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.
Nikita Novikov
Drafted: 2021, 6th round, 188th overall
Position: Defense
Born: July 25, 2003
2022-2023 stats: Dynamo Moskva – 62 GP – 2-3-5, -3, 21 PIM
2022 T25U25 Ranking: Not Ranked in Top 25
There are two key traits every team looks to have in a player on their blueline: size and physicality. With that being said, Sabres defensive prospect Nikita Novikov brings both of those things to the table.
Drafted in the later rounds of the 2021 NHL draft, Novikov is a 6’4, 198 lb defenseman who currently plays for Dynamo Moskva of the KHL. While still young, recently turning 20 years old in July, he has already played 109 total games in the KHL over the past two seasons.
Internationally, Novikov also represented his home country of Russia in the 2021 IIHF World U18 Championships and at the 2022 World Junior Championships (for only a short time as the tournament was cancelled due to COVID). He had an excellent performance at the 2021 IIHF Championships in particular, notching five assists in just seven games as Russia went on to take home the silver medal.
While he’s not necessarily a prolific scorer, putting up just 3 goals and 6 assists for Dynamo over the past two years, Novikov’s size and strength will be a major asset for the Sabres once he fully develops. As he is set to join Rochester for the 2023-24 season, his impact should be immediately felt on the blueline for the Amerks.
Regarding his contract situation, the Sabres signed Novikov to a three-year, entry level deal lasting through 2025-26, at $867,500 per season, per CapFriendly.
2023 Buffalo Sabres Top 25 Under 25 –#21 – Prokhor Poltapov
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