The Top 25 Under 25 is a collaboration by members of the Die By The Blade community. 117 readers ranked Buffalo Sabres players under the age of 25 as of August 1, 2025. Each participant used their own metric of current ability and production to rank each player.
Zach Benson
Drafted: 2023, BUF (13th overall), 1st round, 13th pick
Position: Forward
Born: 5/12/2005 (Age: 20) Chilliwack, British Columbia, CAN
2024-2025 stats: GP 75 G 10 A 18 PTS 28 (Buffalo Sabres)
2024 T25U25 Ranking: Benson was ranked 6th one year ago.
I am a little surprised as well. Zach Benson comes in at number 2 on the Buffalo Sabres Top 25 Under 25. For me, I thought Bo Byram would take this spot, as he is more established and has been more successful. So I think Benson’s ranking here is based more on his potential. We all love us some Taz, so it’s no shocker he is in the top 5. We appreciate his effort, his grit, his feistiness.
He is just 20 years old with two full NHL seasons under his belt now. There is lots to like here but more will be expected. Though highly skilled, Zach’s offense just hasn’t been there consistently yet. He has 21 goals and 37 assists through two Sabres’ seasons. Many fans would like to see him put up those numbers this season alone, and it’s quite possible he can. Benson looks likely to get top 6 minutes this year, playing with the likes of Tage, Tuch, Norris and Kulich. His offensive improvement will be vital to Buffalo’s playoff aspirations.
Benson brings high energy to the rink and is stong on the forecheck, even at his limited size. (5’10” and 172 pounds) He is a physical sparkplug out there, not afraid of contact. He does take some bad penalties sometimes, which he needs to work on. But he also takes some highly questionable phantom calls as well. Frequently, it really feels like the referees are targeting this little fella of ours. He just wants to be an UNDERSIZED TERROR, let him play his game!
Zach also has the heart of a lion and a good motor on him. He can be chirpy out there too and is always in on any scrum that develops.
In addition to his intangibles, Taz has a pretty good shot and crisp, pro-style passing. His skillset emerges sometimes between all the feistiness. We would like to see it even more. Not many players had a better first NHL goal than he did.
So, has Zach Benson earned the number 2 spot in our fan vote? Well, here he is, so he is doing something right. His compete level is strong and people recognize the skills yet to emerge. Better offensive numbers for him are coming soon to an NHL arena near you. As for beating out Byram, I think that is because we know who Bo is. What we saw last season is pretty much the player we will see going forward. Good stuff for sure but close to his ceiling. Benson is more of an iceberg right now. You only see the 10 percent sticking out above the water. (which may explain his small stature) There is lots more talent for Benny to unlock and plenty of room to progress further.
Let us hope it begins this October.
2025 Buffalo Sabres Top 25 Under 25
#25: Scott Ratzlaff
#24: Topias Leinonen
#23: Zac Jones
#22: Viktor Neuchev
#21: Prokhor Poltapov
#20: Adam Kleber
#19: Brodie Ziemer
#18: Maxim Strbak
#17: Vsevolod Komarov
#16: Nikita Novikov
#15: Anton Wahlberg
#14: Tyson Kozak
#13: Radim Mrtka
#12: Isak Rosen
#11: Ryan Johnson
#10: Peyton Krebs
#9: Noah Ostlund
#8: Josh Doan
#7: Konsta Helenius
#6: Jack Quinn
#5: Devon Levi
#4: Jiri Kulich
#3: Bowen Byram