With their first of three picks in the fifth round of the 2013 NHL Draft, the Buffalo Sabres selected goaltender Cal Petersen with the 129th pick.
Petersen is a 6’1” left-handed netminder from the USHL who hails from the hockey hotbed of Iowa. He was expected to go a bit higher than this thanks to his decent size and good footwork, but he fills out the goalie prospect that the Sabres wanted to draft. The 18-year old will be heading to Notre Dame next year, joining Buffalo’s second round pick, center Connor Hurley.
Oh, and he models his game after his idol, Ryan Miller. Nice.
With the very next pick, #130, the Sabres took right winger Gustav Possler from MODO in Sweden.
Possler is a decent-sized (5’11”) forward who can play both wings (though he shoots left) who and has a knack for scoring, with 40 points in 36 points. THat doesn’t mean he’s a slouch in his own end, showing a solid two-way game to go along with his playmaking ability. Here’s what Elite Prospects says about him:
A strong skating player with good finishing ability. Possler has a quick release and is overall quite gifted offensively. Hockey sense is decent, puck skills quite good.
Finally, with pick #143, the Sabres took RHD Anthony Florentino.
A 6’1” defenseman out of USA Juniors, Florentino is a solid defenseman who does everything pretty well. He said that he thrives on being mean, which seems to fit the new Sabres mantra of “every guy we draft must come with sandpaper.”