenge'". The Athletic. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
  54. ^ "Two Hockey East Players Named To Team Canada Men's Olympic Roster". NESN.com. January 26, 2022. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
  55. ^ "Hockey East Names Men's Pro Ambitions All-Rookie Team". Hockey East. March 9, 2022. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  56. ^ "Hockey East Names 2021-22 Men's All-Star Teams". Hockey East. March 11, 2022. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  57. ^ "Four players return to 2021-22 Division I men's All-American teams, led by three-time pick Dryden McKay". USCHO.com. April 8, 2022. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
  58. ^ "Devon Levi - Men's Ice Hockey". Northeastern University Athletics. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
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Awards and achievements
Preceded by Hockey East Player of the Year
2022–23 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Hockey East Three-Stars Award
2021–22 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Devon Levi
 Hockey East Goaltending Champion
2022–23 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Hockey East Rookie of the Year
2021–22 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Tim Taylor Award
2021–22 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Mike Richter Award
2021–22, 2022–23 		Succeeded by
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