2018 - 2019 Sabres Prospects

[dudacek]

Mattias Samuelsson has officially made Team USA for the WJC, but it looks positive . Botterill mentioned they are really excited with the way he’s playing.

Here’s Pronman’s take:

Mattias Samuelsson, D, Buffalo (Western Michigan-NCHC)

Samuelsson looks solid at WMU this season and is producing offense despite not getting much power play time. His game is steady. His passes are crisp. He moves well for a guy his size and positions himself well. He’s also a massive defenseman who isn’t afraid to lean into his checks. Even as an 18-year-old, Samuelsson could provide solid defensive minutes for USA.

Luukonen and Laaksonen are on Team Finland. Pekar, who is practicing just up the road from me, is still in the mix for the Czechs.

[LGR4GM]

Samuelsson's question mark is his agility and quickness. If he can grow into his frame and improve those, he can be a good 2nd pairing guy. 

[JohnRobertEichel]

50 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Samuelsson's question mark is his agility and quickness. If he can grow into his frame and improve those, he can be a good 2nd pairing guy. 

This message board doesn't seem to be as optimistic as I am about Samuelsson. I consider him the 4th best under-24 D prospect in the franchise (behind Dahlin, Pilut, and Guhle).

[inkman]

36 minutes ago, FuhrUrsinne said:

This message board doesn't seem to be as optimistic as I am about Samuelsson. I consider him the 4th best under-24 D prospect in the franchise (behind Dahlin, Pilut, and Guhle).

Liger, in particular, has disliked him since pre draft due to skating I believe.

[LGR4GM]

5 minutes ago, inkman said:

Liger, in particular, has disliked him since pre draft due to skating I believe.

I don't dislike him per say. I just want to see his skating improve. Sometimes he's not agile and quick. He's got another year or 2 before he sees the Sabres so no rush. 

[shrader]

7 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

I don't dislike him per say. I just want to see his skating improve. Sometimes he's not agile and quick. He's got another year or 2 before he sees the Sabres so no rush. 

That should pretty much be the standard time frame for any pick beyond a certain point in the first round (a sliding scale depending on draft depth).  The only others who might escape from that time table would be the older player drafted in later rounds.  That's the pure torture that follows people who like to dive so deeply into the draft, it takes an eternity to actually see these guys take the next step.

[JohnRobertEichel]

11 minutes ago, shrader said:

That should pretty much be the standard time frame for any pick beyond a certain point in the first round (a sliding scale depending on draft depth).  The only others who might escape from that time table would be the older player drafted in later rounds.  That's the pure torture that follows people who like to dive so deeply into the draft, it takes an eternity to actually see these guys take the next step.

That's true. We're still seeing Risto and McCabe improve major aspects of their game at the ripe old ages of 24 and 25. At least we can afford to be patient with all of our defensemen prospects. Next year, the top 6 will likely be Scandella, Bogo, McCabe, Risto, Pilut, and Dahlin. Nelson can be 7th. So guys like Guhle and Borgen don't need to be rushed into the pros if they're not ready. And so far, clearly neither one of them is ready.

By the way, here's something I found on Samuelsson, where the opinion is that he already has an "NHL skating stride"...

https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/prospect-interest-411-mattias-samuelsson/

[LGR4GM]

I haven't criticized his "skating stride". I'm not concerned about him joining the rush or skating up ice. I am concerned about his lateral movement and ability to adjust to smaller more agile forwards. None of his skating should be thought of as bad. Just want to see improvement so he can reach his potential. 

Edited December 20, 2018 by LGR4GM

[dudacek]

4 hours ago, FuhrUrsinne said:

This message board doesn't seem to be as optimistic as I am about Samuelsson. I consider him the 4th best under-24 D prospect in the franchise (behind Dahlin, Pilut, and Guhle).

I had him at 2 until I saw Pilut in the NHL.

Ive never been as high on Guhle as many have.

What Samuelsson does well is defend.

[nfreeman]

Pilut has to be the top D prospect. 

I have yet to come away from a Guhle viewing and feel confident that he'll become a good NHL defenseman.

With almost no information, I'd guess the D prospects with the best long-term chances are Borgen, Laaksonen, Samuelsson and Fitzgerald.

[pi2000]

Guhle doesn't look as good now that the overall talent level on defense is improved.    A few years ago he looked great... comparatively.     I think he'll be a career AHL depth guy... unless he suddenly blossoms in his mid-late 20s.  

[TrueBlueGED]

21 minutes ago, pi2000 said:

Guhle doesn't look as good now that the overall talent level on defense is improved.    A few years ago he looked great... comparatively.     I think he'll be a career AHL depth guy... unless he suddenly blossoms in his mid-late 20s.  

I like him more than a career AHLer, but I think he's probably only a Beaulieu type in the NHL. 

[GASabresIUFAN]

1 hour ago, dudacek said:

I had him at 2 until I saw Pilut in the NHL.

Ive never been as high on Guhle as many have.

What Samuelsson does well is defend.

We discussed this back in August.  Matt is having a quality season and I’m looking forward to seeing him and Oskari at the Wjr.  I still think he is 3 years from Buffalo; Oskari also.  Borgen slipped a little imho.  He is still behind Pilut and Guhle imho because he is so far from the NHL. He also maybe behind Oskari soon as he is already having success in a pro league.

55 minutes ago, nfreeman said:

Pilut has to be the top D prospect. 

I have yet to come away from a Guhle viewing and feel confident that he'll become a good NHL defenseman.

With almost no information, I'd guess the D prospects with the best long-term chances are Borgen, Laaksonen, Samuelsson and Fitzgerald.

Guhle reminds me so much of McCabe.  He’ll be fine long-term but may run out of chances as guys like Samuelson Oskari and others eventually push from below.   

[Brawndo]

And to think last year Guhle was the greatest hope on D in the organization.

[nfreeman]

52 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

 

Guhle reminds me so much of McCabe.  He’ll be fine long-term but may run out of chances as guys like Samuelson Oskari and others eventually push from below.   

Well, this is still based on low information, but Guhle reminds me more of Soupy.  I’d say Borgen is more of a McCabe comparable.  

[pi2000]

5 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

We discussed this back in August.  Matt is having a quality season and I’m looking forward to seeing him and Oskari at the Wjr.  I still think he is 3 years from Buffalo; Oskari also.  Borgen slipped a little imho.  He is still behind Pilut and Guhle imho because he is so far from the NHL. He also maybe behind Oskari soon as he is already having success in a pro league.

Guhle reminds me so much of McCabe.  He’ll be fine long-term but may run out of chances as guys like Samuelson Oskari and others eventually push from below.   

McCabe was a much better defensive player than Guhle at his age.

Guhle reminds me more of Kalinin.   

Edited December 21, 2018 by pi2000

[Ogre]

11 minutes ago, pi2000 said:

McCabe was a much better defensive player than Guhle at his age.

Guhle reminds me more of Kalinin.   

 Guhle reminds me more of Leduc.

[GASabresIUFAN]

Here are the McCabe and Guhle descriptions from scouts their draft years. Guess which one is which. These desriptions are from Future Considerations and Elite Prospects 

Quote

A solid all-round two-way defender. .....is very light on his feet, an athletic skater. He changes directions and cuts smoothly laterally with a sneaky fast top-end gear. He has a very calm demeanor and high panic threshold—he is willing to take a hit to move the puck. He has the ability to get to loose pucks quickly, but also processes the situation fast enough to pull the cord and recover position if he can’t get to it. He does a good job at keeping the play in front of him. He has good gap control: Puck carriers struggle to beat him wide because of his skating. He will play the body along walls and tie up his man in front, but isn’t a physically punishing hitter. He makes a good first pass and even connected on a few mid-to-long outlet passes. He is strong at one-touch passes. He plays the shooter role on the powerplay and can really rifle it. He went end-to-end successfully once this year but his game is not really as a true puck carrier. He is not expected to be a real point producer at the next level; rather, a strong solid all-round contributor.  

Quote

He’s absolutely an elite skater with a long, fluid and effortless stride. A heads-up defenseman who can really take a beating and dish it out as well. Built like a tank; grueling play doesn't phase him. Calm, collected, and poised with the puck; great body and stick positioning without the puck. Reliable at both ends of the ice and can be trusted with a hefty amount of ice time. All-in-all, a defenseman who strives to be difficult to play against, consistently, with and without the puck.

 

Edited December 21, 2018 by GASabresIUFAN

[bg17]

2 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

Here are the McCabe and Guhle descriptions from scouts their draft years. Guess which one is which. These desriptions are from Future Considerations and Elite Prospects 

 

The one that has “Jake” in the second sentence is McCabe. Did I get it right?

Over the years McCabe has received much disparaging here and now folks can’t wait to get him back in the lineup. Patience with Guhle and every other prospect seems like a good idea. 

[French Collection]

Guhle can skate like the wind and that is a solid building block for today's game. GMTM also liked that he was among the top athletes at the combine.

Let the coaches and staff develop him properly and he could be a 4-5 guy in Buffalo. Confidence is a big thing with young players, and I hope they do this right.

[French Collection]

UPL stats ytd. 2nd in SV%, 2nd in wins and 3rd in GAA. He has helped turn the Sad Sack Wolves into a decent team this year.

http://ontariohockeyleague.com/players/7920

I'm excited to see him at the WJHC. Laaksonen is on the team as well, this will be my first viewing of him.

[Derrico]

7 minutes ago, French Collection said:

Guhle can skate like the wind and that is a solid building block for today's game. GMTM also liked that he was among the top athletes at the combine.

Let the coaches and staff develop him properly and he could be a 4-5 guy in Buffalo. Confidence is a big thing with young players, and I hope they do this right.

Yep, agreed.  The nice thing is everything has gone perfectly with the current D this season.  Dahlin and Pilut were added and they look like they both have the potential of being top 4.  McCabe and Bogo have recovered from last years injuries and both playing at a high level (hopefully McCabe gets back there with his return).  So that's basically 4 D that we didn't have last year.  I think we can now afford to let Guhle take the longer development path.  Should end up working out better for the player and organization.

[GASabresIUFAN]

10 minutes ago, Derrico said:

Yep, agreed.  The nice thing is everything has gone perfectly with the current D this season.  Dahlin and Pilut were added and they look like they both have the potential of being top 4.  McCabe and Bogo have recovered from last years injuries and both playing at a high level (hopefully McCabe gets back there with his return).  So that's basically 4 D that we didn't have last year.  I think we can now afford to let Guhle take the longer development path.  Should end up working out better for the player and organization.

I agree.  We are now seeing the fruits of McCabe’s development and Guhle is on a similar path with an nearly identical skill set.  McCabe developed into a much more physical player and Guhle had they in Juniors and needs to give that in the pros.  Both skate well, pass well, and both have O skills but there not their primary focus.  Perfect pairings for guys like Dahlin, Pilut and Risto.

[Brawndo]

Pronman on The Europeans to watch in the WJC

Oskari Laaksonen, D, Buffalo

I’ve talked about Laaksonen a lot this season and he’s really become a talking point in scouting circles as a prospect on the rise. He’s expected to be one of Finland’s top defensemen, logging minutes in all situations. He’s a great skater with good skills, vision and size who Sabres fans should become immediately familiar with.

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, G, Buffalo

Sudbury was not expected to be a top team in the OHL this season. They currently sit third in the East. Luukkonen is a huge reason for that. The big goalie’s transition to North America has been seamless to date, showcasing his talents on a nightly basis and showing that he’s a huge goalie whose highly athletic. He’s not a perfect goalie by any means and has some tweaks to make in his reads and decisions, but he’s still expected to be Finland’s No. 1 and not really be challenged.

[Robviously]

Sounds like UPL had a stellar WJC exhibition game last night against Canada. It’s been great to see him have a strong year after last season was so frustrating — and shows that development isn’t a straight line. After last year, UPL was struggling, most people were still down on the Laaksonen pick, and it didn’t seem like we’d be signing Borgen. (And we didn’t even know who Pilut was.)

Then you have guys like Guhle, Asplund, and Nylander that need more time in the AHL than we were hoping they would. 

Anyways, I guess we’ll see. And the WJC is quietly one of my favorite parts of the Holidays so excited to finally get a better look at some of these guys.