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, 2023. Each participant used their own metric of current ability and production to rank each player. Staff votes counted equally with reader votes.
JJ Peterka
Drafted: 2020 – 2nd round (34th overall)
Position: RW
Born: January 14, 2002 – 21 years old
2022-2023 stats: Buffalo Sabres – 77 GP – 12-20-32
2022 T25U25 Ranking: 7th
By all accounts, JJ Peterka’s first full season in the NHL was a success. His 32 points were 10th most on a team that featured an absolute star in Tage Thompson, a huge season for Jeff Skinner, and incredible displays of skill from guys like Alex Tuch and Dylan Cozens. Peterka averaged 13:38 of ice time last season in 77 games – appropriate, given his jersey number – and is shaping up to be a talented offensive piece for Buffalo.
In addition to the NHL action he saw last season, he led Germany with 12 points in 10 games at Worlds. As a result, he was named the tournament’s best forward and was also named a media all-star. Germany won silver; Peterka had a goal in the final game.
Peterka has really blossomed over the last two years, first in Rochester and now in Buffalo. He & Jack Quinn have also become quite the duo, a young pair of players growing up together in the organization, and it’s been fun to see their friendship develop.
This season, Peterka will once again find himself among a talented group of forwards, and they can only serve to help boost one another. He’s generally been on the Sabres’ second or third line during the preseason, so I’d expect him to be in a similar spot for much of the regular season, too.
Heading into the final preseason game (which he is expected to play in), Peterka has two points in three preseason games to date. He also has one hit and 12 shots on goal and has played anywhere from 15 to 21 minutes. (His preseason high was 21:44.)
The Sabres will continue to rely on Peterka as a depth forward as the season progresses, giving him a chance to bloom among a crowd of fellow young and young-ish talents.