The Top 25 Under 25 is a collaboration by members of the Die By The Blade community. six writers and 718 readers ranked players under the age of 25 as of September 1, 2018 in the Buffalo Sabres organization. Each participant used their own metric of current ability and production against future projection to rank each player. Now, we’ll count down each of the 25 players ranked.
Danny O’Regan, 24, slots in at #22 in his first and only Buffalo Sabres Top 25 Under 25 appearance. Acquired in the Evander Kane trade with the San Jose Sharks last February, O’Regan earned 22 NHL games this past season with two of them being with the Sabres.
The rest of his season was spent at the AHL level with the San Jose Barracuda and the Rochester Americans. O’Regan provided an offensive spark for the Amerks during their playoff push and showcased his release in their short stint in the AHL playoffs.
9 seconds into the 3rd period the #Amerks tied it up 4-4. Fedun to Porter to O’Regan to the back of the net! pic.twitter.com/bJhKuoZeUY
— Let’s Go Amerks (@LetsGoAmerks) April 14, 2018
While it is likely that he starts the year in Rochester, the German-born skater is in a position where he can potentially play his way into the Sabres bottom six with a very strong training camp and preseason.
O’Regan did leave the year on a high note with the Amerks and knows what it takes to earn a NHL roster spot. A team that is in need of depth scoring could use a shot that the undersized centerman carries.
“I’m gonna shoot a million pucks in my garage.” Danny O’Regan (acquired in Kane trade) wants a quicker release on his shot. Says improving his shot is his top offseason priority #Amerks #Sabres pic.twitter.com/ctu7SBi0Uc
— Ted Goldberg (@TedGoldbergTV) April 26, 2018