My summer ranking, post-development camp, based on how good an NHL player they should become.
Pretty remarkable that the list remains this strong after the graduations or departures of 1 Power, 3 Quinn, 4 Peterka, 7 Krebs, 9 Samuelsson, 10 Portillo, 13 Luukkonen, and 19 Bloom.
I think last year’s pool (ranks in parentheses) could go down as the Sabres greatest of all time.
Should be NHLers, could be really good:
1 Levi (2): my feelings about Levi haven’t changed; he has first-line athleticism and a first-line mental approach to the game and his position. His size is not going to matter. Kid is going to be a star.
2 Benson (NR): I’m going to need more tape and more time, but I would not be surprised to find myself next year writing for Benson what I just wrote about Levi. So much skill, so much hockey IQ, so much compete. The caution flags of size and speed are fair, but I think he has so much small area skill and reads the game so well on both sides of the puck that he can make them irrelevant. First line upside.
3 Savoie (5): A relatively slow start gave me some concern he was one of those guys who might have peaked as a teen, but from Christmas until May he was dominant, posting Dylan Cozens-like D+1 numbers. He’s a piranha out there, a pace-pusher with NHL speed and quickness and a lot of high-end skill. Worst-case scenario I see a middle-six Conner Garland type winger, but he has more upside than that and he might be a top 6 NHL centre.
4 Kulich (8): Nobody in the entire NHL prospect world outperformed their draft position last year like Kulich. The kid has an elite shot and a swagger and a resume that screams crunch-time performer. He’s not slick, but he is strong and skilled and versatile enough to adapt to where you need him to play. I think his future is more wing than centre, but he’s got a very high floor, and he can score goals. If he adds some maturity to his defensive game, it’s not hard to envision him as a core player.
5 Östlund (6): My vote for the organization’s most underrated prospect. Like Kulich, he also played a top six role in a men’s league in his D+1 and did very well. He is very smart, very competitive and was noticeably bigger at development camp this year. He is fast, plays fast, makes good reads at both ends and has the skill to make the most of what his other attributes create. Very trustworthy player who projects as middle six centre.
Could be NHL regulars
6 Rosen (16): I have not yet completely bought in to the Rosen hype train that gathered speed last season, but he certainly made me take notice. I always saw the skill - he’s got excellent speed and hands - but I seriously doubted if he had the strength and the will. He’s still more of a complementary player than a driver and still needs to become more assertive, but clearly improved last year in both areas. He’s small, but more willing to go to the hard ice, and the way he bounces back up from the bullying has been impressive. Friendship and competition from Kulich has done wonders for his confidence and I am very curious to see if he can make the step to first-line AHLer next year. Doing that at 20 would bode well for an NHL career as a 2nd line offensive winger.
7 Johnson (12): I’ve never seen huge upside here, but Johnson’s feet and his ability to transition pucks and defend always made me pretty confident he was going to play. The crowd right now on the blueline means he will have to jump over a lot of bodies to be in the NHL, but I have little doubt he will and suspect it won’t take long. He could quietly become a nice Bill Hajt-like #4.
8 Wahlberg (NR): The more you read and watch, the easier it is to see why the Sabres got enamoured with this guy: 6’3” 17-year-olds with hands, speed and a mean streak are usually worth a premium, especially if they can play centre. It’s hard to say where he’s going to end up as a pro, but his tool box is the type you can project finding a role almost anywhere in the lineup. Whether or not he continues the meteoric rise of his draft year should give us a better sense of what he might become.
9 Poltapov (11): I’ve been one of his bigger boosters around here for a while. He’s gritty enough to disturb shifts on the fourth line and skilled enough to hang with better players further up the lineup. He’s the type of player we don’t have a lot of in the system, and is built for the playoffs. He just won a ring in the KHL as a D2 player. I would not be surprised if he skips the Amerks and walks right on to the NHL roster as a role player in 25/26 after his KHL contract expires.
10 Novikov (15): He’s a massive human being who likes to defend and play physical, and seems to have more skill than his 6th-round pedigree implies. Will be one of the most interesting prospects to follow on the Amerks next year. Very easy to project as 3rd pairing defensive defenceman and makes you wonder if there could be even more there.
Has a shot
11 Rousek (HM): I like Rousek’s all-around game at the AHL level. He reads the play very well and can make plays at that level. I wonder if his size/speed/skill package is enough to allow that game to translate in the NHL. If it doesn’t, I’m not sure if he’s good enough at any one skill to stick as a role player. He’ll get the chance to show us this year and he’s earned it.
12 Strbak (NR): The scouting report reads like the prototype for a 2nd pairing NHL defenceman: good length, skating, puck skills, hockey sense and physicality. Plus he seems to have a good head on his shoulders and he’s been a leader for his cohort. He was a guy I’d targeted in the 2nd round, and will be very disappointed if he doesn’t elevate to the next prospect tier during his D+1 year. Reminds me of McCabe and I can see him following that path.
13 Neuchev (14): Oh those hands. Neuchev has the type of offensive skill that should put him in the NHL, so long as he has enough of a team game to support it. I’m curious to see whether one-way play and a tendency to hog the puck are obstacles for him and how Appert can correct that if they are. He comes with question marks, but he also has upside in spades. Another intriguing player to watch in Rochester.
14 Leinonen (HM): This is based almost entirely on draft pedigree. I know the pick was questioned and that he did nothing last year to answer those questions. I also know he was the highest-ranked goalie in the 2022 draft and the Sabres scouting staff isn’t stupid. I wonder why he struggled last year, and if he can rehabilitate his value the coming year the way Rosen did in the year that just finished.
Longshot with a shot
15 Kisakov (17): I love this kid’s skill level, and his sneaky dirty game and really admire the journey he took last year as a skinny teenager, so far from home without a support group and unable to speak the language. Don’t know if he’ll ever get thick enough to make it, but I expect a jump from a rough rookie year as an AHL teenager, and I’m definitely pulling for him.
16 Kozak (HM): Kozak was hardly an impact player as an AHL rookie, but he also started the year as an under-ager and showed he’s competitive as hell and tough as nails for his size. If he makes it, it will be as a 4th line centre, but don’t underestimate his chances. Another of several on this list who will be worth watching to see his improvement for the Amerks.
17 McCarthy (NR): Kinda like Strbak in that he ticks all the requisite boxes for a projectable middle pairing NHL defenceman. Not quite as steady perhaps, but someone who could eventually grow into a Colin Miller if the cards fall his way and he’s in a good position for a slow grow.
18 Komarov (NR): Lack of foot speed drops him below McCarthy, but he’s got some savvy and some jam and added some production this year to go with his good size. The fact the Sabres already have him under contract says they think he’s got a future.
19 Miedema (NR): More of a projection than some, but Miedema has a size/speed combination more usually associated with 2nd-rounders than 4th-rounders. He’s also got skill, some snarl, put up some good numbers and was a very highly rated OHL draft pick. Uneven play after getting traded for Shayne Wright dropped his stock. It will be interesting to see if the Sabres can help restore it because he has NHL tools.
20 Nadeau (18) I struggled with dropping Nadeau to the bottom of this tier, because I like his courage and his hands and he had an excellent final junior season coming off an injury. I just don’t know if his strengths will be enough to overcome his slow feet. Ice time will be hard to come by in Rochester and it will be interesting to see who out of Nadeau, Cedarqvist, Kozak, Kisakov and Neuchev will force themselves into key roles.
Honourable mentions are: Richard (NR) kinda like Neuchev, a slow marinate with intriguing skill; Lindgren (20) got bigger, still love his skating, still question his ability to defend; Ratzlaff (NR) a player with the skills and circumstance to take a big jump; and Cedarqvist (NR) enough size and grit to keep an eye on.
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