The Top 25 Under 25 is a collaboration by members of the Die By The Blade community. 92 readers ranked Buffalo Sabres players under the age of 25 as of August 1, 2026. Each participant used their own metric of current ability and production to rank each player.
Luke Osburn
Drafted: 2024, BUF (108th overall), 4th round pick
Size: 6’1″, 189 lbs
Position: Defense (shoots left)
Born: 9/9/2006 (Age: 19) Plymouth, MI
2025-2026 stats: GP 32 G 6 A 15 PTS 21, University of Wisconsin
2025 T25U25 Ranking: Unranked
The Sabres pipeline is filled with young defensemen, and in Luke Osburn they have another one that has offensive talent, work ethic and leadership in buckets. The Badgers showed last season that they were not afraid to put the rookie on ice in key game situations, and Osburn delivered and then some. Trailing 3-1 with 4:47 remaining in the third period of the NCAA regional final, the defenseman stepped up from the point and slammed a goal home from the left circle. Just over thirty seconds later he was on the ice for the game leveler, and then again in the first shift of overtime as they scored the game winner. Wisconsin would lose to the University of Denver in the NCAA championship game, but Osburn has already shown that even at just 19 he can be relied on in pressure situations.
Osburn scored 10 goals and 41 points in 55 games with the junior Youngstown Phantoms in 2024-25, going on to become the United States Hockey League Defenseman of the Year and on the All Star Team. He then picked up six goals and 21 points in 33 games as a freshman with the Badgers, getting names to the Big 10 All-Rookie Team.
Wisconsin coach Mike Hastings has been full of praise for the youngster:
“Some people talk about 200 feet, but he’s as comfortable behind our net as he is behind theirs. Those guys are hard to find. It’s hard to put a ceiling on him because of all the intangibles being in place.”
His coaches emphasize that he still has to work on his skating, though his lateral movement has improved a lot last season. As one of the leaders on the Badgers roster, this season will go a long way towards defining what kind of player he could eventually become for the Sabres.
Wisconsin assistant coach Nick Oliver called him a rink rat:
“He’s just wired differently. From the time he wakes up until the time he goes to bed, he’s trying to find any possible way to get better. He’s one of the first ones into the rink most days, he’s one of the last ones to leave most days, and I think as the years have progressed, you’ve just seen his all-around game continue to round out because of it.”
2026 Buffalo Sabres Top 25 Under 25
#25 Simon-Pier Brunet
#24 Topias Leinonen
#23 Gavin McCarthy
#22 Luke Osburn