SB Nation’s 2nd round mock draft will come out on Thursday, but before that we wanted to take a look at a couple of players that could be around for the Sabres. The Sabres still have those two picks in the second round, numbers 42 and 44, so if they don’t move one of those picks ahead of time, here are some players to look for:
Martin Frk – RW – Halifax – 6’0 – 198 lbs
Frk is that prototypical forward that the Sabres have been drafting over the past couple of years. He has spent the last two seasons with the Halifax Mooseheads of the QMJHL. After missing much of last season with a concussion, Frk scored 16 goals and 29 points in 34 games. In his career in the Q, Frk has 79 points in 96 games.
There are questions about Frk’s work ethic, but that also seems to pop up with a lot of foreign born players that have been profiled this season. Frk was expected to go in the first round last season, but his concussion set back his game and caused his stock to drop heading into the 2012 Draft.
Nicolas Kerdiles – C – USNTDP – 6’1″ – 183 lbs
Don’t be surprised if the Sabres look more toward the USNTDP in this year’s draft with the connection they have to the team from Rochester coach Ron Rolston. Kerdiles could be a fantastic player if he drops into the Sabres spot in the second round. Our St. Louis site selected them with the 25th pick in the first round of our mock draft, so having him drop into the second round isn’t a guarantee.
Ranked 29th by Central Scouting, Kerdiles has played two seasons for the USNTDP and had 62 points in 82 games. He is committed to the University of Wisconsin next season. Kerdiles is another small forward that, as we mentioned with Frk, are the types of players the Sabres have gone after in the last couple of seasons. Even with that liability against him, Kerdiles appears to be a good power forward that isn’t getting as much press as other players around him.
Cristoval Nieves – C – Kent School (Connecticut) – 6′ 3″ – 185 lbs
The 27th ranked skater by Central Scouting, by all accounts Nieves is a solid skater that is expected to grow into his 6’3″ frame. Nieves has played two seasons for Kent School and is committed to the University of Michigan next season. He also played with the Indiana Ice for a brief time, recording 10 points in 13 games with the team.
Nieves is the highest ranked high school player this season and according to his coach, could jump into the bigger leagues without much of a problem:
“I don’t know how he skates so freaking fast for his size,” Herr told NHL.com. “He’s one of the best skaters I’ve seen this year. I think he can jump into the American Hockey League and play right now and you wouldn’t even blink.”
If you are interested in more players that could be taken in the second round, check out Kris Baker’s draft preview on Sabres Prospects.