A few days ago, Corey Pronman of ESPN.com released his rankings of the top NHL farm system, and the Buffalo Sabres ranked #3, mostly because of the top-tier talent they have waiting for a shot in the NHL and less because of their previously impressive prospect depth.
Today, Pronman released his list of the top 100 individual prospects, and it’s easy to see how the Sabres organization attained their third overall rankings, as Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart are ranked #2 and #3, respectively.
Trailing only Connor McDavid at #1 (duh), Eichel and Reinhart rank ahead of other highly touted prospects of the past two drafts such as Mitch Marner, Sam Bennett, William Nylander, and Noah Hanifin. Reinhart makes a jump up on the list, up from #5 last year, and jumps ahead of Sam Bennett, who was ranked #3 last year. This is obviously Eichel’s first (and last) year on the list.
Here’s what Pronman has to say about Eichel:
Eichel had one of the best seasons ever by a college freshman, including an extremely impressive showing at the World Championships for an 18-year-old. He’s a total package. Eichel is big, with elite skill, creativity and vision to couple with very good speed. He’s also a reliable defensive player who can line up versus good forwards and retrieve the puck. Eichel has the ability to control a game and tilt the ice heavily in his team’s favor, at times making it look easy.
And Reinhart:
Reinhart didn’t stick in the NHL this past season, and his production in the WHL as a 19-year-old didn’t wow anyone, but there is zero doubt in my mind he’s an elite prospect. Reinhart’s hockey IQ is off the charts, as his vision, anticipation and two-way understanding of the game generates so much value on a shift-to-shift basis. He’s a very skilled playmaker, who may not be the biggest or the fastest, but he’ll create a lot of offense while lining up against the opponent’s best players. Eichel and Reinhart could be a deadly combo down the middle for years due to their versatility — there’s no matchup either of them can’t handle.
Despite their crazy good talent at the top of the list, the Sabres prospect cupboard is a bit more empty thank to trades made by Tim Murray and a few graduates from the list, and the tream only has two other players in the top 100 – Jake McCabe at #78 and Hudson Fasching at #92.
Give us you thoughts on the Sabres having two prospects in the top 10, and not much else, in the comments.