Buffalo Sabres: Cunneyworth, Forton, Devine take on new roles

Several additional changes in hockey department also announced

The Buffalo Sabres today announced Randy Cunneyworth, Jerry Forton and Kevin Devine have taken on new roles within the organization.

Cunneyworth, who worked mainly in player development with the Rochester Americans last season, will serve the organization as a player development coach. Forton will assume a new role to focus on scouting the collegiate ranks as an NCAA scout, and Devine will serve as director of player personnel.

Several other changes in the team's hockey department have been announced: Jason Long will serve as coordinator of player development; Corey Smith has been named video coach; Jim Kovachik has been named a pro scout; and Seamus Kotyk and Victor Nybladh have been named amateur scouts.

Cunneyworth re-joined the Sabres organization in November as a scout and then served as a special assistant and player development coach in Rochester. Prior to returning to Buffalo, he served as interim head coach for the Montreal Canadiens after being promoted to assistant coach of the Canadiens following a one-year stint as head coach of the Hamilton Bulldogs (AHL). He also was coach of the Americans for eight seasons, from 2000-08, after his 16-year career in the NHL.

Forton, who served as an assistant coach with the Sabres in 2013-14, has 18 years of collegiate hockey experience with coaching stints at Harvard, UMass Lowell and Niagara University.

Devine begins his 17^th year in the Sabres organization, having served in several roles in the hockey department during his tenure. He joined the team's scouting department in 1998 and has more than 15 years of experience as both an amateur and pro scout.

Long enters his third season with the Sabres after joining the organization in 2012. His responsibilities in player development have included the planning and implementation of the team's rookie development camp and programs.

Smith, entering his ninth season with the Sabres, will be responsible for all of the video editing and analysis of games, as well as pre-scouting each opponent. He joined the organization in 2006 as a video analyst and most recently served as administrative assistant coach.

Kovachik joined the Sabres in 2012-13 and has served as an amateur scout for the past two seasons. Prior to the Sabres, Kovachik scouted for the Guelph Storm and Sarnia Sting of the Ontario Hockey League.

Kotyk has been in the Sabres organization since 2013, after a 13-year career in the AHL, ECHL, OHL, as well as in Austria.

Nybladh, who joined the organization before the 2012-13 season, has spent the past two seasons as a European scout for the team.