GASabresIUFAN

Sure he is confident. Putin says Russian players stay home or else. I repeat, I’m not drafting any Russian players in the 1st round. It’s just not worth the risk. Yurov may have top 10 talent, but the difference in talent at 16 between him and say Ohgren, Kulich, Snuggerud or Nazar is enough to justify the risk. I may regret this stance in 5 years, but KA has repeated on numerous occasions how important this draft is to the franchise’s future, I don’t see him taking the additional risk. So how does that gel with taking 4 Russians last year? Simple, last year he had good scouting on the Russian kids and Putin hadn’t invaded the Ukraine.

I think I’m passing on all Russians in the 1st round. These are important picks for the franchise longterm and they aren’t worth the risk.

Here is a semi bold prediction: prospects Johnson and Portillo get traded during the draft. KA uses the 9th overall pick and one of the prospects (Johnson) to move up to 4 and takes Nemec or Jiricek. He then takes Snuggerud at 16, but then trades 28 and Portillo to move up to somewhere around 22 and takes either Kulich or Ostlund.

So your saying there is some work to do.

I thumbed through 10 Mock drafts 9. Gauthier (3), Savoie (3), Kasper (2), Lekkerimaki (2) 16. Kasper (2), Nazar (2), Yurov (2), Bichsel, Mateychuk, Howard, Ostlund all with 1 28. Rinzel (3), Nazar, Ostlund, McGroarty, Firkus, Luneau, Bichsel, and Pickering with 1.

Good Answer 👏👏👏

I was playing with my list of prospects trying to put some order to them before the draft and found it surprisingly difficult so far. There are 30 prospects currently in the system ranging from Power to Pekar and ranging in age from 19 to 24. I wrote earlier that I wasn’t going to rank the kids until after the draft, but i found it helpful to help prepare for the draft. When I rank the prospects I look at upside potential as well as years to the NHL. The top of the list is well obvious - Power, Quinn, Krebs, JJP, Levi and Samuelsson, but after that it gets tricky. Where do you place older prospects like Murray, Weissbach, Biro and Rousek? How high do you place CHL breakout players like Nadeau, Bloom, and Kozak? Do you lower the ranking for the Russian kids because of the political situation? In the end I discounted all the Russians due to the uncertainty in their availability. Where do you place AHL prospects who didn’t quite live up to expectations like UPL, Laaksonen and Pekar? Also how do you judge Novikov vs Laaksonen? So here is my pre-draft preliminary list 1. Power - Played 23 minutes a night in his 8 games after leading Mich deep into the NCAA championships and representing Canada twice. 2. Quinn - 1.35 pts per game in the AHL last year @ 20. NHL this fall. 3. Krebs - 22 pts in 48 NHL games last year 4. Peterka - 68 pts in 70 AHL games as a 19 year old rookie. Amerks leading scorer. 7g in 10 playoff games. Likely a Sabre this fall. 5. Levi - 1.54 gaa and .952 save % in first NCAA season. One more college season before joining the pro ranks. 6. Samuelsson - Ended up as Dahlin’s partner on the Sabres top pair. 7. Johnson - Gopher D going back for one more shot at an NCAA championship. Probably NHL ready. Could become a UFA 8. Portillo - like Levi and Johnson, going back for another championship shot. Was Michigan’s backbone in net. Could become a UFA. Reminds me of Cal Petersen. 9. Rosen - C/W - 2021 1st rd pick, floated between leagues last year, but joining Amerks in the Fall. 10. UPL - played his best in the NHL games last year, but still struggled in the AHL. Likely one more year in Rochester. 11. Nadeau - RW stepped up with 78 pts in 65 games in the Q. Great in Memorial Cup. Signed, but one more year in the Q. 12. Laaksonen - originally had him 17th, but with 2 solid pro seasons under his belt, if his D improves, he’ll be our first D callup. 13. Kisakov - LW; 26g and 51 pts in the MHL. Signed by the Sabres, but will he be in Rochester next season? If not, drop him next to Poltapov. 14. Bloom - 6’2” LW scored 61 pts in 67 OHL games. Also signed but ineligible for the Amerks this season. 15. Kozak - C; 32g and 69 pts in 66 WHL games was a huge breakout for the former 7th rd pick. Eligible for the AHL next year, but as of yet unsigned. 16. Cederqvist -AHL bound LW after a stellar SHL season with 32 pts in 49 games at only 21. 17. Poltapov - LW; like Rosen bounced around last year and did ok in the VHL with 7 pts in 25 games. 18. Biro - impressed in first pro season and earned a call up. 41 pts in 48 AHL games is hard to ignore, but is already 24. 19. Rousek -The RW missed most of last season with an injury but was excellent in AHL playoffs w 6 pts in 10 games. Should have a bigger role next season. 20. Novikov - Big strong D who held his own in the KHL, but has limited offensive upside. Who knows when or if he’ll get signed. 21. Costantini - 21 pts in 35 NCAA games for UND. Sabres need centers. I hope the former Jr Sabre continues to blossom. 22. Huglen - RW scored 16 pts in 37 NCAA games, but role grew as season progressed. Not bad considering he missed 2 years to an injury. Could be a breakout player next season. 23. Murray - big LW did some nice things in 19 NHL games, but hard to project him as more than a AAAA player given the Sabres forward depth. 24. Weissbach - Small forward had a solid 1st pro season w 37 pts in 67 games. Already 24, hard to see him making the Sabres. 25. Lyckasen - Smaller D bounced around some last year, but did put on 19 pts (9 goals) in 51 Swe-1 games as a 19 year old. 26. Von Barnekow - C; Also bounced around, but had 31 pts in 27 Swe-jr games, but failed to score in 27 SHL games or 8 SWE-1 games. 27. Marjala - 46 pts in 68 Q games. Will need to make a huge leap to catch the herd of LW prospects ahead of him. 28. Sardarian - 25 pts in 46 USHL games. RW set to join U of New Hampshire in the fall. Hopefully he didn’t return to Russia for the summer. 29. Pekar - Make or break season for the pesky forward. 6 pts in 47 AHL games won’t cut it. 30. Konecny - Small 20 year old center playing in Czech league. 7 pts in 28 games last season.

All Philadelphia sports fans are the most annoying. They are so much worse than any other fanbase it’s not even close.

Spoken like a true Bills fan!

https://www.fearthefin.com/2022/7/4/23194919/san-jose-sharks-news-mike-grier-general-manager-search Congrats to Mike. He is going to do a great job. One of my favorite ex-Sabres. I didn’t realize that Dolphins GM Chris Grier is Mike’s brother. Is there any other family in history that has two kids as GM’s of major sports teams in two different sports?

I was having a great time until a thunderstorm rolled in and soaked everyone while watching fireworks

Assuming he gets to the NHL and Putin doesn’t send him to the front.

Team Player 1 Mon Wright 2 NJ Slafkovsky 3 AZ Cooley 4 Sea Nemec 5 Phi Gauthier 6 CBJ Jiricek 7 Ott Kemell 8 DET Savoie 9 Buf Kasper 10 ANA Korchinski 11 SJ Mintyukov 12 CBJ Nazar 13 NYI Lambert 14 WPG Lekkerimaki 15 VAN Mateychuk 16 Buf Snuggerud 17 NASH Pickering 18 Dal Yurov 19 Minn Geekie 20 WAS Kulich 21 PIT Ostlund 22 ANA Ohgren 23 STL Bichsel 24 Minn Gaucher 25 TOR Howard 26 MON McGroarty 27 AZ Rinzel 28 Buf Chesley 29 EDM Miroshinchenko 30 WPG Del Bel Belluz 31 TB Mesar 32 AZ Beck

At this point my gut says the top player who will be available to the Sabres will be Kasper. If by some miracle one of Gauthier, Nemec or Jiricek falls to 9th, then you grab one of them, but I give the likelihood of that happening at under 5% chance. 9. Kasper if we are lucky, Savoie if we aren't 16. Nazar (if we didn't already take Savoie), Yuroz (only based on talent - I think he falls further), Kulich and possibly Geekie, 28. Chesley, Luneau and Odelius Another interesting strategy would be to go for the top Swedish line 9. Lekkerimaki 16. Ohgren 28. Ostlund

very late birthday and was playing high school hockey. I don't think the scouts got a great feel for him during the pandemic.

I think Gauthier and Kemell are 6 & 7. I think the bias against smaller player like Savoie is the factor dropping him. I read the story in the Athletic about GM concerns about Russian players who went home for the summer being able to return. If they are concerned about contracted players, what must they be thinking about the prospects availability? Honestly, if Yurov somehow falls to 28 or so you ahve to take him. Way to talented and eventually things will get worked out.

I hope the Sabres draft Casey’s little brother. 4th rd pick? From the Athletic: LHD Luke Mittelstadt, Madison Capitals: The second passed-over player from my 2021 list that I’d consider taking in 2022, Mittelstadt is another late 2003 who played in the USHL this year and is off to college (Minnesota) in the fall. Mittelstadt is a highly-gifted offensive defenseman who led all under-19 USHL defensemen in goals (19) this year and finished second in that age bracket in points (55 in 60 games, which actually led the Capitals). He also added another five goals and nine points in 14 playoff games. Mittelstadt, the younger brother of Sabresforward Casey Mittelstadt, was the star of Minnesota’s minor hockey and then high school circuit growing up and actually declined to go to the national program so that he could play at home. He’s got a silky first touch and regularly breaks ankles off of the point, and he made important progress developing his acceleration, his fitness and his decision-making this year. Both Mittelstadt and Wilmer were first-team all-stars in the USHL this season. Here was one source on Mittelstadt last year: “His talent is off the charts. Just on God-given talent, he’s above (Wild second-rounder Jack) Peart. He’s that talented. He’s a true skill guy.”

I went back and looked and was shocked by how close I got on Dahlin's numbers. I said 45a and 52pts. He has 40 and 53 instead.

https://www.broadstreethockey.com/2013/4/25/4262594/nhl-draft-pick-value-trading-up I still think this is the most accurate chart that I've seen. As to drafted players playing in the NHL, Hockeydb.com has a running total of guys who reached the NHL for at least 1 game and what their average career looks like. This is from the 2013 draft for example. So far from 2013 - 46 players have played 200 or more games and are still in the NHL as of last season. This list includes JAGs like Hayden, Hagg, Butcher. Another 28 who appeared in at least one game last season.

That study is 11 years old.

He’s probably a very KA option for a 7/8 D next season.

2 - John and Luke

Very happy with how my simulation worked out 9 Gauthier (8th on my consensus board) 16 Kasper (16th on my consensus board) 28 Luneau RHD (30th on my consensus board) 41 Havelid RHD (40th on my consensus board) 74 Zhilkin, C (44th on my consensus board) 106 Seminoff, RW (88 on my consensus board) 134 Havelid, G (Twin of Matt Havelid who I took 41) 170 Leddy, D (128 by McKeens) 187 Moldenhauer, RW (87 on my consensus board) 202 Mittelstadt, D (why not take Casey's little brother?)

Not true, I wanted him extended as did many others. I posted and others as well about how much better our record was with him in net. In fact the team played at a playoff level with him in net.