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, 2024. Each participant used their own metric of current ability and production to rank each player. Staff votes counted equally with reader votes.
Viktor Neuchev
Drafted: 2022 – 3rd Round (74th Overall)
Position: Left Wing
Born: October 25, 2003 (20 years old)
2023-24 Stats: Rochester Americans (AHL) – 11-17-28 + 8 PIM in 57 GP
2023 T25U25 Ranking: NR
To sum up Viktor Neuchev’s first season in North America in one word, we can say: success. The 20-year-old led all Amerks rookies in scoring and was 10th overall on the team with 28 points. His 89 shots were 8th-most on the team, and he finished the season a plus-10. Not bad for his first season out of Russia, and a nice adjustment after a 12-point performance in 57 KHL games the season prior.
As the Amerks’ Andrew Mossbrooks writes, Neuchev “showed flashes of brilliance last season.” He wasn’t producing all season, but when he was on, he was on, including an eight-game stretch where he notched 11 points. He also had some really nice goals, like this one:
Neuchev undoubtedly faced challenges in his first season in North America, from adapting to a different style of play and new teammates to a completely new culture and the English language. Many of the interviews done with him during the season involved using Google Translate to communicate; if it works, it works.
He wasn’t perhaps the most well-known player on Sabres’ fans minds last season, but he put together a solid little stat line in his first AHL season and it’ll be interesting to see how that carries into a new season, with a new head coach. Look for him to have a productive year in Rochester as he continues to develop.
2024 Buffalo Sabres Top 25 Under 25
#25: Adam Kleber
#24: Tyson Kozak
#23: Maxim Štrbák
#22: Prokhor Poltapov
#21: Aleksandr Kisakov