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.
Jack Quinn
Drafted: 2020, BUF 1st round (8th overall pick)
Position: Right wing
Born: 9/19/2001 (Age: 23) Cobden, Ontario, Canada
2024-2025 stats: GP 74 G 15 A 24 PTS 39
2024 T25U25 Ranking: 4
Just about every significant player in the T25U25 this year has either gone up in their ranking or else come off the list entirely due to being traded or ageing out. Except Jack Quinn.
In the three seasons he was signed to Buffalo on his entry-level contract, Quinn has managed 0.49ppg, 0.70ppg & 0.53ppg. So you would assume that the soon-to-be 24-year-old is in line for a 60-point season this year right? The problem is, every time he’s looked like he’s on the verge of breaking out, he’s just… not.
There is no doubting the talent in the player. He tore up the Ontario Hockey League in his draft year potting 52 goals in 62 games. Since then he’s showed flashes of immense skill and playmaking ability. But injuries have certainly slowed him down, with Achilles surgery during the 2023 off-season and then another lower body injury late in the 23-24 season. He spent most of the first half of the 24-25 season looking like a pale shadow of himself as he got back to full fitness and at times fought the puck almost like he had forgotten how to play the game. Quinn then looked pretty impressive in the back half of the season and returned his stats to a respectable number.
His surge towards the end of the season did not do enough to instill belief that he can put it all together this year, and even though he signed a two-year bridge deal for $3.375 million per year this summer, talk of being traded never quite went away. With JJ Peterka already being shipped out, the hockey world is unconvinced that a brittle Josh Norris and other players stepping up will cover the goals that went out the door with the German forward.
A deeper dive into his analytics shows up some interesting trends – his xGF% has gone from a team-leading 52.4 to a fifth-placed 50.9 to a middling 45.2, which is in part due to his usage where he’s gone from a top-six forward to a more third-line role.
Quinn has played sheltered minutes throughout his time in Buffalo, with a very favorable offensive zone start percentage – 63.9%, 59.4% & 62.3%. Given that it’s a small data sample size, but it is interesting that his best offensive output has come when he’s had less offensive zone start time.
His PDO (on-ice SH% + on-ice SV%) has been consistently over 1 (1.007, 1.006 & 1.003) so that is a positive sign that he can correct his xGF%. Quinn has also been good on a mediocre power play unit, seeing his power play points per 60 min played continuing to increase – 2.91 to 3.62 to 4.74 last season, and should continue to contribute there with his high-end shot, strong puck skills, and impressive hockey sense.
Three possible paths exist for Quinn to succeed in his ‘try-me” contract. First is that he comes out hungry and guns blazing during training camp and nabs himself a top six spot, which he then doesn’t relinquish on his way to a 60+ point season.
Second is that he provides the offensive spark on a fast and furious third line that rocks opponents’ top lines with outright north-south speed.
Or finally, he continues to move up and down the lineup like a middling middle-sixer, picks up thirty-odd points and misses more time due to injury, thereby ensuring next season will be his last in Buffalo. His projected wins above replacement (WAR) percentile is only 46%, which basically means he would be less than your average hockey player in contributing to the win total.
Which of these situations will he make his reality?
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