Sabres Prospects 2022-2023

[Thorner]

1 Power

2 Quinn

3 Savoie

4 Peterka

5 Krebs

6 Levi 

7 Östlund 

8 Kulich

9 Samuelsson

10 Rosen 

[Flashsabre]

That is the best top 10 they have ever had.

[Thorner]

5 minutes ago, Flashsabre said:

That is the best top 10 they have ever had.

I argued against this as recently as last season, but looking at this pool as it stands today, I’m obliged to agree. 

But, I do particularly love Savoie as a prospect 

I’m probably also biased towards the recent, and viewing past groups in hindsight which isn’t exactly fair. I’m sure I was just as enamoured with the pool when it featured Eichel, Reinhart, summer 2015. 

Edited July 11, 2022 by Thorny

[French Collection]

1 hour ago, Thorny said:

1 Power

2 Quinn

3 Savoie

4 Peterka

5 Krebs

6 Levi 

7 Östlund 

8 Kulich

9 Samuelsson

10 Rosen 

I think these guys would kick anyone’s butts in a prospect tournament.

[Gatorman0519]

If half these guys work out we should finally be competitive in 2-3 years. 

[dudacek]

2 hours ago, Thorny said:

1 Power < Eichel

2 Quinn < Reinhart

3 Savoie > McCabe

4 Peterka > Larsson

5 Krebs > Bailey

6 Levi > Fasching

7 Östlund > Baptiste

8 Kulich > Peterson

9 Samuelsson > Guhle

10 Rosen > Ullmark

I don’t know, I think we tend to conflate two groups looking at 2015. Zadorov Risto and Pysyk were already on the team in 2014 and then we kinda emptied the pool a bit (Grigorenko, Compher, Armia, Lemieux, picks) in the Kane and O’Reilly trades.

I mean having Eichel and Reinhart up top certainly adds weight to 2015 but after those 2, the 2022 group is filled out with higher picks with objectively better pedigrees.

Id say guys who aren’t even included in the 2022 list like Poltapov, Portillo and Johnson stack up better than say Baptiste, Peterson and Guhle.

It wasn’t really that close, IMO.

2 hours ago, Thorny said:

I argued against this as recently as last season, but looking at this pool as it stands today, I’m obliged to agree. 

But, I do particularly love Savoie as a prospect 

I’m probably also biased towards the recent, and viewing past groups in hindsight which isn’t exactly fair. I’m sure I was just as enamoured with the pool when it featured Eichel, Reinhart, summer 2015. 

 

Edited July 11, 2022 by dudacek

[GASabresIUFAN]

I hate getting to far off topic, but the current prospect list is excellent but isn't our top prospect list ever

Here are the players in our prospects pool in the 2004 off-season.  Approx Career NHL games in ( ).

Vanek (1000 games), Miller (800 game), Pominville (1050 games), Roy (735 games), Gaustad (725 games), Stafford (840 games), Sekera (840 games), MacArthur (550 games), Paille (580 games), Hejda (625 games), Thornton (800 games).

As I've said before this current squad reminds me a great deal of the Vanek Sabres, but it's going to take alot to match the success of the above list.  The biggest difference was that Ryan Miller was NHL ready.  There is no one close to that level except Levi and he is still years away.

Edited July 11, 2022 by GASabresIUFAN

[Brawndo]

7 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

By the way, this list is just a snapshot in time.  If Laaksonen doesn't step up defensively next season, he'll tumble down the list.  If Rosen continues to struggle he'll tumble as well regardless of his draft status.  On the other hand if Rosen makes strides in the SHL next season, like Cedarqvist did, he'll ascend to near the top of the list.  

Given the fact that Laaksonen’s Name is rarely mentioned by Adams when He talks about the future, unfortunately, I think He’s already slid down the rankings.

7 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

Honestly I'm not sure.  In my initial list, I thought for sure he'd be an Amerk in the fall and that still maybe the plan.  However Elite Prospects lists him with Rogle in the SHL next season.  I wonder if D Camp will be the determining factor.  On the other hand, Elite Prospects doesn't list a 22/23 team for Cederqvist.

I did learn something interesting during the draft radio broadcast that sort of reinforced my thoughts on draft slot not being very important after the 1st 2 rounds. Dale Tallon was on the broadcast and said he only brought a list of 105 or so names to the draft most years, but due to COVID he'd have a list of 140 this past draft.  He said most teams have  a similar size list and that you don't put people on the list just to have names. The players has to do something very well that can project to the NHL someday to make the list such as speed, shot or hi IQ.  He said he'd trade extra picks if not needed. That told me that the difference in rating for guys drafted in the 4th round down to the 7th round are nearly identical.  

I believe that Lance Lysowski mentioned right after He signed His ELC, that the Sabres have until December to make a decision on whether or not He returns to the SHL. 

5 hours ago, dudacek said:

My snapshot of what I think these guys are most likely to be, based on what I’ve seen to date. Includes NHLers who haven’t finished developing.

First line:

Dahlin, Power, Levi

Top 6, 2/3 D

Thompson, Cozens, Quinn, Samuelsson, Savoie

Middle 6, 4/5 D

Krebs, Mittelstadt, Jokiharju, Asplund, Peterka, Kulich, Östlund

Should play in NHL:

Bryson, Lukkonnen, Johnson, Rosen, Poltapov

Could play in the NHL:

Fitzpatrick, Portillo, Nadeau, Neuchev, Bloom, Kisakov, Novikov

Might get NHL games:

Biro, Lindgren, Leinonen, Rousek, Murray, Ruotsalainen

Id be surprised if he makes it:

Laaksonen, Kozak, Cedarqvist, Weissbach, Costatini, Huglen, Karlsson, Richard, Komarov, Lyckasen, Berntsson, Van Barnekow, Pekar, Sardarian, Konecny, Marjala, Sjodin

I would move Bloom and Nadeau into the should play in the NHL Category, they have skilled 4th Liners written all over them. 

[Thorner]

2 hours ago, dudacek said:

I don’t know, I think we tend to conflate two groups looking at 2015. Zadorov Risto and Pysyk were already on the team in 2014 and then we kinda emptied the pool a bit (Grigorenko, Compher, Armia, Lemieux, picks) in the Kane and O’Reilly trades.

I mean having Eichel and Reinhart up top certainly adds weight to 2015 but after those 2, the 2022 group is filled out with higher picks with objectively better pedigrees.

Id say guys who aren’t even included in the 2022 list like Poltapov, Portillo and Johnson stack up better than say Baptiste, Peterson and Guhle.

It wasn’t really that close, IMO.

 

I guess it speaks to the imagery that “perhaps generational” conjures within the mind, speaking for myself 

What we think of when we say Baptiste, Peterson and Guhle NOW isn’t what we thought of then, either. Regardless, my initial post said it probably does look like best it’s looked so, just have to hope it lives up to the promise. 

Edited July 11, 2022 by Thorny

[dudacek]

2 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

I hate getting to far off topic, but the current prospect list is excellent but isn't our top prospect list ever

Here are the players in our prospects pool in the 2004 off-season.  Approx Career NHL games in ( ).

Vanek (1000 games), Miller (800 game), Pominville (1050 games), Roy (735 games), Gaustad (725 games), Stafford (840 games), Sekera (840 games), MacArthur (550 games), Paille (580 games), Hejda (625 games), Thornton (800 games).

As I've said before this current squad reminds me a great deal of the Vanek Sabres, but it's going to take alot to match the success of the above list.  The biggest difference was that Ryan Miller was NHL ready.  There is no one close to that level except Levi and he is still years away.

It will be hard for the current group to actually best that group.

But in terms of projecting how the group looked in 2004 versus projecting how this group looks now, I’d take this group.

Levi and Quinn parallel Vanek and Miller very closely.

Pominvile Roy and Stafford translate nicely to Peterka, Krebs and Kulich

Sekera, MacArthur Paille maybe Johnson, Nadeau and Poltapov?

That still leaves the current group with Östlund, Portillo, Samuelson, Rosen.

And, most importantly, Power.

[tom webster]

6 hours ago, Brawndo said:

Given the fact that Laaksonen’s Name is rarely mentioned by Adams when He talks about the future, unfortunately, I think He’s already slid down the rankings.

I believe that Lance Lysowski mentioned right after He signed His ELC, that the Sabres have until December to make a decision on whether or not He returns to the SHL. 

I would move Bloom and Nadeau into the should play in the NHL Category, they have skilled 4th Liners written all over them. 

If the Sabres get good, Bloom and Nadeau are the kind of guys that other fan bases say, “ how do they keep finding these guys.”

[Derrico]

13 hours ago, Thorny said:

1 Power

2 Quinn

3 Savoie

4 Peterka

5 Krebs

6 Levi 

7 Östlund 

8 Kulich

9 Samuelsson

10 Rosen 

I like this one best so far.  It’s not new shiny toy syndrome.  I truly think savoie has massive potential after all of the reading I’ve done.  Unless the rankings include nhl readiness then I would have him ahead of JJP like Thorny has.

[Pimlach]

13 hours ago, Thorny said:

1 Power

2 Quinn

3 Savoie

4 Peterka

5 Krebs

6 Levi 

7 Östlund 

8 Kulich

9 Samuelsson

10 Rosen 

Good list, but Krebs below Peterka is not likely.  

[Pimlach]

On 7/8/2022 at 11:40 PM, dudacek said:

Updated prospect depth chart

Centre:

• Krebs (L)
• Savoie (R)
• Östlund (L)
• Kulich (L)
• Ruotsalainen (L)
• Biro (L)
• Huglen (R)
• Costantini (L)
• Kozak (L)
• Karlsson (L)
• Konecny (L)
• Sjodin (L)

Wing:

• Quinn (R)
• Peterka (L)
• Rosen (L)
• Poltapov (R)
• Kisakov (L)
• Nadeau (R)
• Bloom (L)
• Neuchev (L)
• Rousek (L)
• Murray (L)
• Weissbach (L)
• Richard (R)
• Pekar (L)
• Sardarian (L)
• Cedarqvist (L)
• Marjala  (L)
• Von Barnekow (L)
• Ratovic (L)

Defence:

• Power (L)
• Samuelsson (L)
• Fitzgerald (R)
• Johnson (L)
• Lindgren (L)
• Novikov (L]
• Laaksonen (R)
• Komarov (R)
• Lyckasen (R)

Goalie:

• Luukkonnen
• Levi
• Portillo
• Leinonen

Excellent work. 

Shows us that for next years draft they will look at defense with more priority as Power and Samuelson are expected to stay in the NHL.  

Drafting a goalie next year would be smart too, even if Porto decides to stay.  

[Thorner]

7 hours ago, dudacek said:

It will be hard for the current group to actually best that group.

But in terms of projecting how the group looked in 2004 versus projecting how this group looks now, I’d take this group.

Levi and Quinn parallel Vanek and Miller very closely.

Pominvile Roy and Stafford translate nicely to Peterka, Krebs and Kulich

Sekera, MacArthur Paille maybe Johnson, Nadeau and Poltapov?

That still leaves the current group with Östlund, Portillo, Samuelson, Rosen.

And, most importantly, Power.

Plus Savoie, the new Briere. 

Just kidding. 

But seriously. 

[bob_sauve28]

8 hours ago, dudacek said:

It will be hard for the current group to actually best that group.

But in terms of projecting how the group looked in 2004 versus projecting how this group looks now, I’d take this group.

Levi and Quinn parallel Vanek and Miller very closely.

Pominvile Roy and Stafford translate nicely to Peterka, Krebs and Kulich

Sekera, MacArthur Paille maybe Johnson, Nadeau and Poltapov?

That still leaves the current group with Östlund, Portillo, Samuelson, Rosen.

And, most importantly, Power.

That '04 group did walk onto a great team, but that team kind of blew up with Brier and Drury leaving. Hopefully the timing of this groups arrival coincides with a longer running stable core

[Flashsabre]

11 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

I hate getting to far off topic, but the current prospect list is excellent but isn't our top prospect list ever

Here are the players in our prospects pool in the 2004 off-season.  Approx Career NHL games in ( ).

Vanek (1000 games), Miller (800 game), Pominville (1050 games), Roy (735 games), Gaustad (725 games), Stafford (840 games), Sekera (840 games), MacArthur (550 games), Paille (580 games), Hejda (625 games), Thornton (800 games).

As I've said before this current squad reminds me a great deal of the Vanek Sabres, but it's going to take alot to match the success of the above list.  The biggest difference was that Ryan Miller was NHL ready.  There is no one close to that level except Levi and he is still years away.

Yeah I might agree. Let’s say this group has the “potential” to be the best ever if they all work out.

[GASabresIUFAN]

9 hours ago, dudacek said:

It will be hard for the current group to actually best that group.

But in terms of projecting how the group looked in 2004 versus projecting how this group looks now, I’d take this group.

Levi and Quinn parallel Vanek and Miller very closely.

Pominvile Roy and Stafford translate nicely to Peterka, Krebs and Kulich

Sekera, MacArthur Paille maybe Johnson, Nadeau and Poltapov?

That still leaves the current group with Östlund, Portillo, Samuelson, Rosen.

And, most importantly, Power.

It’s really Miller vs UPL. Miller as an individual player is very comparable to Levi from a collegiate standpoint, but UPL is supposed to be the guy in net now, just like Miller was in 2004.  

Vanek vs Quinn works, as does Pommers vs Peterka and Roy vs Krebs. I think Rosen is Paille 2.0.  Stafford is more Savoie than Kulich, especially as these were the first picks the year of the comparison and Kulich is a more developed 2 way player.  Sekera and Johnson is reasonable, but Johnson is more Ballard who DR traded away. How about MacArthur vs Poltapov? There games seem kind of similar to me. Who is Gaustad? Kulich, but with Kulich having significantly more upside? 

DR traded for Lydman for the Samuelsson role.  

I was just listing the guys who made it to show how much the current batch has to live up to.  However there were others that didn’t make but would have been high on our lists at the time like 1st rd picks like Novotny, and Kryukov, plus 2nd rounders like Fabry, Bartovic, Funk, Janik and late rounders like Paetsch, Kaleta, Mancari and Wideman who DR didn’t sign that summer.

All that said, there is no one at Power’s level in the 2004 batch.  He might ultimately be the guy when we look back a decade from now tips the scale in 2022’s direction. 

Edited July 11, 2022 by GASabresIUFAN

[inkman]

16 hours ago, French Collection said:

I think these guys would kick anyone’s butts in a prospect tournament.

Find out in a few days? 

[LabattBlue]

2 hours ago, inkman said:

Find out in a few days? 

Prospect tournament is in September…right before training camp. 😉

[Johnny Utah]

I’m going to make a bold prediction that won’t be very popular…..Poltopov will never play for Sabres…..KHL player

[GASabresIUFAN]

54 minutes ago, Johnny Utah said:

I’m going to make a bold prediction that won’t be very popular…..Poltopov will never play for Sabres…..KHL player

Not sure Poltopov or Novikov will ever play here.

[GASabresIUFAN]

On 7/10/2022 at 3:16 PM, dudacek said:

I know this is your take,  you weight towards NHL-readiness and you don’t take where the Sabres took them much into consideration.

But Poltapov outside the top 20?

His scoring in the Russian junior league’s is comparable to Nadeau and Bloom, he’s more skilled than either, and he’s a pain in the ass to play against.

The idea that he’s behind Tyson Kozak is bizarre to me

FYI: The Sabres are as high on Kozak as I am.  This is from Peca after Development Camp as quoted by Lance Lysowski

Quote

Peca on Sabres prospect Tyson Kozak (7th round, 2021): "Watching Kozak, you'd think he went in the top three rounds, to be honest with you. The kid's impressive. ... The development guys, when they'd come into Rochester all the time, the first guy they talked about is Kozak."

Now add that Kozak will be signed sooner or later after playing one more season in the CHL.  Poltapov may never player here.  All the talent in the world is meaningless from a Sabres point of view if the guy never comes to NA.  Lets hope that Novikov, Poltapov, Kisakov and Neuchev all come to NA after next season and infuse Rochester with even more talent.

Can you imagine an Amerks team in 2023-24 with Rosen, Kulich, Kisakov, Poltapov, Neuchev, Cederqvist, Huglen, Bloom, Nadeau and Kozak?

Edited July 20, 2022 by GASabresIUFAN

[dudacek]

On 1/8/2022 at 12:57 AM, dudacek said:

New year is a great time to update my personal prospect list to see whose stock is rising and falling.

 

⬆️ 1) Owen Power: he’s put up NCAA numbers that haven’t been recorded by a teenager in 30 years. He’s the best player on the best team in college hockey, looked dominant in a brief showing in the WJC, and he’s got the Olympic team knocking. He seems to have improved in every facet of his game. Big defencemen take a while to develop in the NHL usually, but he looks to have what it takes to be a top pairing NHL defencemen for 15 years and he makes the game look easy. He’s not only the Sabres best prospect, he’s probably the best drafted prospect in the world.

 

⬆️ 2) Jack Quinn: his production as an AHL rookie is almost as remarkable as Power’s as an NCAA teen. He was leading the entire league in goals and points before being slowed by mono. He is a natural goal scorer who demands the puck and expects to finish. But what makes his game more impressive is he is also a puck hound and an excellent passer, who cares about defence too. He still needs to work on his strength, but has the versatility to slot anywhere in the top 9, with 1st-line winger upside.

 

⬆️ 3) Devon Levi: I know I’ll get pushback on this, but I am all in on Levi. This kid is special and has proven it all year, first as a junior and now in college. He’s yet to have a bad game and he has had many, many great, even perfect ones - 10 shutouts in 26 games. He is single-handedly making Northeastern relevant. His athleticism, tracking, technique and focus are all superb. The only thing stopping him from getting more hype is his size and the general NHL reluctance not to consider goalies under 6’2”. That may stop him from NHL success, but it sure hasn’t been an issue anywhere else. He’s a boom or bust who’s still got a few more doors to smash and is a few years away, but I’m not among the doubters, He’s got that “it” factor.

 

🔄 4) Peyton Krebs: I don’t ever see Krebs being an all-star but I do see him having a long distinguished NHL career, with much of it playing in the top 6 and being a big part of his team’s leadership group. I’m a sucker for competitive, smart, responsible players, and that is Krebs to a “T”. Add that to excellent quickness and passing skills and you have a guy you can lean on in all situations. I don’t think he will score many goals, or take the NHL by storm, but instead develop from a role player to a core player along a slow and steady path. He doesn’t play like Drury, but he projects as a player with that utility and that stature.

 

⬆️ 5) JJ Peterka: Explosive speed, boundless enthusiasm and excellent offensive vision have made Peterka into a frontline AHL player at 19. He’s not just good for a rookie, he’s just plain good and has shown rapid improvement since he was drafted. He’s fearless, with the perfect hockey player’s lower body and is a lock to play in the NHL. His ability to downshift and find the nuance to complement his high gear will determine whether he becomes a Conor Sheary or a Jake Guentzel.

 

⬆️ 6) Matthias Samuelsson: He’s been a #1 for Rochester this year, adding some offensive instincts and some transition skating to his dominant one-on-one defence, strength and solid positioning. He’s as reliable as the tide and will be at minimum a good 3rd-pairing D and top-pairing penalty killer in the NHL, with an upside of being able to match up against top lines. I’m a big fan.

 

⬆️ 7) Ukko-Pekka Luukkonnen: How one month can turn an arrow around. UPL has been remarkably consistent so far for an undermanned Sabres squad after a shaky start in Rochester. He’s got size, plays calm and has shown excellent technique in tight, despite some issues on long shots. He’ll have to sustain this for a while longer however to shake off the doubters that developed post hip surgery.

 

🔄😎 Ryan Johnson: Johnson continues to be a very effective 2-way college defenceman and a beautiful skater who should make the NHL on that skill alone. He’s very good at evading forecheckers and breaking out of his zone and has 2nd-pair upside, but needs to cement an identity and show he can defend against NHL strength. Hopefully he signs this spring and gets a look to finish the season.

 

⬇️ 9) Prokhor Poltapov: after a good start, he has faded while bouncing between leagues and getting limited ice time in the KHL. Love his combination of skill and compete and see him as being very well-suited to the smaller ice and the aggressive attacking game the Sabres are wanting to build. He signed a 3-year deal in Russia and will have plenty of time to percolate before he comes over here.

 

⬇️ 10) Isak Rosen: with so many Sabre prospects breaking out this fall, Rosen is the exception that proves the rule. He’s been stapled to the bench in the Swedish men’s league with very little production or chance to develop. We hear he’s got top 6 speed and talent, but we’ve yet to see it. He gets this spot on draft pedigree and memories of his outstanding U18s last summer. Another player who is at least 3 years away.

 

🔄 11) Erik Portillo: Portillo had a lot of hype for a player who had such limited playing time over the past few years, but he’s largely justified it. He’s been good anchoring the crease for a loaded Michigan side. He’s got prototypical size and some #1 upside, but is a long-term project who still needs a lot of reps.

 

⬆️ 12) Brett Murray: Despite entering the season well down the prospect chart, Murray has had as much NHL ice time as any Sabres prospect. His size and the fact he’s sometimes willing to use it makes him intriguing and he didn’t look out of place in the NHL. I’m still not clear if he’s either skilled enough or belligerent enough to be an NHL 3rd liner.

 

⬇️ 13) Aleksander Kisakov: an undersized talent, Kisakov’s stock has dropped a bit because his numbers have dropped off in the Russian junior league he dominated in his draft year. I’m not overly concerned at this point, because of the long-term nature of the prospect and the weird way they handle kids over there

 

⬇️ 14) Artuu Ruotsalainen: R2 played the best game Ive seen him play all year tonight as the 1C in Rochester, but the 20 games he played in Buffalo made me doubt he has the skill to play a top 6 role in the NHL or the specialization to play in the bottom 6. Like the player, but he’s looking an awful lot like your prototypical tweener.

 

⬆️ 15) Nikita Novikov: this is my out-of-nowhere pick. 18-year-olds don’t play on Russia’s WJC team, or regularly in the KHL as a rule, but this late pick is doing both. He’s a hard-nosed rock of a stay-at-home D - something lacking in the system and a long shot player to watch.

 

⬆️ 16) Casey Fitzgerald: Fitzgerald doesn’t do anything really well, but he is pretty OK at most things and he competes and carries himself like he belongs. He didn’t look horribly out of place in his brief stint in Buffalo this year. He shouldn’t make it, but his attitude makes me want to leave the door slightly open.

 

⬆️ 17) Josh Bloom: NHL size and NHL wheels, Bloom has really surprised with some excellent production and leadership for a weaker Saginaw team this year. He’s got a chance to move up and make the scouts look like geniuses for picking him, despite the fact he didn’t play a game last year.

 

⬆️ 18) Olivier Nadeau: another long shot who is outperforming his draft status after an unpredictable pandemic year. He will have to overcome skating issues, but has good size and skill in close quarters and is lighting up the Q.

 

🔄 19) Linus Weissbach: an undersized winger with NHL speed, but not enough skill to play a top six NHL role, or enough grit or defence to play in the bottom 6. Fun to watch in Rochester though.

 

⬇️ 20) Oskari Laaksonen: I see some people projecting him as an NHLer and I wonder if they watch him, or just see his numbers. He’s a decent skater and a pretty good PP QB at the AHL level. But he’ll never run an NHL PP and his d-zone and transition games aren’t good.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

11 Poltapov: People shouldn’t sleep on this kid. He’s a buzzsaw middle-sixer who’s abrasive enough to play with the plugs and talented enough to play with the skill. It’s a package we lack.

12 Johnson: Still see his skating and the way he uses it making him a surefire NHLer, likely as a 2nd-pair guy who specializes in preventing entries, jumpstarting transitions, and moving pucks out of danger.

13 Lukkonnen: I like his skill, his play down low and his character. I don’t like his inability to stay healthy or his propensity for letting in long shots. Very important year for him.

14 Neuchev: Maybe there is some shiny new toy syndrome involved in ranking him here, but the production was remarkable, the skill level obvious, and the physique bigger than the similar Rosen and Kisakov. Long-term project with a high ceiling.

15 Novikov: I look at what we just added in Lyubushkin and find it very easy to project Novikov into that role. His elevated status with Russian officials, including playing in the KHL at such a young age speaks to his respect.

16 Rosen: I tried to watch him in Dev camp as the prospect I have the most questions about. I saw skill, but I didn’t see the dog-on-a-bone compete that seems to characterize most Adams high picks. Big year for him to open some eyes.

17 Kisakov: ranks just behind Rosen and mostly because of draft pedigree. Just as slight, similar kind of player, but seems to have more sack to his game. Another good test for Appert and his team.

18 Nadeau: I liked a lot about his game last training camp, but I worried about his foot speed. Still worry, but the kid had a heckuva season and we need a dirty areas guy like him to make it.

19 Bloom: Young kid with NHL size and speed and pretty solid production who excelled on the PK. Definite tools and definite room for growth. It’s impressive to me that guys like Bloom, Kisakov and Nadeau would be flirting with the top 10 for at least half the teams in the league.

20 Lindgren: gave him the last spot due to his mobility, his youth and his upside. Also considered Kozak and Costantini as other guys who caught my eye at dev camp, Rousek, who showed skill in Rochester, and Leinonen as a goalie they are clearly high on, as prospects worth watching.

 

Edited July 20, 2022 by dudacek

[dudacek]

57 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

FYI: The Sabres are as high on Kozak as I am.  This is from Peca after Development Camp as quoted by Lance Lysowski

Now add that Kozak will be signed sooner or later after playing one more season in the CHL.  Poltapov may never player here.  All the talent in the world is meaningless from a Sabres point of view if the guy never comes to NA.  Lets hope that Novikov, Poltapov, Kisakov and Neuchev all come to NA after next season and infuse Rochester with even more talent.

Can you imagine an Amerks team in 2023-24 with Rosen, Kulich, Kisakov, Poltapov, Neuchev, Cederqvist, Huglen, Bloom, Nadeau and Kozak?

I heard Peca talking about him and thought he was noticeable at development camp. Still didn’t crack my top 20. 😄

As long as the prospect is Sabres property, I’m not going to speculate on passports, or free agent defectors and just stick to hockey. I like Poltapov’s game.