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.
Bowen Byram
Drafted: 2019 by Colorado – 1st Round (4th Overall), traded to Buffalo in 2024
Position: Defense
Born: June 13th, 2001 – 24 Years Old
2024-2025 Stats: 82 GP | 7G, 31A | +11
2024 T25U25 Ranking: 9
Acquired from the Avalanche at the end of the 2023-2024 season in exchange for Casey Mittelstadt, Bowen Byram has become a reliable defenseman in his short time with Buffalo – so much so, that the organization signed him to a two-year contract extension back in July. While the deal carries him right to unrestricted free agency and a possible trade before the two years are up, he was still an asset this past season – the sixth of his NHL career – a solid player alongside Rasmus Dahlin. It is likely he will serve the same type of impactful role this upcoming season as the Sabres look to snap their infamous playoff drought.
During his first full season in Buffalo, he reached several career highs, including full participation in 82 games and an average ice time of 22:42 (second on the team only to Dahlin). The only other Sabre to play a full season last year was forward and fan favorite Alex Tuch. This also comes after being somewhat injury-prone in Colorado – missing stretches of ice time during his first two professional seasons. The 2024-2025 season certainly made up for it, though. Besides his impressive workload, the British Columbia native was visibly effective in all situations: power play, penalty kill, and even-strength, especially when paired with Dahlin as they both dominated consistently.
It really is no surprise to see the 24-year-old defenseman move up six spots in the rankings from last year to this year. In his regular season career thus far, Byram’s numbers are solid with 110 points in 246 games and a +26. He is also one of the few Sabres with playoff experience (albeit for a different team, obviously) and the only one with a Stanley Cup Championship on his resume. Though his time may be ticking in the Queen City, he has certainly been a positive addition as one of the best players on the team as he gives fans a little something to look forward to as a new season begins in a few weeks.
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