The arrival of new gear is one of the most exciting aspects of a new season, and goaltenders often find themselves in the spotlight for this. Devon Levi, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, and Felix Sandstrom are no exceptions; all three have unveiled fresh looks for the 2024-25 season.
Levi stands out with the most striking gear this season, opting for a vintage-style set from CCM. His brown leather pads evoke designs from the 1970s and early 1980s, before team colors were integrated into goalie equipment. There’s speculation that he may eventually receive pads in Buffalo’s colors, and is currently wearing the brown ones as a temporary choice. It would be unfortunate if he switched, as the brown pads complement Buffalo’s uniforms beautifully. This retro setup aligns perfectly with jerseys inspired by the team’s original designs, and it would be great if he continued wearing the brown pads even when the team dons blue and gold.
Levi’s helmet for the year, painted by Sylabrush, features a Gladiator theme. Sylabrush excels in goalie mask design, and she skillfully combined Buffalo’s elements with the Gladiator motif. The way she rendered the crest on the round shield is impressive, and incorporating Maximus’ sword design into the blades was a nice detail.
Levi has not yet received his black and red mask or the pads to match those colors. It remains to be seen how his entire setup will come together when that equipment arrives, leading me to question how behind his black and red gear might be if he’s still waiting for the team’s primary color pads.
Luukkonen’s gear this year also draws inspiration from Bauer’s past graphics. He wore an homage to the Bauer One95 pads last year and has now adopted the One100 design for this season. This graphic works well with Buffalo’s home colors, and Luukkonen looks particularly sharp in his blue and gold pads. I hope he continues this trend as there are many excellent Bauer designs to explore.
He has kept a consistent design for his masks, featuring an aggressive bison graphics. While it hasn’t reached the iconic status of Ryan Miller’s design, the consistent theme makes Luukkonen’s look unique, which is rare among goalies today.
Luukkonen’s red and black gear is less visually appealing than his standard setup. The One100 graphic doesn’t translate well to a dark base, particularly on his primarily black pads. I think choosing silver trim instead of white would have improved the overall design.
In Rochester, Felix Sandstrom has a more straightforward approach with blue and white True pads that will coordinate with both Rochester and Buffalo jerseys. His current mask displays an attractive Sabres design, featuring a striking charging buffalo, jersey stripes, and swords on the sides, with a more intricate design on top. The overall design may be simple, but it’s extremely well-executed, making it one of the best Sabres masks in recent years.
Although James Reimer is no longer part of the team, he had time to don some Sabres gear. Notably, he found an unimpressive interpretation of Bauer’s new Shadow design, which is otherwise one of Bauer’s most impressive graphics in recent years. Reimer’s mask combined his “Optimus Reim” nickname with a bison head, similar to those used by Luukkonen and Ryan Miller. While it lacks the visual appeal of Sandstrom’s or Levi’s designs, it still creatively integrates Optimus Reim with Buffalo’s logos.
