It is good to be a Western New York hockey fan in 2019. The New Year has brought with it not just a return to relevance in the National Hockey League for the Buffalo Sabres, but also a whole host of other good news.

In addition to the three potential first-round picks that the Sabres have coming their way for the 2019 NHL Draft in Vancouver, several Buffalo prospects had strong showings at this year’s World Junior Championships.

The 54th overall pick in 2017 by Buffalo, goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen led Finland to its third gold medal in the past five years.

The 6-foot-5 19-year old boasted a 1.8 goals against average in six games played while saving 93 percent of opposing shots.

Luukkonen made 25 saves in a dramatic 3-2 win over USA to take home the championship.

Also helping Finland to gold was Oskari Laaksonen, who was picked 89th overall by the Sabres in 2017.

The 6-foot-2 defenseman played seven games wearing the blue and white, picking up a goal and finishing with a plus-5 rating.

Also on the ice in Vancouver were Mattias Samuelsson, a 32nd overall pick in 2018, and Matej Pekar, who was grabbed at No. 94 by the Sabres in that same draft.

Samuelsson played seven games for USA and finished the tournament at plus-3, while Pekar played in five games for Czech Republic. With a rash of first-round picks heading to Buffalo come summertime, expect the 2020 World Juniors in the Czech Republic to be headlined by more future Sabres.

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In the second week of April, the nation’s best NCAA Division I hockey teams will make the trip to Buffalo for the 2019 Frozen Four Tournament.

KeyBank Center will play host to a pair of semifinal games on April 11 before the puck drops at the national championship game at 8 p.m. on April 13.

After hosting the World Juniors and 2018, the city of Buffalo is continuing to make a name for itself as an international hockey destination for teams of all levels.

The Canisius College men’s hockey team will hope to earn a spot in the coveted Final Four, as they enter the second half of the season with a 8-9-2 record. The Griffins won a pair of games against No. 13 North Dakota at Harborcenter this past weekend, earning a 3-1 win on Friday and a 2-1 victory on Saturday.

Lancaster native Dylan McLaughlin leads Canisius with 11 goals and 12 assists in 23 games while Nick Hutchinson of Hicksville has 17 points in 18 games.

Canisius will host Mercyhurst on Friday and Saturday as they enter the bulk of the Atlantic Hockey Association schedule. Lakewood native and Jamestown Lakers alumnus Alex Carlson is in his final year on the ice for Mercyhurst.

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On a more local level, the Jamestown Rebels have settled into a groove in their first season in Jamestown and are now firmly in second place in the North American Hockey League’s East Division.

The Rebels are 20-10 on the year with two overtime losses and one shootout loss, and have gone 7-2-1 in their last 10 games.

Coach Joe Coombs’ team has 43 points and trails only Johnstown with 58 while holding a seven-point lead over third-place New Jersey.

Alex Frye leads the Rebels with 32 points in 33 games while goaltender Ryan Keane sports a 1.99 goals against average and a 92 save percentage. The Rebels will host Wilkes-Barre/Scranton at Northwest Arena this weekend.