2025 NHL Entry Draft Thread, Sabres Draft 9th

[Taro T]

9 minutes ago, Eleven said:

My google of "what date is NHL draft" returned this image at the top; I can't place it.  Help?

Barrasso, Lawton, LaFontaine.  (5, 1, 3)

3 minutes ago, Porous Five Hole said:

Is that LaFontaine on the right? Assuming yes, this must be the 1983 draft. 

Yep.

The 3 highly drafted Yanks.

[Thorny]

On 6/14/2025 at 1:06 PM, SABRES 0311 said:

I might just take this day off. I’m genuinely excited to see what the Sabres do. KA better not screw this up.

Take the full day. Screw the man. Also, always go to the bathroom on company time 

[French Collection]

I was talking to a guy who attended many OHL games this year.

He thought that O’Brien did not really stand out. Misa and Schaefer had many WOW moments and were usually the best players on the ice. Martin was like a dog on a bone, he was relentless. Martone was big and effective but lacked the wow factor.

Nothing new to hear but this continues to reinforce my take on some of the top guys.

[shrader]

20 hours ago, Eleven said:

My google of "what date is NHL draft" returned this image at the top; I can't place it.  Help?

That Sabres logo had an eyebrow instead of a horn. 

[Taro T]

37 minutes ago, shrader said:

That Sabres logo had an eyebrow instead of a horn. 

Yeah, whoever was making the logo patches in the early 80's definitely did not have fine attention to detail.  Officially the logo never changed (the ones at center ice stayed consistent) but that version on the sweaters had a serious humpback and either a tail that was larger than the legs or else the lady buffalos were REALLY glad that one was around.

Edited yesterday at 02:31 PM by Taro T

[LGR4GM]

2025 NHL Draft Rankings – Liger’s List top 32

1.      Matthew Schaefer, LHD, 6’2” 186lbs: Excellent skater with a high pace and excellent ability to end plays and transition up ice. He reminds me a bit of Dahlin, shame he only played a partial year.

2.      Michael Misa, C, 6’1” 182lbs: I thought about making him #1 but there’s some things in his game that I wonder will translate. Still he has a good shot and is able to link plays all over the ice. He’s probably on the level of Fantilli and that’s pretty good for a 2nd overall guy.

3.      James Hagens, C, 5’10.5” 186lbs: He had issues driving inside at college but the rest of this game is there with the attention to detail and the ability to make excellent passes while also skating very well. I think he’s been overscouted and ppl freaked out over his adjustment to the NCAA.

4.      Caleb Desnoyers, C, 6’1.5”* 178lbs: I saw a bit of his playoffs and that put him ahead of Martone. He doesn’t get enough credit for his offensive talent which is a direct product of him being excellent at the 200ft game. He’s better than Martone and ppl seem to be missing that he’s 25lbs under strength still. Also, centers are more valuable than wingers and I am betting on improved skating with strength.

5.      Porter Martone, LW, 6’3”* 208lbs: The pace is the concern and he does not play like Tkachuk so ppl need to stop that. He reminds me more of Reinhart coming up with more physicality but that cerebral passer with a nice shot. I think Martone needs to continue demanding the puck more and being the driver.

6.      Jackson Smith, LHD, 6’4” 199lbs: I love watching him skating sideways, it’s delightful and he has powerful strides. He is physical and really wants to push the pace all over the ice. The decision making is hit or miss which is the biggest issue here. Really intriguing package though.

7.      Carter Bear, LW/C, 6’ 179lbs*: Other than an awkward skating stride that sometimes gets in the way of his upper body, Bear is a Bear. He’s the best checking forward in this draft, his shot is undervalued, and he makes things happen. He’s the type of guy that wins playoff games because he never stops and he has all the skills (cutting hands, stick lifts, false signals) to be effective on the top 6.

8.      Roger McQueen, C, 6’5.25” 198lbs: So if the back is healed, this might be a little too low. I think there are times where he was kept to the outside and should be better at driving the middle but when he was on he was a force. He’s got some developing playmaking and his rush patterns need more variation but the size and overall skill make me think he’s at least a 2nd line center when healthy.

9.      Victor Eklund, LW, 5’11” 169lbs: He’s up there with Bear for the motor element. His rush patterns and skating are better and he did it against men in the Allsvenskan. That said, I think his playmaking need works, as good as his checking can be, he sometimes does to much or tries too much. He needs to get stronger and refine his overall game but there’s a top 6 winger in there.

10.   Justin Carbonneau, RW, 6’1.25” 205lbs: There’s 2 different Carbonneau’s in the world. There is hope passes, stick handle through everyone, get on my back boys we’re going winning. This one isn’t great because it won’t translate to the NHL. Then there is using the skills and body to extend plays, finding teammates, working the cycle and using an excellent shot to be an overall offensive weapon. He can and will violently defend teammates, don’t F with his team but that sometimes takes him out of plays. I have faith in Carbonneau because of his underlying skating, shot, physical play, and evidence he can adapt his game.

11.   Brady Martin, C, 6’ 186lbs: Martin would hit his grandma is she played for the other team and had the puck. He is the closest thing this draft has to a Tkachuk albeit without the size. He has a good shot and decent passing. I think his skating and overall attention to detail need to improve. I am not sold on him having high enough offensive skills to truly be a top line forward hence why he falls below Carbonneau but Martin will be a middle 6 player with top 6 upside who is aggressive in using his body to shut things down and turn things up ice.

12.   Kashawn Aitcheson, LHD, 6’1.5” 199lbs: I debated swapping him with Mrtka but I feel that Aitcheson has more offense and is more physical already. Those two factors kept him above Mrtka. He scored 26g as a defender and really activates well on the rush or in the offensive zone. He also hits everything. Really the only one who hits more is Martin. His skating needs more work but it isn’t bad. If he keeps developing you will get hopefully a better Riso type of guy with even more physicality. “Throwback” is a term used on him a lot.

13.   Radim Mrtka, RHD, 6’5.75” 218lbs: I’ve come around a bit on Mrtka. I went back and watched a bunch of his stuff because I felt I was too low on him. His moves really well especially lateral which is important. He needs to up the physicality but I felt some of his passing was better than my initial feels. I see the appeal with him, he takes up tons of ice and he does well with his gaps and ending plays. I am not convinced there is enough offense to push him higher but I think at worst you are getting a 3D guy who can give you 7-10g and 15ish assists. He’s pretty good and has a lot of runway.

14.   Jake O’Brien, C, 6’1.5” 177lbs: First, I get why he gets into other ranking top 10’s. His 2nd half was very good in terms of his playmaking ability. There is manipulation, passes into space, anticipation, and high level play reading skills. He’s also a center and over 6’ so that gives him a bump as well. I don't feel he handles contact well and I think his game will need more refinement. I think the height and center position has really vaulted him up rankings while missing some of the issues with his skating and lack of physicality. 

15.   Anton Frondell, C,  6’1.25” 204lbs: Fine… He’s big and a center with a nice shot. His transition game is… non-existent but he can take pucks from the walls to the middle. He is smart in his use of space. His defensive game is solid but I don’t see him being physical like Martin, more that he uses his frame to shield pucks or push into space. Others love him but there is a lack of dynamism outside the shot that makes me wonder why. Every time this guy played in international tournaments I felt underwhelmed with what I could watch. I am prepared to be wrong on Frondell.

16.   Lyndon Lakovic, LW, 6’4” 200lbs: At one point I thought he might go top 5 but with all the skill he rocks and his size, he just doesn’t put all that together enough. He’s a poor mans Martone where there is a lot of soft skills but he needs to up his physical game. Lakovic is not aggressive enough with his skillset, meaning I want him to demand and control more. That isn’t about size but about attitude. Still, he’s an interesting player to track because if he puts it all together, that’s a top 6 winger.

17.   Logan Hensler, RHD, 6’2.5” 198lbs

18.   Cameron Reid, LHD, 6’ 183lbs

19.   Benjamin Kindel, C, 5’10.25” 180lbs

20.   Vaclav Nestrasil, RW, 6’5.5” 185lbs

21.   Bill Zonnon, C, 6’1.5” 185lbs

22.   Braeden Cootes, C, 5’11.25” 183lbs

23.   Max Psenicka, RHD, 6’5” 185lbs

24.   Malcolm Spence, LW, 6’.75” 190lbs

25.   Jack Murtagh, RW, 6’0.5” 190lbs

26.   Cole Reschny, C, 5’10.75” 180lbs

27.   Blake Fiddler, RHD, 6’4.5” 220lbs

28.   Cullen Potter, 5’9.75” 172lbs

29.   Cameron Schmidt, LW, 5’7.5” 160lbs

30.   William Moore, C, 6’2.25” 180lbs

31.   Matthew Gard, C, 6’4.75” 195lbs

32.   Nathan Behm, LW, 6’1.75” 202lbs

* indicated that I did not have a combine height and weight measurement

Edited yesterday at 05:37 PM by LGR4GM

[ponokasabre]

One of Aecheson, Bear or Martin. In order of preference id go Martin, Bear, then Aicheson. But its got to be one of those 3

[LGR4GM]

1 hour ago, ponokasabre said:

One of Aecheson, Bear or Martin. In order of preference id go Martin, Bear, then Aicheson. But its got to be one of those 3

Martin is going to be over drafted. I do not believe he'll be there at 9.

[ponokasabre]

7 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Martin is going to be over drafted. I do not believe he'll be there at 9.

Ya then its Bear all day for me, even with the injury I still think he is something we dont have in our pipeline. He would instantly top my favorite prospect in our system list. 

[dudacek]

Jackson Smith please.

Can't see myself being really unhappy with anyone in @LGR4GM's top 15 at 9. And I don't have any desire to move up.

Looks pretty flat to me.

Not big on Frondell and O'Brien as top 5 or 6 picks but they have value at 9. Don't want Eklund as a fit, but I like him as a player. And I'd be fine with "reaching"  for Carbonneau or Bear or Aitcheson as guys I usually see mocked lower down because I like them too.

Edited 23 hours ago by dudacek

[steveoath]

When do we start petitioning for @LGR4GM to be head of amateur scouting??

[LGR4GM]

16 minutes ago, steveoath said:

When do we start petitioning for @LGR4GM to be head of amateur scouting??

Flattered but I feel like this isn't one of my best drafts. Haven't had as much time with some but did my best. It gets real questionable in the 20s as guys start to look similar. That said, my list is different than most consensus ones so I'll probably be worse off but we'll see. The industry as a whole runs into problems with anchoring, bias, and over scouting some guys (Hagens).

[JoeSchmoe]

33 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Martin is going to be over drafted. I do not believe he'll be there at 9.

I've been saying since the beginning he deserves to go high. If he goes at 6 it's not an overdraft.

I think the pro scouts are seeing the same things that anyone who's watched the kid since he was young has seen.

He's got mental toughness and leadership that others don't have. You don't see this watching highlights and reading scouting reports, but the teams that will have interviewed him will for sure know.

[shrader]

1 hour ago, steveoath said:

When do we start petitioning for @LGR4GM to be head of amateur scouting??

Remember when we hated on the team for switching to video scouting?

[Flashsabre]

https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/scouts-analysis-ranking-the-top-80-prospects-for-the-2025-nhl-draft/

[The Jokeman]

If we stay at 9 I'm wishing for Carter Bear but ultimately hope it's traded for a proven player.

[LGR4GM]

This exercise is pointless anyways but Buffalo isn't drafting a 5'10" player in round 2. They've basically not done so in forever. Also Martone falling to 9th is just not happening impo. Trethawey at 71 is interesting, after that, I don't know most of those guys.

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6429388/2025/06/17/nhl-mock-draft-2025-seven-rounds-pronman/

[North Buffalo]

NHL mock on NHL website

[dudacek]

Am seeing a few mocks where Martone falls.

[ponokasabre]

17 minutes ago, dudacek said:

Am seeing a few mocks where Martone falls.

That would be sweet! But I just dont see it, after 2 years of Florida winning back to back cups, add in the last few years where size went early, I think you will see that trend again in this draft

[Mr. Allen]

27 minutes ago, dudacek said:

Am seeing a few mocks where Martone falls.

I’ve said falling back those two spots couples haunt us.  

[LGR4GM]

 

 

[ponokasabre]

 

This should get some people talking lol. 

[Palm Trees And Taxes]

20 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

Martin is going to be over drafted. I do not believe he'll be there at 9.

Sad but true the Sam Bennett effect and emulating SC Champions builds is real. 

Edited 3 hours ago by Palm Trees And Taxes

[Palm Trees And Taxes]

One problem the Sabres will have with moving Pick #9 is the pick does not carry as much weight as usual. The draft isnt great at 9 and other teams also want to move off their 1st round pick. It is a buyer's market so the Sabres wont get the usual value that comes with Pick #9. 

In this case, I am ok with Buffalo keeping this pick provided they are utilizing other existing prospects in the pipeline to upgrade the current roster.