Defenseman Jacob Bryson 3-year contract with Buffalo Sabres

Providence College defenseman Jacob Bryson will skip his senior season after agreeing to a three-year, entry-level contract with the Buffalo Sabres on Monday. Bryson, the Sabres' fourth-round pick in 2017, first agreed to an amateur tryout contract to join the AHL's Rochester Americans for their upcoming playoff series. The blueliner's NHL deal will begin next season.

This season, Bryson served as Providence's team captain. He finished with four goals and 24 assists in 42 games and helped lead the Friars to the NCAA Frozen Four, where they lost to eventual champion Minnesota-Duluth 4-1 in the semifinals. Bryson said he has kept in touch with development staff on the Sabres.

"They give me things that they want me to do every game," Bryson said in comments published by the Buffalo News. "And I think it's my job to kind of get to those expectations every game because you don't want to have one good game, one bad game. You want to play every game at your best. I try to reach those expectations of what they give me, just little tips here and there. I get tips from (Providence) Coach (Nate) Leaman and I get tips from them, too, so I kind of get the best of both worlds and that's what makes the best players.

"The development staff, they're amazing. They come out to a lot of games during the year and they do such a good job of keeping tabs on their players and making sure that you can get better every day by their help."