Jack Quinn Undergoes Season-Ending Surgery

11:45am: The Sabres have announced that the surgery to repair a hernia was successful and confirmed that Quinn will miss the rest of the season. His recovery timeline has been put at six weeks, meaning he should be fully healthy by the time training camp starts for 2021-22.

10:30am: When the OHL season was officially canceled, it was good news for players like Jack Quinn. The Buffalo Sabres prospect could continue playing in the AHL where he is not usually eligible, speeding up his development timetable by playing against professionals on a nightly basis. For Quinn specifically, the news isn’t so great. Lance Lysowski of the Buffalo News is reporting that the young forward will undergo season-ending surgery on a lower-body injury that he has been dealing with for months. Because the decision was made now, Quinn will have time to train this summer after his recovery.

Though he might have just two goals in 15 games at the AHL level, the 19-year-old Quinn was coming along quite nicely in his post-draft year. Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News notes that the young forward had been playing center for the Rochester Americans and was likely in line to make his NHL debut at some point near the end of the season. The 8th overall pick in 2020, Quinn’s year will end with just nine points in 15 AHL games, though he also did take home a silver medal as part of Team Canada at the World Juniors.

It’s not an entirely lost year, but it certainly hasn’t been an easy one. Remember that Quinn and his Ottawa 67’s were denied an opportunity to play for a Memorial Cup in 2020. The team was 50-11-1 on the season, with Quinn and Minnesota Wild prospect Marco Rossi dominating on different lines. Now, a year later Quinn’s season comes to a disappointing end again.

Important to note that because he will not play seven games in the NHL this season, Quinn’s entry-level contract will slide forward a season. He will now be scheduled to reach restricted free agency after the 2023-24 season.