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.
Daxon Rudolph
Drafted: 2026, BUF (4th overall), 1st round, 4th pick
Position: Defense (shoots right)
Born: 3/6/2008 (Age: 18) Lacombe, Alberta, CAN
2025-2026 stats: GP 68 G 28 A 50 PTS 78 +32, Prince Albert Raiders WHL
2025 T25U25 Ranking: Unranked, undrafted
Swiped from my article after day one of the 2026 draft:
Daxon Rudolph has been compaired to both Charlie McAvoy and Zach Werenski. “He’s very calm, he makes the right plays as far as his defensive details, closes well, defends hard in the middle of the ice, gets the puck going north in a hurry. And it’s his risk meter, knowing when to jump into the rush and knowing when to hold.” said Prince Albert coach Ryan McDonald.
Very high praise for Buffalo’s top pick last June. Rudolph has a tremendous skill set and a strong hockey IQ. He is a very good two-way defenseman, capable of being both a high-end shooter and playmaker while remaining solid and smart in his own end of the ice. He may have been selected three or four picks earlier than the “draft experts” predicted, but the Buffalo Sabres got the talent they wanted.
Daxon already has excellent size for an 18-year-old, standing 6’2″ and weighing 205 pounds. He may still have a little growing left to do, and there is no doubt he will add more strength and fill out that frame as he matures.
Rudolph is committed to playing his freshman season of college hockey at the University of Denver (NCAA) this fall. Daxon has stated that his personal goal is to spend one or two seasons at the college level before making the jump to the NHL.
Whether that timeline holds remains to be seen, especially with the amount of talent already in Buffalo and a deep wave of defensive prospects pushing for future NHL opportunities. Rudolph, however, is the highest-drafted player among that group and would appear to have an inside track—provided he continues to develop well and performs at a high level in Denver.
This 2026 draft pick put up a ridiculous stat line with the Prince Albert Raiders, recording 28 goals and 50 assists for 78 points in 68 games while posting a +32 rating. His offensive talents are what immediately stand out, but he can handle business in his own end as well. He is a strong skater whose transition game is paramount to his success, combining elite puck-moving ability with the vision and skill to move the game up the ice.
Rudolph may be the newest defenseman thrown into Buffalo’s prospect mix, but he may also be one of the first to crack the Sabres’ lineup. Stay tuned.
2026 Buffalo Sabres Top 25 Under 25
#25 Simon-Pier Brunet
#24 Topias Leinonen
#23 Gavin McCarthy
#22 Luke Osburn
#21 David Bedkowski
#20 Maxim Strbak
#19 Brodie Ziemer
#18 Vsevolod Komarov
#17 Ashton Schultz
# 16 Riley Fiddler-Schultz
#15 Prokhor Poltapov
#14 Ryan Johnson
#13 Ilia Morozov
#12 Adam Kleber
#11 Tyson Kozak
#10 Olen Zellweger
#9 Daxon Rudolph