We’re under a month away from the 2026 NHL Entry Draft, and it’s time to take a peek at some of the players that could fall to the Buffalo Sabres.Here’s a bumper seven-rounder from T McGee for your weekend reading.
DBTB –
A Seven Round Mock Draft? In this economy? Actually, I can’t stand that line, so let’s just say it was originally a Five Rounder but with inflation, it’s now Seven. Not that anyone noticed. No, all people want to talk about is the Sabres breaking the playoff drought…the Sabres winning a playoff series…almost winning a second one? Losing in OT in Game 7? That sounds about right.
Doesn’t anyone care about the children?
Seriously though, I appreciate that maybe, maybe, the days of worrying for weeks and months about who the Sabres will draft is past. As fans, we have bigger fish to fry. And honestly, I loved every second of the playoff run. But I, even in the thick of the Montreal series, still followed this Draft class, looking for diamonds in the rough. Although I’ll be the first to admit, I’m not used to the Sabres drafting in the 20s…so this will take some getting used to! Nevertheless, I hope some of you will find this snapshot of who might be around there and what the Sabres might do when their name is called to be useful.
Interestingly, with Jarmo Kekkalainen in the GM’s seat, we don’t really know how he will approach the Draft. Sure, we have several years from his tenure in Columbus, but most of his scouting staff is different in BFLO. Jerry Forton is still at Harborcenter, masterminding the prospect analysis. And the game is different even from just a few years ago. We won’t know what Jarmo might do until they announce that the Sabres are on the clock. What we do know is that he isn’t afraid of making an unorthodox move, or draft choice. He’s got a bit of a history of doing just that. It doesn’t go away just because a new team signs your paycheck.
The one thing I think BFLO needs to look at is a high-skill, high-offensive output kind of player. We know the pipeline is heavy with defensive D-Men (Strbak, Geary, Kleber, Mrtka, Novikov, and Bedkowski) and goalies (Ratzlaff, Levi, Prokhorov, Meloche, and Leenders). But up front, most of their high-skill guys have graduated (Benson, Ostlund, Kulich) or are in the process of doing so (Helenius, Wahlberg). Yeah, they have Brodie Ziemer coming but otherwise, right now, they’ve got some late-round surprises and some scrappy candidates who if they’re lucky will contend for a spot in the bottom six. They need a new guy(s) who can play that high-octane game and who have the upside to score 20 goals (or more!) for them. I’d also look for some defensively advanced, 2-way forwards that could slot in to the bottom 6, as many successful teams who’ve got their Top 6 locked in are looking for those 3rd and 4th liners as raw, young talent on cheap ELC contracts to relieve the Cap pressure (think Florida with guys like Samoskevich and Vilmanis, and going back away, Lundell). The Sabres current prospect pool is heavily weighted toward Defense and Goal, so I would not prioritize those positions in this year’s Draft. They need to reload on creative offensive forwards.
Speaking of their young prospects, changes are afoot. We’ve already seen Gavin McCarthy and Max Strbak, two promising young D-Men, end their collegiate careers and sign with Rochester. There could be more coming this Summer…the aforementioned Brodie Ziemer missed the Frozen Four and had his coach receive a pink slip. Jake Richard, Stivan Sardaryan, and Luke Osburn could also join the Amerks. And Helenius, Komarov, Levi, Ratzlaff, and Wahlberg need all the help they can get!
Meanwhile, Prokhor Poltapov, over in the KHL, has 6P in 10 playoff games for CKSA Moskva, a pretty impressive performance to finish 3rd on the team. Fast-skating D-Man Noah Laberge has 13P in 12 playoff games for Newfoundland as he continues his breakout season. Melvin Novotny just keeps piling up numbers for Muskegon in his first season in North America with 14P in 15 playoff games. He’s facing off in the Clark Cup Final against Sioux City, the team of fellow Sabre draft pick Ashton Schultz. Unfortunately, his season ended with 6P in 6 games before an injury derailed the rest of his playoff journey. Meanwhile in the WHL, Radim Mrtka managed 3P in 5 games before being eliminated, then jumped right into the line-up in Rochester where he helped the Amerks take things to 5 games before they, too, were eliminated.
In net big Sammy Meloche took the Huskies of Rouyn-Noranda to the QMJHL finals, finishing with a 2.52 GAA and .905 SV%…and in the OHL, Ryerson Leenders dazzled, doing all he could to prevent Jay McKee’s Brantford team getting upset, with a 2.41 GAA and .906 SV%. But it was Russian tendy Yevgeni Prokhorov who impressed the most, continuing his outstanding season with a ridiculous 1.92 GAA and a .938 SV% in the MHL playoffs. Last but not least, forgotten Swedish forward Joel Ratkovic has 14P in 13 games for his Karlskrona club in Swedish Allsvenskan/Ettan.
As far as the Draft itself, it will take place in BFLO this year at the end of June! So that’s pretty cool. The Combine is due to begin next week (also in BFLO), so be on the lookout for that.
Gavin McKenna has, in many ways, retaken his top spot on the Big Board. His second half was sensational, with 33P in 18 games, he looked more confident and more involved off the puck. That doesn’t mean Ivar Stenberg is a consolation prize. He simply plays a different, more complete game than McKenna. It would not shock me in the least if he went first off the Board to the Leafs. They’ve got plenty of offense. Adding a responsible forward with some elite skill wouldn’t be a bad choice. Defensemen rule the Top Ten, but I think as high as #8 things start to get interesting where team needs start to take precedence over who is ranked higher. Players like Viggo Bjorck, the Ruck Twins (Liam and Marcus), and dynamic center Wyatt Cullen have made first-round cases, while some players are sliding a bit this late in the year. Guys like Mathis Preston, Ryan Roobroeck, Ty Lawrence and Luke Schairer have slid in my estimation…some out of the first round entirely, and perhaps even further.
Just a reminder: the Sabres only have a scant 4 selections in this year’s Draft. They haven’t been in that neighborhood since Kevyn Adams’ first year as GM, when he drafted Jack Quinn and JJ Peterka with his top 2 picks. BFLO moved their 2nd in the Cozens – Norris trade, their 3rd and 6th in the Sam Carrick deal, and a 4th in the Stanley/Schenn trade. They also used their 7th in the Tanner Pearson deal, I believe. Anyways, I suppose if they move Tuch, Krebs or Byram they could recoup some or all of those picks, but as of right now, let’s mostly just stay with what they’ve got. Yes, I cheated a bit…in the interest of getting another pick, I had the Sabres make a deal with Calgary to trade back. For the sake of argument let’s say there was a player on the Board that the Flames really wanted, and BFLO needed more picks. Voila!
TRADE: BUF #27 -> CAL #34, #55
Besides getting the Memorial Cup underway (Chicoutimi, Kitchener, host city Kelowna, and Everett battling it out!) and the USHL engaged in the Clark Cup Final, most league playoffs are wrapped up. Now it’s on to the Combine and then teams will be putting together their final Big Boards leading up to the big day at the end of June. You’ll be seeing one more, final Mock Draft and a final Big Board from me before Day One arrives.
PS: Players marked with ** = an over-ager, that is, a player who was not drafted in their first year of eligibility. They can be one, two or three years over-age, but (unless the CBA has changed) once you get to four years past your original draft year, you become a UDFA.
ROUND ONE:
1#1: TORONTO: Gavin McKenna, 6’0 C/LW, NCAA
1#2: SAN JOSE: Chase Reid, 6’2 RHD, OHL
1#3: VANCOUVER: Alberts Smits, 6’3 LHD, FIN
1#4: CHICAGO: Ivar Stenberg, 6’0 W, SWE
1#5: NY RANGERS: Caleb Malhotra, 6’0 C, OHL
1#6: CALGARY: Keaton Verhoeff, 6’5 RHD, NCAA
1#7: SEATTLE: Viggo Bjorck, 5’10 C/W, SWE
1#8: WINNIPEG: Carson Carels, 6’1 LHD, WHL
1#9: FLORIDA: Daxon Rudolph, 6’1 RHD, WHL
1#10: NASHVILLE: Alex Command, 6’1 C, SWE
1#11: ST LOUIS: Ty Lawrence, 6’0 C, NCAA
1#12: NEW JERSEY: Oscar Hemming, 6’4 LW, NCAA
1#13: NY ISLANDERS: Malte Gustafsson, 6’4 LHD, SWE
1#14: COLUMBUS: Wyatt Cullen, 6’1 C/LW, US NTDP
1#15: ST LOUIS (DETROIT): Ethan Belchetz, 6’5 LW, OHL
1#16: WASHINGTON: Nikita Klepov, 6’0 W, OHL
1#17: LA KINGS: Mathis Preston, 5’11 C/LW, WHL
1#18: WASHINGTON (ANAHEIM): Ryan Lin, 5’11 RHD, WHL
1#19: UTAH: Marcus Ruck, 6’0 C, WHL
1#20: SAN JOSE (EDMONTON): Oliver Suvanto, 6’3 C/W, FIN
1#21: PHILADELPHIA: Adam Novotny, 6’1 W, OHL
1#22: PITTSBURGH: Xavier Villaneueve, 5’11 LHD, QMJHL
1#23: BOSTON: Ilia Morozov, 6’3 RW, NCAA
1#24: VANCOUVER (MINNESOTA): Liam Ruck, 5’11 W, WHL
1#25: MONTREAL: Maddox Dagenais, 6’4 C, QMJHL
1#26: SEATTLE (TAMPA BAY): Will Hakansson, 6’4 LHD, SWE
1#27: CALGARY (BUFFALO): Elton Hermansson, 6’1 W, SWE
1#28: NY RANGERS (DALLAS): JP Hurlbert, 6’0 W, WHL
1#29: CALGARY (VEGAS): Brooks Rogowski, 6’6 C/W, OHL
1#30: CAROLINA: Adam Valentini, 5’11 W, NCAA
1#31: ST. LOUIS (NY ISLANDERS/COLORADO): Adam Goljer, 6’3 RHD, SVK
1#32: OTTAWA: Blake Zielinski, 6’1 C, USHL
ROUND TWO:
2#1: VANCOUVER: Tomas Chrenko, 5’11 C, SVK
2#2: CHICAGO: Ben MacBeath, 6’2 LHD, WHL
2#3: CALGARY: Jakub Vanacek, 6’2 LHD, WHL
2#4: BUFFALO (CALGARY/NASHVILLE/NY RANGERS): Jack Hextall, 6’0 C, USHL
2#5: CHICAGO (TORONTO): Casey Mutryn, 6’3 C, US NTDP
2#6: SEATTLE: Tommy Bleyl, 6’0 RHD, QMJHL
2#7: PITTSBURGH (WINNIPEG): Juho Piiparainen, 6’3 RHD, FIN
2#8: FLORIDA: Simas Ignatavicius, 6’4 C/W, SWISS
2#9: SAN JOSE: Marcus Nordmark, 6’2 RW, SWE
2#10: NASHVILLE: Nikita Shcherbakov 6’5 LHD, RUS
2#11: COLUMBUS (PITTSBURGH/ST LOUIS): Niklas Aaram-Olsen, 6’1 W, SWE
2#12: NEW JERSEY: Luke Schairer, 6’2 RHD, US NTDP
2#13: CHICAGO (NY ISLANDERS): Lavr Gashilov, 6’2 C, RUS
2#14: LA KINGS (MONTREAL/COLUMBUS): Pierce Mbuyi, 5’11 LW, OHL
2#15: DETROIT: Jaxon Cover, 6’2 LW, OHL
2#16: FLORIDA (WASHINGTON): Giorgos Pantelas, 6’2 RHD, WHL
2#17: LA KINGS: Yegor Shilov, 6’1 C, QMJHL
2#18: ANAHEIM: Chase Herrington, 6’1 LW, WHL
2#19: UTAH: Adam Nemec, 6’1 W, OHL
2#20: EDMONTON: Samu Alalauri, 6’2 RHD, FIN
2#21: PHILADELPHIA: Slava Fedoseyev, 6’1 RHD, RUS
2#22: PITTSBURGH: Ryder Cali, 6’2 C, OHL
2#23: CALGARY (UTAH/OTTAWA): Ryan Roobroeck, 6’4 C, OHL
2#24: BOSTON: Beckham Edwards, 6’1 C, OHL
2#25: NASHVILLE (MINNESOTA): Verrti Svensk, 6’1 LHD, FIN
2#26: TAMPA BAY: Alex Di Iorio, 6’1 C, OHL
2#27: BUFFALO (CALGARY/LAK/OTTAWA/BUFFALO): Gleb Pugachyov, 6’3 LW, RUS
2#28: DALLAS: Victor Plante, 5’9 W, US NTDP
2#29: MONTREAL: Lucien Bernat, 6’4 RW, FIN
2#30: VEGAS: FORFEITED
2#31: NY RANGERS (CAROLINA): Jonah Sivertston, 6’3 RW, WHL
2#32: SAN JOSE (COLORADO): Alex Bilecki, 6’2 LHD, OHL
ROUND THREE:
3#1: CALGARY (VANCOUVER): Tobias Trebjal, 6’4 G, USHL
3#2: CHICAGO: Landon Amrheim, 6’5 RW, WHL
3#3: NY RANGERS: Landon Nycz, 6’2 LHD, NCAA
3#4: CALGARY: Mans Gudmansson, 6’2 RHD, SWE
3#5: TORONTO: Axel Elofsson, 5’11 RHD, SWE
3#6: NASHVILLE (DALLAS/SEATTLE): Tyus Sparks, 6’0 W, WHL
3#7: WINNIPEG: Evan Jardine, 6’0 W, USHL
3#8: OTTAWA (FLORIDA): Ben Cossette-Ayotte, 6’1 RHD, QMJHL
3#9: ST LOUIS (PITTSBURGH/SAN JOSE): Dimitri Borichev, 6’3 G, RUS
3#10: NASHVILLE: Colin Fitzgerald, 6’2 C, OHL
3#11: ST LOUIS: Adam Andersson, 6’4 C, SWE
3#12: ST LOUIS (NEW JERSEY): Charlie Morrison, 6’3 LHD, QMJHL
3#13: NY RANGERS (ISLANDERS): Jakub Floris, 6’3 RHD, FIN
3#14: VANCOUVER (COLUMBUS): Vlad Dravecky 6’1 RHD, OHL
3#15: DETROIT: Max Sokolovsky, 6’8 LHD, OHL
3#16: LA KINGS (WASHINGTON): Samuel Eriksson, 6’5 LHD, SWE
3#17: NY RANGERS (LA KINGS): Viktor Fyodorov, 6’0 C, RUS
3#18: ANAHEIM: Jonas Lagerberg-Hoen, 6’2 RW, SWE
3#19: UTAH: Ethan MacKenzie, 6’1 LHD, WHL **
3#20: EDMONTON: Filip Novak, 6’1 RW, CZE
3#21: PHILADELPHIA: Thomas Vandenberg, 5’11 C, OHL
3#22: PITTSBURGH: Egor Barabanov, 6’0 C/W, OHL **
3#23: OTTAWA: Jakub Frolo, 6’1 RW, CZE
3#24: BOSTON: Theodore Knights, 6’4 LHD, SWE
3#25: MINNESOTA: Lars Steiner, 5’10 RW, QMJHL
3#26: TAMPA BAY: Lincoln Kuehne, 6’2 RHD, NCAA
3#27: NY RANGERS (BUFFALO): Miles Brosnan, 6’2 RHD, US HS
3#28: OTTAWA (LA KINGS/DALLAS): Nikita Ovcharov, 6’2 RW, RUS
3#29: VEGAS: Oscar Holmertz, 6’0 C, SWE
3#30: MONTREAL: Cooper Williams, 6’0 W, WHL
3#31: UTAH (CAROLINA): Joby Baumuller, 5’11 RW, WHL **
3#32: COLUMBUS (COLORADO): Cole Zurawski, 6’0 RW, OHL
ROUND FOUR:
4#1: VANCOUVER: Vilho Vanhatalo, 6’3 W, FIN
4#2: FLORIDA (CHICAGO): Yegor Rybkin, 6’7 G, RUS
4#3: SEATTLE (COLUMBUS/NY RANGERS): Rudolf Berzkalns, 6’4 LW, USHL
4#4: CALGARY: Julien Maze, 5’10 F, WHL
4#5: COLUMBUS (TORONTO): Callum Croskery, 6’0 LHD, OHL
4#6: SEATTLE: Brady Knowling, 6’5 G, US NTDP
4#7: NEW JERSEY (WINNIPEG): Mal Gastrin, 6’0 C, SWE
4#8: SAN JOSE (FLORIDA): Olivers Murnieks, 6’1 C, QMJHL
4#9: CAROLINA (SAN JOSE): Ben Willmot, 6’1 C, OHL **
4#10: NASHVILLE: Michel Orsulak, 6’4 G, WHL **
4#11: ST LOUIS: Wiggo Sorensen, 5’11 C, SWE
4#12: MONTREAL (NEW JERSEY): Bennett Kelley, 6’2 RHD, WHL
4#13: NY ISLANDERS: Nils Bartholdsson, 5’11 RW, SWE
4#14: OTTAWA (DETROIT/COLUMBUS): Brayden Klimpke, 6’0 LHD, WHL
4#15: ANAHEIM (DETROIT): Samuel Hrenak, 6’4 G, SVK **
4#16: WASHINGTON: Landon Hafele, 6’0 W, USHL
4#17: LA KINGS: Marty Psohlavec, 6’5 G, CZE
4#18: TORONTO (SEATTLE/ANAHEIM): Beckett Hamilton, 6’0 RW, WHL
4#19: UTAH: Xavier Wendt, 6’2 G, WHL
4#20: WINNIPEG (BUFFALO/EDMONTON): Mike Berchild, 5’9 W, US NTDP
4#21: BOSTON (ANAHEIM/PHILADELPHIA): Simon Katolicky, 6’4 W, FIN
4#22: NASHVILLE (PITTSBURGH): Eddy Doyle, 6’3 LHD, QMJHL
4#23: CHICAGO (OTTAWA): Jonas Kemps, 6’6 LHD, USHL
4#24: BOSTON: Jan Larys, 6’3 G, QMJHL
4#25: MINNESOTA: Noel Pakarinen, 6’2 LW, FIN
4#26: BOSTON (TAMPA BAY): Jacob Xu, 6’2 LHD, OHL
4#27: BUFFALO: Tim Runtso, 6’2 RHD, WHL **
4#28: NEW JERSEY (DALLAS): Ola Palme, 6’1 LHD, SWE
4#29: SAN JOSE (WASHINGTON/VEGAS): Jan Brabanec, 6’3 W, CZE
4#30: MONTREAL: Axel Brongel-Larsson, 6’1 LHD, SWE
4#31: COLORADO (CAROLINA): Alan Shaikhlislamov, 6’2 W, RUS
4#32: COLORADO: Jordan Duguay, 5’11 RW, WHL
ROUND FIVE:
5#1: VANCOUVER: Patrik Plumins, 6’3 G, LTV
5#2: UTAH (CHICAGO): Sean Burick, 6’7 RHD, WHL
5#3: NY RANGERS: Jake Gustafson, 6’4 RW, WHL
5#4: CALGARY: Kyle Heger, 6’1 LHD, WHL
5#5: TORONTO: Caelen Joudrey, 6’4 W, WHL
5#6: TAMPA BAY (SEATTLE): Alexei Vlasov, 5’9 W, QMJHL
5#7: WINNIPEG: Filip Ruzicka, 6’8 G, WHL
5#8: FLORIDA: Joe Iginla, 5’10 W, WHL
5#9: MINNESOTA (SAN JOSE): Slava Matyev, 6’5 LHD, RUS
5#10: NASHVILLE: Oleg Kulebyakin, 5’11 LW, QMJHL
5#11: ST LOUIS: Cole Tuminaro, 6’5 RHD, USHL**
5#12: NEW JERSEY: Parker Trottier, 6’1 LW, US NTDP
5#13: NY ISLANDERS: Braidy Wassilyn, 5’11 C, OHL
5#14: COLUMBUS: Bo Damphousse, 6’2 RHD, QMJHL
5#15: DETROIT: Jasper Kuhta, 6’2 LW, OHL **
5#16: WASHINGTON: Max Isaksson, 6’0 C, SWE
5#17: LA KINGS: Logan Stuart, 6’1 C, US NTDP
5#18: ANAHEIM: Bode Laylin, 6’0 RHD, USHL
5#19: UTAH: Dayne Buecker, 5’11 C/W, US NTDP
5#20: NASHVILLE (EDMONTON): Emil Jakobsen, 6’4 LHD, NWY
5#21: COLORADO (PHILADELPHIA): Parker Snell, 6’2 G, WHL
5#22: ST. LOUIS (PITTSBURGH): Noah Kosick, 5’11 C, WHL
5#23: OTTAWA: Harrison Boettinger, 6’2 G, WHL
5#24: COLORADO (BOSTON): Sawyer Dingman, 6’5 C, WHL
5#25: MINNESOTA: Will Keane, 6’5 G, USHL
5#26: TAMPA BAY: Viggo Tammi, 6’6 G, SWE
5#27: BUFFALO: Liam Lefebvre, 6’3 C, QMJHL
5#28: DALLAS: Riley Boychuk, 5’10 W, WHL
5#29: VEGAS: Ludvig Andersson, 5’11 C/RW, SWE
5#30: SAN JOSE (MONTREAL): Carter Casey, 6’2 G, WHL
5#31: NASHVILLE (CAROLINA): Brody Pepoy, 6’2 RW, OHL
5#32: TORONTO (COLORADO): Cam Dillard, 6’4 RHD, WHL
ROUND SIX:
6#1: VANCOUVER: Alexander Ivanov, 6’2 LHD, RUS
6#2: NY RANGERS (BUFFALO/CHICAGO): Cameron Kuzma, 6’2 C, WHL
6#3: NY RANGERS: Zig Bratt, 6’0 LHD, SWE
6#4: CALGARY: Alex MacLean, 5’11 C, OHL
6#5: CAROLINA (TORONTO): Justin Graf, 6’0 LW, USHL**
6#6: SEATTLE: Zach Lansard, 5’11 RW, WHL
6#7: WINNIPEG: Rodrick Cernak, 6’3 RHD, SVK
6#8: FLORIDA: Teddy Lechner, 6’3 RHD, US HS
6#9: TORONTO (SAN JOSE): William Lacelle, 6’2 G, QMJHL
6#10: PITTSBURGH (NASHVILLE): Jayden Kurtz, 6’3 RHD, US HS
6#11: ST LOUIS: Rian Chudzinski, 6’1 LW, QMJHL
6#12: NEW JERSEY: JC Lemieux, 6’0 C, OHL
6#13: NY ISLANDERS: Kimi Sutter, 6’1 W, SWISS
6#14: PHILADELPHIA (COLUMBUS): Carter Stevens, 6’1 C, OHL
6#15: DETROIT: Michel Jakubec, 6’1 W, SVK
6#16: VANCOUVER (WASHINGTON): Mans Josbrant, 5’11 W, SWE
6#17: LA KINGS: Cooper Cleaves, 6’4 RHD, NCAA**
6#18: ANAHEIM: Samuel Karsay, 6’1 C/LW, SVK
6#19: NASHVILLE (UTAH): Ossi Tukio, 6’1 LHD, FIN
6#20: EDMONTON: Anttoni Uronen, 6’1 W, FIN
6#21: SAN JOSE (COLORADO/PHILADELPHIA): Tomas Galvas, 5’10 LHD, CZE**
6#22: COLUMBUS (PITTSBURGH): Cam Chartrand, 6’1 RHD, QMJHL
6#23: OTTAWA: Onni Kalto, 6’2 W, OHL
6#24: VANCOUVER (BOSTON): Joe Erickson, 6’5 C, US HS
6#25: MINNESOTA: Kaenan Smith, 6’2 G, US NTDP
6#26: TAMPA BAY: Casper Juustovaara, 5’9 C, SWE
6#27: BUFFALO: Pavel Denisov, 6’2 LHD, RUS
6#28: DALLAS: Alex Kostov, 6’4 RW, OHL**
6#29: VEGAS: Will Sorbrand, 6’3 C, SWE
6#30: MONTREAL: Emile Ricard, 6’0 C, QMJHL
6#31: CAROLINA: JS Daigneault, 6’3 LHD, USHL
6#32: LA KINGS (COLORADO): Tobias Tomik, 6’1 C/W, WHL
ROUND SEVEN:
7#1: NY RANGERS (VANCOUVER): Matvei Kotkov, 5’11 F, RUS
7#2: CHICAGO: Krystof Szongoth, 6’1 C, FIN
7#3: COLORADO (NY RANGERS): Jacob Vandeven, 6’6 LHD, OHL
7#4: DETROIT (CALGARY): Joki Laitenen, 6’0 C, FIN
7#5: DALLAS (CAROLINA/TORONTO): Melwin Larsson, 6’3 LW, SWE
7#6: SEATTLE: AJ Francisco, 5’11 RW/RD, US NTDP
7#7: WINNIPEG: Dominik Ripa, 5’10 W, CZE
7#8: CHICAGO (FLORIDA): Frankie Poletin, 6’2 G, FIN
7#9: SAN JOSE: Luke Puchner, 5’11 C, US HS
7#10: NASHVILLE: Luka Arkko, 6’3 C, FIN
7#11: ST LOUIS: Zach Jovanowski, 6’2 G, OHL
7#12: SEATTLE (NEW JERSEY): Nick Koering, 6’5 LHD, USHL
7#13: NY ISLANDERS: Cohen Bidgood, 6’0 W, OHL
7#14: COLUMBUS: Vlad Poskurin, 6’1 G, RUS
7#15: DETROIT: Yan Melnikov, 5’10 W, RUS
7#16: WASHINGTON: Thomas Rousseau, 5’11 LW, QMJHL
7#17: LA KINGS: Boris Borin, 5’11 C, BCHL
7#18: ANAHEIM: Brian McFadden, 6’5 RHD, US HS
7#19: NASHVILLE (UTAH): Philip Larsson, 6’1 W, SWE
7#20: EDMONTON: Cruz Pavao, 6’0 W, WHL
7#21: PHILADELPHIA: Pavel Martinu, 6’5 C, USHL
7#22: COLORADO (PITTSBURGH): Darian Rolsing, 6’6 RHD, WHL
7#23: COLORADO (OTTAWA): Shawn Carrier, 5’10 W, QMJHL **
7#24: BOSTON: Fabrice Bouvard, 6’1 LW, SWISS
7#25: FLORIDA (MINNESOTA): Flo Houle, 6’1 RW, QMJHL**
7#26: TAMPA BAY: Logan Hawery, 5’10 C/W, OHL
7#27: WINNIPEG (BUFFALO): Rasmus Rinne, 5’11 W, FIN
7#28: DALLAS: Joe Salandra, 5’10 W, OHL
7#29: VEGAS: Andrei Molgachyov, 5’9 W, WHL
7#30: MONTREAL: Nick Bogas, 6’0 LHD, USHL
7#31: MONTREAL (CAROLINA): Arseni Illyin, 6’2 W, RUS
7 #32: LA KINGS (COLORADO): Dylan Rozzi, 5’11 LW, QMJHL
SABRES’ HAUL:
2#4: Jack Hextall, 6’0 C, USHL:
The Sabres love high-motor, two-way players who can contribute on both ends (Benson, Helenius, Ostlund, Kulich, Ziemer). They also love guys who can play down the middle. Here they get both. Hextall is an intense competitor with a nice combination of physicality, high-end skill, and a desire to win that should fit in well with the young players in the Sabres’ organization. The main attribute that makes Hextall so effective is his head. He has a ton of hockey smarts, which helps him recognize spacing, passing and shooting lanes, and anticipating his opponents’ decisions. Sees things others don’t. He plays a bit faster than he actually is, owing to his ability to read where the puck is going and his full commitment to go all out to get there ahead of anyone else.
Those same smarts make him more attentive to the finer details of the game, the little things where he excels. Stick lifts when fighting for puck, taking the right lanes to pressure puck carriers into turnovers, winning face-offs and finding a sliver of open space to get off a shot or a pass against defensive structure – he does it all. Has a variety of skills that he can use from one possession to the next. A crafty playmaker who varies his speed to keep defenders off-balance and maximize his options, is agile enough to beat his check to the net front, and once he gets there, he’s got the high-end hands to find and finish, tip or deflect pucks on their way to the goalie. Pounces on mistakes without hesitation. No qualms about driving to the net and getting into the scoring areas even while taking a beating in the process. Versatile. Can play a high-flying skill game or a grinding, methodical puck possession game, at either wing or center.
Skating is very good, although he’s not great. Can get caught slowing down his pace when things get chaotic, but his pace of play has improved by leaps and bounds as the season went on and is rarely a drawback for Hextall. A pass-first player, has great vision and feel for the O-zone when the puck is on his stick, and when it isn’t, he goes right to the scoring areas to create trouble for the defense. In his own end, he works hard and isn’t afraid to lay the body on his check or pin-and-hold the puck carrier until his teammates recover the puck. Can get a little distracted at times in the D-zone, leaving the middle of the ice to pursue pucks or try to jump passing lanes, but that tendency started to decline as the year went on.
Hexy put up an impressive 58P in 59 games for Youngstown in the USHL, finishing second among draft-eligibles, and comfortably between Sabre prospects Ryan Rucinski and Mel Novotny, so we know BFLO has seen plenty of him. He also added 7P in 5 games for gold-medal winning Team USA at the Hlinka tournament last Summer, finishing second on the team. He reminds me of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins’ game, as a smart, pass-first, two-way forward with a lot of versatility. Sign me up for that.
2#23: Gleb Pugachyov, 6’3 LW, RUS:
While the Sabres have a certain profile they look for in many of their higher-end prospects, one area they don’t seem to focus on power forwards. So it’s time to add one of those to the pipeline. And this kid certainly checks those boxes. We also know that Jarmo has had good success drafting big Russian forwards (Marchenko, Voronkov, Dolzhenkov, and Chinakov) in the middle rounds during his previous gig, so we’re drawing on that as well. Pugachyov is a true bull-in-a-china shop player, in the same way that, say, Beck Malenstyn can be. Extremely physical, loves to hit and invites contact all over the ice. A true Russian bear. But there’s plenty more to his game than just blowing guys up. Has the hands and the head to try things as his game evolves and he grows more comfortable.
A rangy 6’3, he plays with a longer stick and has pretty good reach on his own, which makes his ability to possess the puck – especially in transition – very dangerous. He’s tough to take the puck off. Really good habits, solid details. Makes a beeline for the net when he doesn’t have the puck, creates massive screens with his width and wingspan, and can carry defenders with him. Even occasionally “bumps” the goalie when moving from post-to-post. Has enough ability with his stick to deflect point shots into the back of the net, and his balance and sheer strength let him use his nose for the net to find and score loose pucks around the crease.
While he doesn’t consistently show his skill level, he does have flashes where you see how much potential he has, dangling through defenders on an end-to-end rush or slipping a beautiful pass between two defenders for a streaking teammate to get a great scoring chance. Has a quick release on a really hard snapshot. Skating for Pugachyov is high-end in terms of straight lines. He can really fly, again like Malenstyn, and builds up a real head of steam. But his agility needs some work. Sometimes he goes through guys because he just doesn’t evade opponents as quickly as someone else. Still, he gets up and down the ice in a flash.
For a young Russian forward, he has good instincts in his own end, seems to recognize patterns and defends the high-danger areas well while winning his share of wall battles even against seasoned pros. Very good at using his size against opposing forwards around the front of the net, and both his length and strength makes it tough for forwards to get around him. As with most quality Russian prospects, The Pug bounced up and down from Russian juniors (MHL) to the top of the heap (KHL) at various points this year.
He finished with 24P in 36 games, with 9P in 16 playoff games, for the MHL’s Chaika Nihzny, but also put up 3P in 13 games for the parent club, Torpedo Nihzny, in the KHL…no small feat for a 17-year-old kid. I think you could get a Kieffer Sherwood-sort of player with enough development window for this guy, a physical powerhouse who becomes more comfortable showing a little offensive flair and the ability to get to the net as he ages.
4#30: Tim Runtso, 6’2 RHD, WHL **:
A kid who’s come from off-the-radar to a rising prospect in just 18 months, Runtso went from a Tier II Junior Kings program, to the NAHL, to the WHL in a flash and just keeps improving with each stop. This season, playing for the Victoria Royals and slotting into the spot vacated by top prospect Keaton Verhoeff (who went to the NCAA), he quickly assumed top pair duties and surprisingly thrived. Runtso is an offensive-minded blueliner. He attacks the puck before it gets to the blue line, pinches hard, carries the puck below the circles and if he gets a step, all the way to the crease.
Expert at the give-and-go, he manages to free himself up enough to get open into the low slot surprisingly often. With the puck on his stick, he’s got a lot of craftiness in his game. Subtle head and shoulder fakes, look-offs, and enough stickhandling to beat his check and attack deeper in the O-zone. Likewise, in the Neutral, he will carry or pass the puck to create odd-man rushes, and typically puts the puck in the right place at the right time, on the tape. Has no conscience with the puck, which can be a benefit and a detriment. Doesn’t have a cannon from the point, but gets pucks through to the goal and can launch a heavy snapshot from the top of the zone, or toe-drag into the middle before ripping an accurate wrister.
Where he needs work is on the defensive end. Rarely steps up at his own blue line. Can concede the entry and then finds himself backing up too deep. As you can see, his transition defense needs plenty of work. Can be taken outside-in, and beat to the middle, as he doesn’t do enough to kill plays or drive the puck carrier into low-danger areas. But as a one-v-one defender, his on-puck defense has improved immeasurably over the course of this season. Which is saying something because his footwork still needs to improve. He can get pretzeled by an especially talented stickhandler coming down on the rush and left in the dust. So there’s some work there left to do. That said, Runtso plays the kind of game that, with some coaching, fits nicely with how the Sabres like to play. That should be appealing to Jarmo.
Was the leading rookie D-Man scorer in the WHL, with 44P in 68 games. Off to a rising Miami (OH) program next season, where he’ll play with a number of current NHL prospects. Given the Sabres’ organizational depth on defense, they can be patient with this kid as his game evolves. And at the end, they could have a John Klingberg-type of player. Not bad for the 4thround.
5#30: Liam Lefebvre, 6’3 C, QMJHL**:
Another over-ager, this big, reliable centerman is a bit of a late bloomer. Last year at this time, he was playing at a US prep school. Now he’s centering the 2nd line at the Memorial Cup for Quebec League champion Chicoutimi. A big boy at 6’3 205#, Lefebvre has some explosive offensive capability and some high-level skating to fall back on. Has exceptional lateral agility, allowing him to change directions on a dime, slide to evade bodies or defenders and open up passing or shooting lanes. It also permits him to be a very dangerous puck possession forward, able to slip checks or hold off defenders with his size and reach while he scans the ice for open teammates.
Amazingly at his size, he’s slippery and can get lost in transition as he moves easily, but purposefully, to open ice. Loves to cut to the middle with the puck and break down the defense. Can get a little overconfident with the puck, over-handling it and getting himself caught on the wrong side of the puck. This traps him if he turns it over, which he does more frequently than I’d like. Yet he’s very dangerous with the puck on his stick, distributing quick passes to open teammates or using them as decoys to load up a heavy wrister that he uses everywhere between the dots. Has tremendous strength and balance.
Able to push away smaller defenders, while able to take a hit and hang on to the puck in the process, he’s a bit of a freight train coming down the tracks when he’s really moving with the puck. Defensively, he’s fairly accomplished. Not great, but rarely makes the big mistake. Doesn’t get caught out of position, works hard at keeping opponents out of the scoring areas, and his active stick and reach makes him tough in one-v-one defense. Really good in puck recovery as well. As a rookie, started with Rimouski but was traded mid-year to Chicoutimi, where he’s been better than a PPG (30P in 25 games) and has been extremely effective in the playoffs (12P in 20 games) as they won the Quebec League and are now battling for the Memorial Cup. Off to the University of Vermont next season. If he hits his ceiling, you’re looking at a big, power-center in the mold of a Tomas Hertl.
6#30: Pavel Denisov, 6’2 LHD, RUS:
As we pointed out before, we know Jarmo likes to pick over the Russian leagues later in the Draft looking for diamonds-in-the-rough. That’s how he found Vladislav Gavrikov in the 6thround. Here he goes with someone with a little more offensive punch in Denisov. A highly mobile, smooth skating defender who thinks defense first, Denisov has a smart two-way game and plays important minutes when the game is on the line for the #2 team in the Russian Junior league. With a full toolbox, this kid can play the game any way you want. High-paced chaos, he can get up ice with his skating and attack gaps and seams to break down the defense. Slow, methodical checking game? He can gap up, play a heavy game, and get the puck to safety consistently. A bruising, heavy forechecking game? He’s mobile enough to escape the forecheck and is more than happy to lay some big hits on the opposition.
Good 4-way skating, transitions easily, and can either pass or carry the puck through the Neutral Zone with some authority. Not a lot of creativity in his game, however. Offensive game is simple, but effective. Exits the zone like a mini-Owen Power, with crisp passes always snapped with velocity but easy enough to handle and usually on the tape. Does a great job of springing transition. On the other end, textbook transition defending. Pushes oncoming forwards into low-danger areas, leaves his check to protect the net front, and uses a violent stick to knock pucks out of trouble or disrupt a player trying to dangle him.
One of the youngest players in the Draft Class (missed the cut-off for next year’s Draft by two weeks!), Denisov’s already gotten called up to the VHL, the Russian second tier Men’s League, for 12 games this year and acquitted himself well. Looked good in Russian juniors, where he put up 16P in 40 games on one of their top teams. Next year he’s scheduled to start in the VHL. Denisov isn’t really elite at any one thing, but his game is so composed, versatile and well-rounded, he could develop into just about any sort of defender. Given the Sabres’ depth at the position, they can be patient with him and see what he becomes.