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.
Dylan Cozens
Drafted: 2019, 1st round, 7th overall
Position: Center
Born: February 9, 2001
2022-2023 stats: 81 GP, 31-37-68
2022 T25U25 Ranking: Tied 5th
It’s a term used often in enough in the world of sport, but last season really was the coming out party for the Workhorse from Whitehorse.
Centering the so-called “Kids Line” with fellow young core members JJ Peterka and Jack Quinn, Cozens caught the eye with his unrelenting workrate whenever he was on the ice. The 22-year-old is one of those hockey players that never takes a shift off, and as an opponent you cannot take your eye off him either.
Cozens had 38 points in 79 games the previous season but looked to be on the cusp of establishing himself as a NHL-level top six forward, which he duly did last season, upping his numbers to 31 goals and 68 points, both career bests. Watching that line catching opposing teams by surprise and forcing coaches to make adjustments would have no doubt tweaked the nostalgia nerve among those of us who were around when some other brash young kids going by the names of Thomas Vanek, Derek Roy and Jason Pominville also took the league by storm.
The Sabres certainly liked what they saw in the center during his contract year with his three-year entry level deal coming to an end and signed him up to a long-term deal. His 7-year, $49.7 million contract is a perfectly reasonable one for a building block of this team, and in time will only prove to be more valuable as Cozens continues to grow.
Cozens is well-regarded by both coaches and teammates alike – from stepping into the top line when injuries took a toll to dropping the gloves when opponents took liberties with his teammates, the young man has been an admirable role model for many younger Sabres coming into the squad. He takes key faceoffs for Buffalo, scores big goals, energizes his teammates, and plays to the whistle and beyond – what else can you ask for?
The forward is already one of the leaders in the locker room for this young squad, and will only only get better from here. One of just three NHLers to have been born in the Yukon territory, Cozens wears both his heritage and the Sabres sweater with a level of pride that doesn’t come around to Buffalo too often. No Sabres fan is going to be remotely surprised if he catches fire again this season and obliterates the point-per-game mark, that is the kind of ceiling that he comes with.
2023 Buffalo Sabres Top 25 Under 25 –
#25 – Viljami Marjala
#24 – Mateo Costantini
#23 – Norwin Panocha
#22 – Jakub Konecny
#21 – Prokhor Poltapov
#20 – Nikita Novikov
#19 – Anton Wahlberg
#18 – Lukas Rousek
#17 – Ryan Johnson
#16 – Noah Ostlund
#15 – Isak Rosen
#14 – Henri Jokiharju
#13 – Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
#12 – Peyton Krebs
#11 – Matt Savoie
#10 – Zach Benson
#9 – Jiri Kulich
#8 – JJ Peterka
#7 – Casey Mittelstadt
#6 – Mattias Samuelsson
#5 – Jack Quinn
#4 – Devon Levi
#3 – Owen Power
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