The Top 25 Under 25 is a collaboration by members of the Die By The Blade community. It was a combination of six staff writers and over 485 fans that ranked players under the age of 25 as of August 10, 2021. Each participant used their own metric of current ability and production to rank each player.
Our T25U25 continues with one of the Buffalo Sabres youngest forwards, Dylan Cozens, who will graduate from prospect status early this season.
Cozens, 20 years old, has continued to shoot up the organizational prospect chart since the moment the Buffalo Sabres announced his selection as the 7th overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft.
Last season saw Cozens make his professional hockey debut with the Buffalo Sabres, where he recorded 13 points (four goals, nine assists) in 46 games.
The transition for a 20-year old from the Western Hockey League to the National Hockey League can certainly be compared to a culture shock but Cozens did not seem to stutter.
While Cozens showed signs of growth throughout his time with the Sabres last season, there remains room for growth.
Last season saw Cozens starting with third-line minutes but his role and time-on-ice increased to that of a second-line forward by the end of the season.
Heading into the 2021-22 NHL season, Cozens’ role is expected to start off a little smaller, as he is projected to center a third-line on Opening Night, between Anders Bjork and Drake Caggiula.
If one thing is certain about Dylan Cozens, the sky is the limit for the amount of talent he has already displayed. One can only hope that Cozens can tap into that potential and grow into a top forward for a Buffalo Sabres franchise much in need of high-end talent.
#25 Casey Fitzgerald
#24 Aaron Huglen
#23 Linus Weissbach
#22 Aleksandr Kisakov
#21 Albert Lyckåsen
#20 Erik Portillo
#19 Devon Levi
#18 Matej Pekar
#17 Oskari Laaksonen
#16 Isak Rosen
#15 Jacob Bryson
#14 Ryan Johnson
#13 Mattias Samuelsson
#12 Tage Thompson
#11 Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
#10 JJ Peterka
#9 Jack Quinn
#8 Rasmus Asplund
#7 Arttu Ruotsalainen
#6 Henri Jokiharju
#5 Casey Mittelstadt
#4 Owen Power
#3 Rasmus Dahlin