Pysyk given clean bill of health after collapse, looking to crack Sabres' lineup

With a health scare now firmly in the past, Mark Pysyk has his sights set on being a steady presence on the Buffalo Sabres blue line.

Pysyk, 23, was taken to hospital in late February after collapsing during a pickup basketball game while playing for the Sabres' AHL team in Rochester.

In the end, it appears as though whatever caused the collapse will not hinder his playing career, which resumed late in the season.

"They blamed it on dehydration," Pysyk told the Edmonton Journal. "They did all the head tests and heart tests and blood tests and nothing was wrong. It must have been pretty crazy for the people who saw (the collapse), but not too bad for me because I woke up and I was fine.

"I played three games at the end of the year so I wasn't sitting around all summer wondering how it would be. Good to get that out of the way."

Now, he has his sights on playing a key role in Buffalo's hockey resurgence.

"That's my goal, obviously, to make the Sabres," Pysyk admitted. "I see myself in a shutdown role, being solid defensively."

Drafted 23rd overall by the Sabres in 2010, Pysyk has appeared in 70 games at the NHL level, and likes what he sees from general manager Tim Murray's work in putting together a more successful squad.

"There's lots of potential for something big to happen with lots of good young players there," he said.

The first step for Pysyk will be impressing new head coach Dan Bylsma and making the opening night roster out of training camp.