BUFFALO – Over those difficult six weeks, as he sat out game after game as a healthy scratch, doubt would creep into Sabres prospect Riley Fiddler-Schultz’s head.

A year ago, fresh off a terrific rookie season with the Jacksonville Icemen, Fiddler-Schultz graduated to the Rochester Americans, then promptly morphed into spare part.

From opening night until Nov. 20, when he made his season debut, the Amerks scratched the speedy forward 14 straight games.

“It definitely tested my mental toughness,” Fiddler-Schultz told the Times Herald following Thursday’s rookie camp practice in LECOM Harborcenter.

At times, he said his absence from the lineup confused him. Sometimes he tried to stay positive by seeking support and a confidence boost from his family and others close to him. Other times he reassured them and himself his NHL dream was alive.

“(We had) a lot of hard conversations,” Amerks coach Mike Leone said.

Through perhaps the most trying stretch of his career, Leone said Fiddler-Schultz, 23, never pouted. Instead, he went about his business – “I always bring something positive to the team, no matter what it is,” he said – and prepared for his next chance.

“It’s easier said than done to not be a great teammate, (to ask), ‘Why is this guy playing?’” Leone said. “There was never any of that. He just put his head down and worked, and when the opportunity came, he took advantage of it.

“And then by the end of the year, he was one of those guys that was an every-dayer, couldn’t take him out of the lineup.”

When he returned to the lineup, Fiddler-Schultz said he had to convince himself he hadn’t lost a step and tell himself he had been practicing and still possessed skill.

“Really trying to nail that down in my head,” he said. “I think that was a big part of why I was able to step in the way I was.”

Fiddler-Schultz finished his first full AHL season with 13 goals, the team’s fifth-highest total, and 26 points in just 51 games. In the opener of the Calder Cup Playoffs, he scored the tying goal and assisted on the winner.

Leone said the youngster’s versatility – he can play all three forward positions and up and down the lineup – is “kind of a Swiss Army Knife.”

“Invaluable as a coach to have someone like that on your team,” he said.

The Sabres also understand the value the undrafted Fiddler-Schultz, who played his first two seasons on an AHL deal, brings to the organization. Following the season, they signed him to a two-way, entry-level NHL contract.

“Amazing story,” Leone said.

As a rookie two years ago, the Edmonton native spent nearly all season with the Icemen, the Sabres’ ECHL affiliate, scoring 23 goals and 43 points in 51 contests. Now, if he keeps developing, he could earn a recall to Buffalo.

The 6-foot, 200-pound Fiddler-Schultz, who played junior with the Western Hockey League’s Calgary Hitmen, said the Sabres hinted in his exit meeting following last season they might reward him with an NHL contract.

“Then hearing my agent call me with the exact details, it’s very, very rewarding,” said Fiddler-Schultz, who scored two goals in Saturday’s 7-5 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets in the Prospects Challenge.

Fiddler-Schultz, a seventh-round pick by the Hitmen in 2017, carries a bit of a chip on his shoulder.

“Definitely you want to prove people wrong who have maybe missed on you and overlooked you at times,” he said.

Notes: Wondering why the Sabres on Thursday signed goalie Alexandar Georgiev to a one-year contact out of the blue? Goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has a small tweak, according to a league source, and the Sabres are unsure of the timeline for his recovery. General manager Kevyn Adams will likely offer details on Luukkonen’s injury when training camp opens Wednesday … The Sabres on Monday afternoon lost 6-3 to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the finale of the Prospects Challenge. They finished 0-3 in the rookie tournament. … Forward Viktor Neuchev, who underwent season-ending shoulder surgery in March with the Amerks, played against the Penguins, his first game since Feb. 19. “He’s looked good in practice,” Leone said. … Goalie Samuel Meloche, a fourth-round pick this year, went the distance for the Sabres against the Penguins. Goalie Scott Ratzlaff missed the game because of an illness, according to the team. He did not play during the tournament. … Former Amerks and Sabres winger Brett Murray has signed a professional tryout to attend Pittsburgh’s training camp.