LEWISTON — Little about Nathan Gerbe’s style of play looks different during this year’s Sabres development camp at Niagara University than it did in last year’s.

Gerbe is again one of the best players on the Dwyer Arena ice, if not the best. On Thursday, he wowed a sizable crowd by scoring on a nifty backhand during the week’s first scrimmage. This just a few minutes after scrapping with a defenseman who stands nearly a foot taller.

But while Gerbe has again been a hit in camp, he’s hoping everything that follows will play out differently. Despite a great rookie season with Portland in the American Hockey League, Gerbe has his sights set on playing in Buffalo this year, and he hopes this week’s camp is a springboard to a permanent NHL roster spot.

“My main goal is to play for Buffalo. Anything less and I’m going to be disappointed in myself,” Gerbe said after Thursday’s session. “If I have to go down to Portland, I’ll be disappointed but I’ll work as hard as I can to get back up. I know this is where I want to be.”

After leading Boston College to a national championship, Gerbe is the first to admit he was a little tight in his NHL appearances. While his stats in the AHL — 56 points in 57 games — were good enough to earn AHL rookie of the year honors, Gerbe managed just a single point in 10 starts with Buffalo. Despite having four shots on goal in his debut at Tampa Bay on Dec. 6, Gerbe never got into an offensive comfort zone.

He hopes that will change with a full year of pro hockey under his belt.

“When you get called up you’re nervous. You want to score that first goal in the first game, when you don’t do that, you start to press a bit, because expectations are high. That’s the name of the game. You’ve got to perform,” he said. “Maybe last year I tried to be too safe or too defensive. This year, I’m going to try to be more offensive and still be aware defensively.”

Although he’s no rookie to the development camp, Gerbe said he’s taking plenty of pointers in the film room during this week’s activities, something he thinks will help him take the jump to the next level.

“The biggest thing is watching game film. Watching players, how they use their bodies in the corner. How you get to the net to score goals,” he said. “Especially in today’s game, you watch the Stanley Cup playoffs and every goal is a quick shot on net and everybody’s crashing the net for rebounds.”

If Gerbe can put points on the board with the Sabres like he has in Boston College — he had 71 goals in three seasons — and last year in Portland, he could help a team in desperate need of a shove get over the playoff hump.

“I’m going to do everything I can. This is the life I want to live in the NHL,” he said. “This is a hotspot for hockey here. You’ve got great fan support. Buffalo’s the kind of team that should be in the playoffs every year. That’s the way the organization views it.

“And that’s how I view it.”

Contact sports editor Tim Schmitt at 282-2311, ext. 2266.



SABRES DEVELOPMENT CAMP

• WHERE: Niagara University’s Dwyer Arena

• WHEN: Final public sessions today runs from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

• COST: Free