Sabres Prospects 2022-2023

[LGR4GM]

56 minutes ago, kas23 said:

Eligible, but not playing, as he’ll be traveling with the Sabres next year. 

Highly unlikely and even if he is they should release him for the u20. Czechia will need him and it's an honor. 

[Crusader1969]

 

[CTJoe]

Kulich has an NHL body/game already.  Ohlund, Rosen and Savioe have a lot of strength training to do

[steveoath]

14 hours ago, JustOneParade said:

Kids Line v2.0?

Savoie-Krebs-Kulich

[steveoath]

14 hours ago, JustOneParade said:

Kids Line v2.0?

Savoie-Krebs-Kulich

[kas23]

7 hours ago, steveoath said:

Savoie-Krebs-Kulich

[North Buffalo]

2 hours ago, kas23 said:

Rabbit season?

[Pimlach]

20 hours ago, CTJoe said:

Kulich has an NHL body/game already.  Ohlund, Rosen and Savioe have a lot of strength training to do

Agree on Kulich.

Savoie is a fireplug.  Only 5'9" but he is already 180 lbs and he can add more.  He is a strong kid.  

[GASabresIUFAN]

Savoie and not Kulich will be a Sabre next season.  KA has 8 forwards under contract for next season and another 3 who are RFAs including Jost and Cozens who are almost certainly to be retained.  (Asplund is the other RFA and is cheap depth to retain).  KO and Z are the key UFAs.  Honestly given KA's history, there is reason to think he'll go with the status quo roster leaving maybe one roster spot for a rookie.  Savoie has the inside track because he can't play in the AHL next year and is probably to good to go back to Jrs.  

[DarthEbriate]

20 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

Savoie and not Kulich will be a Sabre next season.  KA has 8 forwards under contract for next season and another 3 who are RFAs including Jost and Cozens who are almost certainly to be retained.  (Asplund is the other RFA and is cheap depth to retain).  KO and Z are the key UFAs.  Honestly given KA's history, there is reason to think he'll go with the status quo roster leaving maybe one roster spot for a rookie.  Savoie has the inside track because he can't play in the AHL next year and is probably to good to go back to Jrs.  

With the caveat is that it's still too soon to look ahead yet... The good news is that there's no need to rush either of them. This roster is now strong enough (and getting better each day as the kids already on it hone their craft and improve their frames). Time will tell, but I can see Savoie getting 9 games and then going back the WHL next season and Kulich getting his first call-up next year but having to wait because the spots won't be there. My initial thought on who gets up first next season is Rousek in a Hinostroza-replacement style swap.

Letting them continue to grow at the lower levels is how Detroit churned out 25 years of playoffs. The next guy up was always ready to go because they couldn't break a stacked lineup. We're on our way to that (at least with the forwards).

[Flashsabre]

8 hours ago, DarthEbriate said:

With the caveat is that it's still too soon to look ahead yet... The good news is that there's no need to rush either of them. This roster is now strong enough (and getting better each day as the kids already on it hone their craft and improve their frames). Time will tell, but I can see Savoie getting 9 games and then going back the WHL next season and Kulich getting his first call-up next year but having to wait because the spots won't be there. My initial thought on who gets up first next season is Rousek in a Hinostroza-replacement style swap.

Letting them continue to grow at the lower levels is how Detroit churned out 25 years of playoffs. The next guy up was always ready to go because they couldn't break a stacked lineup. We're on our way to that (at least with the forwards).

I think Rousek is the forward on the Amerks most likely to grab a spot on the Sabres in the next calendar year. Kulich and Rosen will pass him in time but for the short term Rousek is the guy.

[Taro T]

20 hours ago, DarthEbriate said:

With the caveat is that it's still too soon to look ahead yet... The good news is that there's no need to rush either of them. This roster is now strong enough (and getting better each day as the kids already on it hone their craft and improve their frames). Time will tell, but I can see Savoie getting 9 games and then going back the WHL next season and Kulich getting his first call-up next year but having to wait because the spots won't be there. My initial thought on who gets up first next season is Rousek in a Hinostroza-replacement style swap.

Letting them continue to grow at the lower levels is how Detroit churned out 25 years of playoffs. The next guy up was always ready to go because they couldn't break a stacked lineup. We're on our way to that (at least with the forwards).

Really expect Mittelstadt, Olofsson, & Asplund on the roster to start the year next year but when injuries hit & guys like Kulich get injury callups, those guys could find themselves the odd men out & then any or all of them could end up getting moved & likely for futures to keep the pipeline restocked.

Agree that there's a very good chance that Savoie gets his 9 games.

Really wonder whether Okposo gets extended or if he retires.  Could see it going either way.  Doubt Hinostroza comes back as he'll be even further down the depth chart.  Expect Girgensons will be back but only on a 1 or 2 year deal.

 

[DarthEbriate]

13 minutes ago, Taro T said:

Really expect Mittelstadt, Olofsson, & Asplund on the roster to start the year next year but when injuries hit & guys like Kulich get injury callups, those guys could find themselves the odd men out & then any or all of them could end up getting moved & likely for futures to keep the pipeline restocked.

Agree that there's a very good chance that Savoie gets his 9 games.

Really wonder whether Okposo gets extended or if he retires.  Could see it going either way.  Doubt Hinostroza comes back as he'll be even further down the depth chart.  Expect Girgensons will be back but only on a 1 or 2 year deal.

Maybe one of Mitts, VO, Asplund is moved in an offseason "hockey" trade, but otherwise yes. Okposo still has game and I can see he and Girgs getting 2-year deals. (If the Sabres make the playoffs, and their games translate well to playoffs... then I could see both being courted and overpaid as the missing piece for several teams.)

We've seen JJP and Quinn be great and also very quiet this year as you'd expect from rookies. As the team transitions from this building season to "now we have expectations" I'd think you only want 1 rookie F and 1 rookie D coming in at a time. Rousek makes it from camp, Savoie with his 9 games scattered through early November, and then only one of them stays on. Kulich midseason.

[Flashsabre]

I LOVE Noah Östlund’s game.😀

[dudacek]

Progress report as the season approaches its mid-point:

Unlike last year at this time, where it seemed that virtually every prospect was exceeding expectations, this year’s group appears to range from being largely on track to mildly disappointing, without the huge breakthroughs we were seeing last year.

It’s still an incredibly deep list with plenty of time and space to grow.

Using my summer list as a base:

On 7/19/2022 at 10:52 PM, dudacek said:

Adjusted after the draft and development camp:

1 Power: I suspect some will be frustrated by his chill demeanour this year and I don’t know that he will dominate the way we will want him to. But he will be good and long-term he’s going to play as a top pairing defenceman for a long, long time.

Not seeing a ton of hype on Power around the league, which I’m chalking up largely to a lack of counting stats and highlight reel plays. But the analytics guys are loving his game and my eye test supports that: he’s just so ridiculously smart and poised with the puck. He’s the definition of a + player and he’s doing it under hard minutes and without a rock beside him. Has a Sabres defenceman not named Dahlin or Samuelsson been more effective over the past decade? Kid hasn’t even played 40 games and already looks like a vet. He’s very good already and he’s going to be a stud.

2 Levi: He just has it: the talent and the focus. He will be the linchpin of a good era of Sabres teams. His size doesn’t matter. The rest of the hockey world will catch up eventually with what should be obvious. My favourite prospect.

It’s kinda weird that he’s having a “disappointing” season with a .927 save percentage, but that’s what happens when you put up historic numbers the year before. Not sure he’s getting what he expected out of a second college season, but I suspect he will come back from the holiday having reset from a relatively pedestrian December and put on a push for a post-season tournament berth. Remains on track.

3 Quinn: Another very likeable kid, character kid, with a centre’s hockey IQ and elite hands, who plays with pace. The rough playoff raises the question as to whether he has the ceiling his regular season suggested. I still don’t think people quite get how remarkable that regular season was. I think a lot of the Sabres future success rides on Quinn becoming more Thomas Vanek than JP Dumont.

Having the type of good but uneven rookie season so far that one would most reasonably expect given where he was a year ago. The skill and work ethic are evident, as is the inexperience. Overall, he’s contributing pretty well in a middle six role. Very much on track

4 Peterka: I really struggled on whether to not to elevate Peterka past Quinn, because as good as Quinn was, Peterka grew his game so much over the year and he has better speed and hockey strength to go with equivalent skill. Quinn is more rounded and smarter, but JJ closed that gap as the season went on and elevated in the playoffs. I’d never projected him as a 1st-line winger, but his trajectory is making me wonder if I underestimated him.

See Quinn

5 Savoie: Obviously has a longer distance to get there, but Savoie’s ability to execute plays at high speed at 18 is higher than we saw from any other player in the system. And he is always playing at high speed. He has 1st line hands, feet and vision. The only question is size, but he seems to have the type of squat hockey build that overcomes that. Very exciting prospect.

Not quite sure what to think of Savoie’s year to date. Certain quarters are quite concerned about the fact his numbers have dropped slightly from last year. I don’t think the dip is significant enough to raise red flags about his viability as a prospect, but, coupled with not getting invited to Team Canada’s camp, it does force you to ask “why?” I have wondered if Savoie might be one of those early developers who peaks at 16 and this season hasn’t put those questions to rest. Are there other factors at play contributing to what appears to be a plateau season? He remains a very good prospect, but his stock has dropped a bit.

6 Östlund: I think this kid is the most natural centre we have in the system and he’s going to end up surprising a lot of people. He’s a puck funnel for exits, entries, and transitions, a great distributer, and fine backchecker. He’s got sublime hands and vision and he plays fast. He’s physically immature and it will take some time for him to arrive, but he’s exactly the type of player we need to make that fine collection of wingers better.

Watching him at the WJC and following his path in Sweden, I see a guy right on track. In both of those situations, he’s in a spot similar to where Dylan Cozens was last year on an NHL roster: a coach’s favourite middle-sixer gaining the experience necessary to move up into a top six role next year. Hopefully he will be in a similar place in Buffalo, 3 or 4 years from now. His floor is Rasmus Asplund, but he has an offensive track record that suggests he could be much more.

7 Krebs: I’m not discounting the noise about the Sabres needing to get bigger, but I think it ignores the identity Adams is building up front: his team is full of guys who play really fast. Peyton Krebs is another one. He is so hard on the forecheck, and so hard on the backcheck. He sees the ice well and he can make plays. I don’t think he will ever score goals, but I do think experience should temper his tendency to make bad passes. I foresee a Swiss Army knife 2nd-liner.

Two things stood out for Krebs as a prospect: he was a playmaker and a puck hound. After a ineffective start, we’ve seen enormous growth from him over the past month as he’s anchored himself in the centre position and focused on the hound portion of his game. It has resulted in the blind pass giveaways drying up, and a 9-game run without a minus while kicking in 5 points despite very little top 6 or PP time. It’s pretty easy to predict the playmaking growing as the hounding creates confidence and opportunity. There’s the potential for a very effective 3C behind Cozens and Thompson starting to take shape there.

8 Kulich: It was hard to believe the player we saw at development camp fell to 28. Speed, a sniper’s release, a relentless approach and a stone-cold swagger add up to an enticing package. There just seems to be both multiple tools and the toolbox to make you wonder if there’s the potential to far outstrip his draft slot.

There is a relatively small sample size of prospects who played in the AHL as 18-year-olds. Only a couple - David Pastrnak, William Nylander - produced more than Kulich has early on. Most of those - Chytil, Puljujarvi among them - who have put up similar numbers, have gone on to reasonable NHL careers. Kulich certainly appears to be a player who has outstripped his draft slot early and has a diverse skill set that could see him ending up in many different roles.

9 Samuelsson: Mule is built for cancelling opposition forwards. He doesn’t crush them so much as he swallows them up. Good stick, good judgement, good strength, good character. He’s going to be a shutdown dman for a long time.

Stud

10 Portillo: He’s imposing and in control. He looked great at dev camp and will be a leader next year for Michigan. He will be an NHL goalie. Hope we can sign him.

His numbers are down notably on a Michigan team that lost a lot of talent, but he remains a legitimate prospect and a longshot to sign with Buffalo..

 

 

Edited January 1, 2023 by dudacek

[French Collection]

17 hours ago, dudacek said:

Progress report as the season approaches its mid-point:

Unlike last year at this time, where it seemed that virtually every prospect was exceeding expectations, this year’s group appears to range from being largely on track to mildly disappointing, without the huge breakthroughs we were seeing last year.

It’s still an incredibly deep list with plenty of time and space to grow.

Using my summer list as a base:

 

Savoie will be one to watch as the season progresses. If he helps his team go deep into the playoffs and possible Memorial Cup run there will be plenty of views to make a more informed decision. I hope he has not peaked. Reinhart was similar in his post draft season, he was working on his 200’ game and strength.

Kulich seems like an Olofsson replacement in the middle six, who can play C and is stronger.

Östlund is interesting to watch at the WJ. He is getting decent ice time and PP duty. He is not standing out but holds his own despite his small stature. KA is not in a rush and will give him lots of time. TSN crew was saying that he will be the guy for Sweden at next year’s WJ.

Levi seems to have taken a step back but I suspect it is more of a team thing. He seems to have a good head on his shoulders and will be working on getting ready for the next level. He is a big piece of the Reinhart deal so KA will be patient with him. UPL’s success has slowed the need for him to be ready ASAP.

[MBD]

On 12/29/2022 at 9:59 PM, CTJoe said:

Kulich has an NHL body/game already.  Ohlund, Rosen and Savioe have a lot of strength training to do

At 6' and 178#?

[Crusader1969]

On 12/30/2022 at 7:49 PM, GASabresIUFAN said:

Savoie and not Kulich will be a Sabre next season.  KA has 8 forwards under contract for next season and another 3 who are RFAs including Jost and Cozens who are almost certainly to be retained.  (Asplund is the other RFA and is cheap depth to retain).  KO and Z are the key UFAs.  Honestly given KA's history, there is reason to think he'll go with the status quo roster leaving maybe one roster spot for a rookie.  Savoie has the inside track because he can't play in the AHL next year and is probably to good to go back to Jrs.  

Making a huge assumption that Either (or both) Olofsson and Mitts are here next year 

I’m pretty confident that #71 is as good s gone 

#37 is about 50/50 for me 

[Brawndo]

 

[dudacek]

1 hour ago, Brawndo said:

 

Probably just as simple as taking advantage of the opportunity created by being in North America.

Apparently some kind of paperwork is needed to even attend development camp.

However, it does make me wonder whether there’s a possibility that they’re setting him to joinRochester next year, or even this spring after the Swedish league is done.

[GASabresIUFAN]

1 minute ago, dudacek said:

Probably just as simple as taking advantage of the opportunity created by being in North America.

Apparently some kind of paperwork is needed to even attend development camp.

However, it does make me wonder whether there’s a possibility that they’re setting him to joinRochester next year, or even this spring after the Swedish league is done.

I fully expect that this is Östlund’s last season in Sweden.

[Brawndo]

2 hours ago, dudacek said:

Probably just as simple as taking advantage of the opportunity created by being in North America.

Apparently some kind of paperwork is needed to even attend development camp.

However, it does make me wonder whether there’s a possibility that they’re setting him to joinRochester next year, or even this spring after the Swedish league is done.

Agreed, they are probably going to do some fitness testing with Him to gauge where He is and tell Him what he needs to continue to work on 

[FrenchConnection44]

I am pumped about both Kulich and Bloom. Wouldn’t they make a nice line in the future?
 

Bloom is not playing at quite as high a level but he’s already 3rd in goals scored (14) for  North Bay - behind other NHL drafted players (22 & 18 respectively) - in spite of the others playing 36 games and Bloom only 19. he also has a good sized frame once he fills it out (6’2, 183)  

Kulich is proving himself at the international and minor league levels. 

[PerreaultForever]

On 12/30/2022 at 2:05 AM, steveoath said:

Savoie-Krebs-Kulich

Really don't get why people think Savoie is going to be NHL ready next year? 

Kulich I've felt is the next guy for a while. As a sniper I actually see him on the second line with Cozens and Quinn.

Peterka I see with Krebs, not as a demotion but in creating more of a 2 way "fire plug" type line. Possibly with Zemgus, maybe someone else. 

VO is the guy I see slowly being moved out and eventually gone one way or another. Rosen will get a shot but might be back in Rochester where I would guess Östlund will be and probably Savoie. At least in part. Mitts ? I just don't know. 

[Flashsabre]

So who is the Sabres top prospect at the moment? I would say it is open.

Savoie, Kulich, Levi, Rosen, other?