The Top 25 Under 25 is a collaboration by members of the Die By The Blade community. It was a combination of staff writers and over 200 readers that ranked Buffalo Sabres players under the age of 25 as of August 1, 2024. Each participant used their own metric of current ability and production to rank each player. Staff votes counted equally with reader votes.
Ryan Johnson
Drafted: 2019 – 1st Round (31st Overall)
Position: Defense
Born: July 24, 2001 (23 years old)
2023-24 Stats: Buffalo Sabres (NHL) – 0-7-7 in 41 GP; Rochester Americans (AHL) – 0-9-9 in 27 GP
2023 T25U25 Ranking: 17
2022 T25U25 Ranking: 18
Ryan Johnson split last season between the NHL and AHL. He started the season in Rochester before being recalled and making his NHL debut on November 4, and would stick with the Sabres until earch March before finishing the season in Rochester.
When he was in the NHL – for half of the season – he often played alongside either Connor Clifton or Jacob Bryson, typically on the team’s third pairing. He began to carve out a space for himself in the NHL, but was eventually sent back to Rochester after the acquisition of Bowen Byram squeezed him out of a roster spot. That said, while Johnson’s first glance at the big league lasted only half a season, he looked good in it.
Johnson moved up five spots from last year’s rankings, and deservedly so.
Here’s his year-end media interview in Rochester:
Will he find his way into the NHL roster again this season? Probably at some point, but it doesn’t seem likely to start, given that the Sabres have a wealth of defensemen signed that will easily fill up the blueline. Guys like Dahlin, Power and Samuelsson are supplemented by Byram, Clifton, Jokiharju and Bryson. Johnson will almost certainly be at the top of the call-up list, but he’ll find himself along guys like Kale Clague and newcomer Dennis Gilbert and will have to fight to earn that call-up.
2024 Buffalo Sabres Top 25 Under 25
#25: Adam Kleber
#24: Tyson Kozak
#23: Maxim Štrbák
#22: Prokhor Poltapov
#21: Aleksandr Kisakov
#20: Viktor Neuchev
#19: Vsevolod Komarov
#18: Nikita Novikov
#17: Anton Wahlberg
#16 Isak Rosén
#15 Peyton Krebs
#14: Noah Östlund
#13: Konsta Helenius