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Sabres Top 25 Under 25: #7 – Mark Pysyk

Mark Pysyk

Position: defense

Age: 22

Height: 6’1″

Weight: 192 lbs.

Acquired: Taken in the 1st round (23rd overall) in the 2010 draft

2013-14 team: Buffalo/Rochester

Last year’s ranking: 3

You could argue at points last season Mark Pysyk was the Sabres best defenseman. He doesn’t do anything that jumps off the page, but he’s the type of player where it’s usually a good sign that you don’t notice him all that much.

He’s smart, he’s a good skater, and he’s sound. The one thing he has’t really done in the NHL thus far is score, which is why they sent him down to Rochester this season according to Ted Nolan. It has nothing to do with the fact that the Sabres were purposely trying to be bad, I promise you.

He faced the third toughest quality of competition last season and finished near the top of the team in advanced stats. At 22-years-old, that’s a pretty impressive feat.

Pysyk is entering his third season of professional hockey, and he’s a near lock to be with Buffalo the entire time. In fact he’ll be one of the more interesting players to watch, as he continues to progress into a top four NHL defenseman. He dropped a few spots from his ranking last year, but that’s not his fault. There are simply a few players that had top notch seasons.

If butt goal was factored in, he would have been a few spots higher.

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