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, 2023. Each participant used their own metric of current ability and production to rank each player. Staff votes counted equally with reader votes.
Anton Wahlberg
Drafted: 2023, 2nd round, 39th overall
Position: Center
Born: July 4, 2005
2022-2023 stats: Malmö Redhawks J20 – 32 GP – 14-13-27, +4, 53 PIM
Malmö Redhawks SHL – 17 GP -2-2-4, +3, 0 PIM
Malmö Redhawks J18 – 3 GP – 1-3-4, 0, 0 PIM
2022 T25U25 Ranking: Not Ranked
Anton Wahlberg is perhaps one of the more intriguing picks from the 2023 NHL Draft for the Buffalo Sabres. The Malmö native has spent the last few years growing up through the Redhawks organizations, and split last season largely between the J20 team and SHL team. He also represented Sweden at the U18s, where he had six points in seven games. The Sabres wasted no time, signing him just two weeks after the draft to a three-year, entry-level contract – shortly after he turned 18.
This season, he’ll get another crack at the SHL, where he’s playing with nd against a different level of talent – and age, and physicality – than in the J20 league. Last season, his numbers at the J20 level were fantastic. He showed hints of promise upon being promoted to the SHL, but it’s (understandably) a big jump. We’ll see what he can do this season alongside fellow Sabres draft pick William von Barnekow and if he can stick at the SHL level. (The duo were already paired on a line together!)
Here’s what he had to say after development camp earlier this summer. Since the SHL has already started its exhibition play, Wahlberg won’t be at the Sabres’ upcoming Prospects Tournament.
As a reminder, here’s what DBTB reader T. McGee had to say about Wahlberg in a mock draft earlier this year:
“Built like a bull, burgeoning power forward. A player who has been rising for much of the 2nd half of the season, Wahlberg is a 6’3 205# forward who can play a variety of styles, but whichever style, he likes to use his size and strength to control play. His play in the middle of the ice garnered a lot of the attention he’s been getting. And we know how the Sabres like their Swedes! The kid does not have the best wheels, and honestly, he needs to work on his explosion and first three steps coming out of the blocks. So, he’s hardly ideal in the mobility department. But he’s strong on his skates, has solid lateral movement, and if he gets some runway, he can get up to a pretty impressive top speed for a guy his size.
He’s at his best moving off the wall into the middle of the ice with the puck, where he uses his body to shield it from a defender and power toward the top of the crease where he creates chaos. Is most effective offensively when operating out of the cycle. He wins a lot of puck battles on the walls and in the corners and is difficult to contain in front of the net. When he’s on his game – and to be fair, consistency can be a problem – he’s got a real knack for keeping his stick free and just overpowering defenders to create screens while keeping himself free enough to get to loose pucks and jam rebounds into the net. Physically engages the man first, then finds the puck. A great asset at creating space for teammates. Will join a puck battle, stand up the opponent, and allow a teammate to recover the puck and with the space gained, make a play. But he’s also very effective when he recovers a puck. Feet are always in motion.
Will curl off the wall or out of the corner with the puck and is more than capable of making the right pass to set up a teammate or create havoc when he drives to the post. Has a nasty snapshot that he releases in a hurry and can beat goalies from the dots with it. Not a lot of variety in his shot arsenal. Puts a value on getting pucks to the net as quickly as possible. He’s dangerous on the forecheck, where if he can get to the defender, he will body them up and force them to make mistakes. A tenacious checker, he’s relentless on both the fore- and backcheck, taking good angles on puck carriers and disrupting plays with his sheer size and long stick. No problem with hammering a guy in open ice, and is a beast in the Neutral Zone, where he always seems to be pushing the puck in the right direction.
When carrying the puck, defenders seem to bounce off him. He’s not a zone entry wizard by any means, but his hands will surprise you at times. He can cross up a defender holding the blue line, slip by, and drive right down the slot for a prime scoring chance. A high-pressure defender, Wahlberg protects the middle of the ice in his own end but doesn’t hesitate when defending on-puck. Sometimes he’s overaggressive and will get beat one-on-one, but he quickly pursues and never gives up on a play. Obviously, he’s been up and down this past couple of seasons, but lately he’s been much more up than down. Bigger players always take time to evolve their games. Wahlberg is no different (not to mention he’s a late birthday in this class).
There are stretches where you wonder what happened to him, particularly on the offensive end. But when he’s playing well, he’s a bear to handle in all three zones. Played most of the year in U-20 Swedish league for Malmo, but late in the year saw him promoted to the SHL and he made the most of it, putting up 4P in 17 games as a 17-year-old and creating a number of additional chances. Really shining at the U-18 Worlds, he put up 6P in 7 games for the Silver-medal winning Swedes as one of their Top 6 forwards. I can see him being a Nicolas Roy sort of player down the road, and potentially more if he approaches his ceiling.”