DBTB –
Here we go, my fellow Sabre fans…as the school year gets underway, another Draft year has come! Now, I know we’re all focused on things like the Buffalo Sabres replicating last year’s performance, or even exceeding it, and things like Connor Hellebuyck or Kirill Marchenko joining the club. No one is thinking much about the Draft at this point in time. That’s cool.
Still, as we discovered this off-season, one never knows how things will transpire on Draft Day. I certainly never envisioned the Sabres selecting at #4 and at #20 in the first round, but…that’s exactly what happened. So I will continue to follow these young prospects, really more for my own entertainment, but also for you, DBTB, in the event you have a hankering for some junior hockey or are, like Casey Kasem before you, keeping your feet on the ground while reaching for (future) stars!
And while I’m most certainly an amateur when it comes to player assessment and prospect development, I can assure you that I will not rank Zach Benson as the #124 best player under 23 years old in the NHL.
Let’s get into it. Some of you will know that the Hlinka tournament got underway in early August, and while not everyone on my list saw the ice during that tournament that sort of kick-starts the Draft year, many of them did, including 6 of my Top 10, and more than half of my first round. This year’s Hlinka did not have what could be a superior Russian group as the ban remains in place for Team Russia. But we did see some fine hockey.
One thing about the Hlinka: it remains a weird tournament as the Americans never bring their best group (the NTDP team), while the Canadians do bring the best players in that year’s class. This is reversed in the Spring, when the US brings its NTDP team to the U-18s, while the Canadians have only a portion of their group, as many are playing in the CHL playoffs with their junior team. So it’s rare we get a true “best on best” match-up during the Draft year. That said, the defending champion Americans made it all the way to the Gold Medal game, where they were spanked by a group of Canadian kids who clearly wanted to wash the bad taste of the Olympics out of their collective mouth.
Predictably, consensus #1 Landon Dupont was fantastic, with 8pts in the tournament, while other players like Brock England, Alexis Joseph, Jaakko Wycisk, and Boston Tait looked great. The US side had Gavin Burcar come out of nowhere to dominate, while big center Gunnar Conboy and D-Man Jake Prunty had flashes of brilliance.
The Finns beat the Slovaks in the Bronze medal game, with Slovak Tomas Selic (not to be confused with Magnum PI) looking tremendous, but the Finns, behind Lenni Kokkonen – my favorite defender in the tournament not named Landon Dupont – Luca Santala and Miska Liljeberg really stood out. Others who got scouts attention were the Swiss forwards Jonah Neuenschwander and Alessandro Dominichelli, Czech power winger Max Mares and diminutive defender Lukas Kachlir, and the Swedes pair of massive centermen Milan Sundstrom and Dorian Eklund Aspe.
Unlike last season’s Draft, where defensemen were the best and deepest of the position groups (for only the second time in a decade, 6 D-Men went in the Top 13), this year is heavy with forwards. Potentially, this Draft could have as many 10 centers go in the Top 20 (which would make it a hugely impactful Draft), but there’s a long way to go before we get there. However, a ton of forwards are likely to go early even with the likely #1 overall pick being blueliner Landon Dupont, a Cale Makar/Quinn Hughes type of dynamic defender that is becoming more and more coveted by NHL teams.
Other than Dupont, there may not be another D-Man selected in the Top 10. Also notable is the extremely strong class of Russian kids eligible for this Draft. Right now, massive Nazr Privalov is likely the consensus #2 overall, but he’s also under contract in Russia until 2030. That could turn off some teams. Still, Russia could have 6 or 7 players go in Round One, which would easily be the most in years.
Interestingly, we’re seeing the impact that the changes to the CHL-NCAA relationship are having. Dupont has gone to the NCAA after a huge year in the WHL; a number of players in my first round are coming from European leagues to North America to play junior hockey and have already committed to playing NCAA hockey. Such things were extremely rare as recently as a few years back, but now, players – and their ‘advisors’ – are becoming very savvy to the new rules around where, when, and how players can advance to the NCAA and then on to pro hockey. That will only become more prevalent in the years to come.
What about the Sabres, you might say. Isn’t this a Sabres’ site? Indeed it is. BFLO will have one of, if not THE, youngest team in the NHL next season. Their pipeline is loaded. What could they possibly need? I thought adding a big, skilled forward might be in the cards for them. There are plenty in this Draft, and while Buffalo has some skilled complimentary forwards coming up (Poltapov, Ziemer, Novotny, Helenius, Schultz) the only big forwards who might be Top 9 forwards are this past year’s Ilia Morozov (6’3) and maybe Olivers Murnieks (6’2). So I added another one to that group as well as a quick, jack-of-all-trades centerman. Both seem like good fits, and players that they can take their time with.
As is tradition, the order of selection is NOT my prediction for the season. I took the odds from the Wynn Sports Book in Vegas and then fed it into Tankathon, which handled the Lottery for me. So don’t @ me because you disagree with the order!
Here we go, and let’s go BFLO!
ROUND ONE:
1#1: VANCOUVER: Landon Dupont, 6’0 RHD, NCAA
1#2: NASHVILLE: Milan Sundstrom, 6’3 C, SWE
1#3: CALGARY: Brock England, 5’11 C/W, WHL
1#4: SEATTLE: Nazr Privalov, 6’4 LW, RUS
1#5: CHICAGO: Alexis Joseph, 6’5 C, QMJHL
1#6: ST LOUIS: Dima Zhilkin, 5’10 RW, OHL
1#7: WINNIPEG: Sergei Skvortsov, 6’0 RW, RUS
1#8: DETROIT: Jonah Neuenschwander, 6’5 C/W, SWISS
1#9: NY ISLANDERS: Tomas Selic, 6’3 RW, SVK
1#10: BOSTON: Andrei Pustovoy, 6’3 RW, RUS
1#11: PITTSBURGH: Vladimir Shtyrkhunov, 6’1 RHD, QMJHL
1#12: NY RANGERS: Shaeffer Gordon-Carroll, 6’1 RW, WHL
1#13: COLUMBUS: Yevgeni Yakunin, 6’4 C, RUS
1#14: PHILADELPHIA: Jaako Wycisk, 6’1 C, OHL
1#15: LA KINGS: Tim Kazda, 6’1 LW, USHL
1#16: OTTAWA: Sammy Nelson, 6’3 C, NCAA
1#17: SAN JOSE: Gavin Burcar, 6’2 RW, WHL
1#18: NEW JERSEY: Luca Santala, 6’2 C/RW, FIN
1#19: BUFFALO: Noah Davidson, 6’3 LW, WHL
1#20: ANAHEIM: Petr Tomek, 5’10 C, CZE
1#21: UTAH: Diego Guttierez, 6’2 RHD, US NTDP
1#22: BOSTON (TORONTO): Carter Meyer, 6’1 C, US NTDP
1#23: MONTREAL: Lenni Kokkonen, 6’2 LHD, FIN
1#24: WASHINGTON: Boston Tait, 6’2 RHD, WHL
1#25: DALLAS: Jaxon Jacobsen, 5’10 C, WHL
1#26: MINNESOTA: Max Mares, 6’6 W, QMJHL
1#27: SEATTLE (TAMPA BAY): Roberts Naudins, 6’6 LW, WHL
1#28: CHICAGO (EDMONTON): Dorian Eklund-Aspe, 6’4 C, SWE
1#29: NEW JERSEY (VEGAS): Loui Karlsson, 5’10 W, SWE
1#30: CAROLINA: Douglas Johnsson, 5’10 RHD, SWE
1#31: TORONTO (COLORADO): Brock Cripps, 5’10 RHD, WHL
1#32: CHICAGO (FLORIDA): Gunnar Conboy, 6’4 C, USHL
SABRE’S HAUL
1#19: Noah Davidson, 6’3 LW, WHL
In the 2026 Draft, the Sabres drafted a big centerman in Ilia Morozov. Now, they add a big wing (6’3 215#) who can play some center. We know Ruff loves versatility. Davidson is a tough kid with a lot of skill to go with his size. Reminds me a bit of a Matthew Knies-kind of player. He’s not an explosive skater, but he gets around the ice well and has some escapability in his game. What sets him apart is his intelligence. Reads the flow of the game extremely well and uses that anticipation to get to spots before others can. Instincts are high level. Really good head for the game. Sees plays before they happen, locates spots where he can get open and has a nose for the puck.
High work rate. Battles hard for pucks on the wall, sticks his nose into crowds in front or behind the net to recover pucks and create scoring chances. Dangerous offensive threat who has the skill level to threaten the defense with the shot or the pass. Excellent hands, if a puck gets anywhere close he seems to vacuum it up and instantly go on the attack. Receives the puck well; can dangle you with his hands and long reach or make difficult passes through traffic.
Sees the ice extremely well. Is a terror around the net. Has the pure strength to hold off defenders, the anticipation to find and recover pucks, and the hands to make a play in tight. Tough to stop on deflections and operating in the slot – even tougher to stop once he collects a rebound around the crease. Keeps his hands clean. Good in transition as well. Fills his lane on time, can carry the puck or go to the net, although he could stand to crash the net a bit more often rather than wait to receive the puck higher in the O-zone.
Has a lethal shot. The puck jumps off his stick. Can fire lasers from the top of the circles on in but has enough variety in his shot arsenal that he can fool goalies from distance. Deadly off the rush where he can use defenders as screens and fire off some wild snapshots with a ton of velocity, not unlike Alex Tuch. Rips shots just as well standing still as he does in motion. Defensively, he competes hard and seems to be positionally solid and is mindful of his check even when playing off the puck.
Could get a little more physical edge to his game. Huge frame should get even bigger and stronger as he gets older. Davidson played behind the Ruck Twins at Medicine Hat (shout out to Tyler Ennis!) this past season where he put up 52P in 67 games despite getting 2nd line minutes. Looked even better in the playoffs, where he added 12P in 15 games before losing to Daxon Rudolph’s Prince Albert club. Will eventually enroll at Boston College. Looks to be a legit Top 6 forward prospect with size and versatility. A nice addition to the Sabres’ pipeline.
2#19: Riley Zupfer, 6’0 C/W, USHL:
This do-it-all forward can be a jack-of-all-trades for the Sabres prospect pool, able to play any of the 3 forward positions and change styles like a chameleon. One night he can be an effective shutdown center, the next night a playmaking wing. A coach’s dream. One thing he brings, no matter what position or style he’s playing, is a high-pace, high-energy game. Zupfer is a slick operator with the puck. Has good wheels, decent explosion and very good top speed once he gets moving. Has some elusiveness in his game when carrying the puck; takes smart routes to the net. Sees the play develop at full speed, whether with the puck or without it. Understands how to manipulate defenders with subtle fakes or by drawing them to him only to feed his open teammates for a quality chance.
Not a big shot but has good hands that can handle bouncing pucks and difficult passes. They are soft enough to slide sauce through traffic to his teammates or in odd-man rushes against aggressive defenders. His goal-scoring doesn’t take a back seat to his playmaking either. Zupfer can rifle a hard snapshot past a goalie from distance. Has a knack for finding open spots in coverage, where he can set up for a quick, accurate one-timer. And again, with hands plenty good enough to make some dynamic moves with the puck in transition, he’s a true dual-threat on offense.
Defensively, his work rate is high. Hard-nosed. Keeps stick-on-puck when defending and positionally he hustles to close off open space. Doesn’t slack off on the backcheck. Makes himself available on zone exits, especially when playing center, and knows what he’s going to do before the puck comes to him. Relies on the safe play to clear his own end. Zupfer put up an impressive 41P in 58 games for Des Moines in the USHL as their #2 center. Also led the team in playoff scoring at a PPG. Due to head to the Golden Dome of Notre Dame in 27-28. I think he could be an Andrew Copp-type of forward down the road for the Sabres, which has a lot of value.