Sabres Prospect Pool 2025-26

[Flashsabre]

https://x.com/SabresProspects/status/1961872456718618663?ref_src=twsrc^tfw|twcamp^tweetembed|twterm^1961872456718618663|twgr^|twcon^s1_c10&ref_url=

3 assists in his next game.

[Thorny]

Patience, people 

2028 closer than u think 

[PerreaultForever]

Patience? It's always "the next one". Problem is by the time the next one arrives the previous one has left. 

It's normal to have the best prospect pool when you're at or near the worst. It's also normal to have a bad prospect pool if you're the top or near it. If you can be the top and have prospects you might be a dynasty. Sabres have the best, then it drops down the list, but the NHL team doesn't get better. Go figure. 

[Flashsabre]

[steveoath]

How old is Mrtka? Most be playing up a year or two at U20?

[dudacek]

18 minutes ago, steveoath said:

How old is Mrtka? Most be playing up a year or two at U20?

Just turned 18 in June.

 

[LGR4GM]

Elite Prospects put the Sabres pool at 19th overall. Seems about right to me. 

[Taro T]

18 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Elite Prospects put the Sabres pool at 19th overall. Seems about right to me. 

Are any of the young guys that are on the Sabres roster considered part of the Sabres pool?  If not, yeah, lower-middle of the pack seems right.  But if the real young guys that are already Sabres are included, being much below 12 seems to be a dis.

[dudacek]

41 minutes ago, Taro T said:

Are any of the young guys that are on the Sabres roster considered part of the Sabres pool?  If not, yeah, lower-middle of the pack seems right.  But if the real young guys that are already Sabres are included, being much below 12 seems to be a dis.

They are not: no Benson, no Kulich, no Power.

Of interest is how the Sabres top prospects slid despite good rookie AHL seasons: Östlund from 57 overall to 67 and Helenius from 23 down to 58.

Mrtka enters as Buffalos top-ranked prospect at 43.

Rosen - an honourable mention last year - is now considered graduated.

[LGR4GM]

52 minutes ago, dudacek said:

They are not: no Benson, no Kulich, no Power.

Of interest is how the Sabres top prospects slid despite good rookie AHL seasons: Östlund from 57 overall to 67 and Helenius from 23 down to 58.

Mrtka enters as Buffalos top-ranked prospect at 43.

Rosen - an honourable mention last year - is now considered graduated.

Buffalo dumping 2nd round picks and drafting safe projectable 1st rounders the last 2 years isn't helping much. 

Leinonen was ranked 2nd out of the 3 recent drafted goalies (Leenders topped him here) and Bedkowski (6) was in the top 10 for Buffalo. 

Edited September 4 by LGR4GM

[LGR4GM]

Gavin McCarthy, 6'2" 187lb RHD, was named Captain for Boston University's Men's team for the 2025/26 season

[LGR4GM]

Here's a link

 

 

[shrader]

It says a lot about the state of college hockey that BU just named two juniors and two sophomores at their captains. Last yeah they had a sophomore captain. They have one senior on the team and he’s a transfer. 
 

I’m sure it happened, but I don’t remember any non-senior captains under Jack Parker. We’re deep into the days of one- and two-and-dones. 

[dudacek]

Word on prospect challenge rosters?

Development camp was weak and we won’t have the college guys. Zeimer and Richard would have been nice to see, as well as Kleber, Osburn, Strbak and McCarthy

Doubt Johnson and Kozak play. Rosen might not either, but he still is a 1st contract guy.

But if they play all the 3rd year non-NHL guys, the lineup still could be interesting.

Wahlberg Östlund Rosen

Neuchev Helenius Nadeau

Fiddler-Schultz Kuntar Joshua

Kopf Savage Costantini

Novikov Mrtka

Béliveau Komarov

Fulp Bedkowski

Laberge Brunet

Leinonen

Ratzlaff

Leenders

That’s a pretty old prospect team if they do indeed ice all those former college guys. Helenius is the only junior eligible forward.

Guys like Joshua (106 pro games) and Kuntar (124) are only 3rd year pros, but they’re definitely men.

Be one of the biggest, toughest lineups the Sabres have ever iced at one of these things.

Edited September 9 by dudacek

[Ctaeth]

Yikes

https://x.com/SeanMickey7/status/1966204129497460747?t=n2GPfwk1zsgmHcucbNDhyg&s=19

[kas23]

14 minutes ago, Ctaeth said:

Yikes

https://x.com/SeanMickey7/status/1966204129497460747?t=n2GPfwk1zsgmHcucbNDhyg&s=19

I hope they give him some time off so he can focus on his problem. There’s no excuse for this and plain stupid, a kid being in the car too makes a bad situation 100x worse. 

[SwampD]

On 9/4/2025 at 3:27 PM, LGR4GM said:

Elite Prospects put the Sabres pool at 19th overall. Seems about right to me. 

We’ve been near the top for years and missed the playoffs.

This gives me hope for the season.

[dudacek]

Very good perspective from the Athletic on some of our top prospects.

Basically they've taken Wheeler's rankings as a starting point and vetted them through a number of NHL pro scouts and execs to provide insight on what the industry generally thinks of players and where they're likely to end up on an NHL depth chart when they are fully mature.

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6562503/2025/09/15/nhl-prospect-tiers-2025-26/

For reference, Dahlin is what a tier 2 guy looks like when he grows up, and Thompson a tier 3. Tier 5 guys include players like Monahan, Fiala, Gavrikov and Rust

The 122 players considered to likely be above-average NHL regulars (a little less than 4 per team on average) includes:

Tier 1 — MVP
A top 10 player. Someone who is very likely to get serious trophy consideration at season’s end and whom championship-caliber teams are built around. The best player on almost any team in the league.

Celebrini, Bedard

Tier 2 — Franchise
A top 30 player. Someone who is the best player on a contending team or second best on a championship-caliber team. An unquestionably elite player.

Schaefer, Michkov, Hutson, Fantilli, Demidov, Cooley, Johnston, Carlsson, Misa

Tier 3 — All-Star
A top 60 player. Someone who wouldn’t be the best player on a contender, but would be an important part of any contending or championship core. A strong top-line forward, above average No. 1 defenseman, or borderline top five goalie.

Owen Power (high-end of the tier): 

"Power is an interesting one, because the NHL people Dom, Shayna and Sean surveyed for Player Tiers who work on the pro side have grown frustrated with his lack of physicality and take-charge, but the amateur folks I surveyed still have a tough time putting prospects over a defenseman who has already played 25 minutes per game in the NHL for years at an early age.

One scout did say that he'd have Power a letter grade lower, though, so the two groups may be coming closer together. This feels like a prove-it year for him despite his strong NHL results and usage."

Tier 4 — Star
A top 100 player. Someone who would be a strong piece within a contending or championship core, but not a go-to option. An average top-line forward, below average No. 1 defenseman, or top 10 goalie.

Jiri Kulich (bottom end of the tier)

Even though he spent a lot of time high in an NHL lineup as a rookie last year, he looks more like a center than a winger after playing both coming up, and has clear power-play tools because of his shot. Scouts are still in a wait-and-see mode in setting Kulich's ultimate upside. They want to see him produce more than the 20-goal, 32-point pace he played at last year. I don't think 30 goals and Tier 4B is viewed as out of the question at all, but he's not viewed in the same light as an Eklund or Nazar.

Zach Benson (bottom end of the tier):

Benson fell from Tier 4A a year ago to Tier 4C and nearly Tier 5A this year. He's viewed as a bubble Star/Support guy, and while teams respect his craft and work ethic, the clock has started on wanting to see him score more.

Radim Mrtka (bottom end of the tier):

Mrtka is a towering defenseman who skates at a high level and was a top-10 pick, which automatically lumps him in with Simashev and Silayev. He has a little more offense and poise than those two, but isn't viewed as the same level of defender.

Tier 5 — Support
A top 150 player. Someone who would offer strong support to a contending or championship core, but wouldn’t be an integral piece within it. A below-average top-line forward, a strong No. 2 defenseman, or an above average starter.

Konsta Helenius (middle of the tier):

Scouts are a little softer on Helenius today than they were a year ago, and there was some discussion about maybe moving him down to Tier 5C after his rookie season was just OK. But the AHL is a hard league for 18-year-old centers, and everyone seemed content to wait another year before adjusting his slotting.

Noah Östlund (bottom end of the tier):

Östlund is a player who is beloved by coaches and scouts alike for his blend of speed and creativity on offense, and his commitment to the little details off the puck. He's also viewed as a comparable player and prospect to the others in this tier. And yet the consensus is that he's a bubble guy for inclusion here. He got enough love to make it, but some wonder whether he'll score enough in the NHL or become more of a Peyton Krebs type.

 

 

 

 

Edited 2 hours ago by dudacek

[GASabresIUFAN]

9 minutes ago, dudacek said:

Tier 3 — All-Star
A top 60 player. Someone who wouldn’t be the best player on a contender, but would be an important part of any contending or championship core. A strong top-line forward, above average No. 1 defenseman, or borderline top five goalie.

Owen Power (high-end of the tier): 

"Power is an interesting one, because the NHL people Dom, Shayna and Sean surveyed for Player Tiers who work on the pro side have grown frustrated with his lack of physicality and take-charge, but the amateur folks I surveyed still have a tough time putting prospects over a defenseman who has already played 25 minutes per game in the NHL for years at an early age.

One scout did say that he'd have Power a letter grade lower, though, so the two groups may be coming closer together. This feels like a prove-it year for him despite his strong NHL results and usage."

Power is a tier 4 player at best.  Until he gets some physicality to high game, he is a waste.  The pro scouts are right to be frustrated with his lack of commitment to improving defensively. 

[sabremike]

18 minutes ago, dudacek said:

Very good perspective from the Athletic on some of our top prospects.

Basically they've taken Wheeler's rankings as a starting point and vetted them through a number of NHL pro scouts and execs to provide insight on what the industry generally thinks of players and where they're likely to end up on an NHL depth chart when they are fully mature.

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6562503/2025/09/15/nhl-prospect-tiers-2025-26/

For reference, Dahlin is what a tier 2 guy looks like when he grows up, and Thompson a tier 3. Tier 5 guys include players like Monahan, Fiala, Gavrikov and Rust

The 122 players considered to likely be above-average NHL regulars (a little less than 4 per team on average) includes:

Tier 1 — MVP
A top 10 player. Someone who is very likely to get serious trophy consideration at season’s end and whom championship-caliber teams are built around. The best player on almost any team in the league.

Celebrini, Bedard

Tier 2 — Franchise
A top 30 player. Someone who is the best player on a contending team or second best on a championship-caliber team. An unquestionably elite player.

Schaefer, Michkov, Hutson, Fantilli, Demidov, Cooley, Johnston, Carlsson, Misa

Tier 3 — All-Star
A top 60 player. Someone who wouldn’t be the best player on a contender, but would be an important part of any contending or championship core. A strong top-line forward, above average No. 1 defenseman, or borderline top five goalie.

Owen Power (high-end of the tier): 

"Power is an interesting one, because the NHL people Dom, Shayna and Sean surveyed for Player Tiers who work on the pro side have grown frustrated with his lack of physicality and take-charge, but the amateur folks I surveyed still have a tough time putting prospects over a defenseman who has already played 25 minutes per game in the NHL for years at an early age.

One scout did say that he'd have Power a letter grade lower, though, so the two groups may be coming closer together. This feels like a prove-it year for him despite his strong NHL results and usage."

Tier 4 — Star
A top 100 player. Someone who would be a strong piece within a contending or championship core, but not a go-to option. An average top-line forward, below average No. 1 defenseman, or top 10 goalie.

Jiri Kulich (bottom end of the tier)

Even though he spent a lot of time high in an NHL lineup as a rookie last year, he looks more like a center than a winger after playing both coming up, and has clear power-play tools because of his shot. Scouts are still in a wait-and-see mode in setting Kulich's ultimate upside. They want to see him produce more than the 20-goal, 32-point pace he played at last year. I don't think 30 goals and Tier 4B is viewed as out of the question at all, but he's not viewed in the same light as an Eklund or Nazar.

Zach Benson (bottom end of the tier):

Benson fell from Tier 4A a year ago to Tier 4C and nearly Tier 5A this year. He's viewed as a bubble Star/Support guy, and while teams respect his craft and work ethic, the clock has started on wanting to see him score more.

Radim Mrtka (bottom end of the tier):

Mrtka is a towering defenseman who skates at a high level and was a top-10 pick, which automatically lumps him in with Simashev and Silayev. He has a little more offense and poise than those two, but isn't viewed as the same level of defender.

Tier 5 — Support
A top 150 player. Someone who would offer strong support to a contending or championship core, but wouldn’t be an integral piece within it. A below-average top-line forward, a strong No. 2 defenseman, or an above average starter.

Konsta Helenius (middle of the tier):

Scouts are a little softer on Helenius today than they were a year ago, and there was some discussion about maybe moving him down to Tier 5C after his rookie season was just OK. But the AHL is a hard league for 18-year-old centers, and everyone seemed content to wait another year before adjusting his slotting.

Noah Östlund (bottom end of the tier):

Östlund is a player who is beloved by coaches and scouts alike for his blend of speed and creativity on offense, and his commitment to the little details off the puck. He's also viewed as a comparable player and prospect to the others in this tier. And yet the consensus is that he's a bubble guy for inclusion here. He got enough love to make it, but some wonder whether he'll score enough in the NHL or become more of a Peyton Krebs type.

 

 

 

 

Benson is literally not old enough to legally drink in this country, has played 146 NHL games (combined total of every single player drafted after him: 40 NHL games) and they have his next season as do or die????

 

Were these people smoking crack or something?

[LGR4GM]

1 hour ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

Power is a tier 4 player at best.  Until he gets some physicality to high game, he is a waste.  The pro scouts are right to be frustrated with his lack of commitment to improving defensively. 

It's not even physicality. He's passive. He sits and waits and let's others dictate play which he then reacts to. 

1 hour ago, dudacek said:

Very good perspective from the Athletic on some of our top prospects.

Basically they've taken Wheeler's rankings as a starting point and vetted them through a number of NHL pro scouts and execs to provide insight on what the industry generally thinks of players and where they're likely to end up on an NHL depth chart when they are fully mature.

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6562503/2025/09/15/nhl-prospect-tiers-2025-26/

For reference, Dahlin is what a tier 2 guy looks like when he grows up, and Thompson a tier 3. Tier 5 guys include players like Monahan, Fiala, Gavrikov and Rust

The 122 players considered to likely be above-average NHL regulars (a little less than 4 per team on average) includes:

Tier 1 — MVP
A top 10 player. Someone who is very likely to get serious trophy consideration at season’s end and whom championship-caliber teams are built around. The best player on almost any team in the league.

Celebrini, Bedard

Tier 2 — Franchise
A top 30 player. Someone who is the best player on a contending team or second best on a championship-caliber team. An unquestionably elite player.

Schaefer, Michkov, Hutson, Fantilli, Demidov, Cooley, Johnston, Carlsson, Misa

Tier 3 — All-Star
A top 60 player. Someone who wouldn’t be the best player on a contender, but would be an important part of any contending or championship core. A strong top-line forward, above average No. 1 defenseman, or borderline top five goalie.

Owen Power (high-end of the tier): 

"Power is an interesting one, because the NHL people Dom, Shayna and Sean surveyed for Player Tiers who work on the pro side have grown frustrated with his lack of physicality and take-charge, but the amateur folks I surveyed still have a tough time putting prospects over a defenseman who has already played 25 minutes per game in the NHL for years at an early age.

One scout did say that he'd have Power a letter grade lower, though, so the two groups may be coming closer together. This feels like a prove-it year for him despite his strong NHL results and usage."

Tier 4 — Star
A top 100 player. Someone who would be a strong piece within a contending or championship core, but not a go-to option. An average top-line forward, below average No. 1 defenseman, or top 10 goalie.

Jiri Kulich (bottom end of the tier)

Even though he spent a lot of time high in an NHL lineup as a rookie last year, he looks more like a center than a winger after playing both coming up, and has clear power-play tools because of his shot. Scouts are still in a wait-and-see mode in setting Kulich's ultimate upside. They want to see him produce more than the 20-goal, 32-point pace he played at last year. I don't think 30 goals and Tier 4B is viewed as out of the question at all, but he's not viewed in the same light as an Eklund or Nazar.

Zach Benson (bottom end of the tier):

Benson fell from Tier 4A a year ago to Tier 4C and nearly Tier 5A this year. He's viewed as a bubble Star/Support guy, and while teams respect his craft and work ethic, the clock has started on wanting to see him score more.

Radim Mrtka (bottom end of the tier):

Mrtka is a towering defenseman who skates at a high level and was a top-10 pick, which automatically lumps him in with Simashev and Silayev. He has a little more offense and poise than those two, but isn't viewed as the same level of defender.

Tier 5 — Support
A top 150 player. Someone who would offer strong support to a contending or championship core, but wouldn’t be an integral piece within it. A below-average top-line forward, a strong No. 2 defenseman, or an above average starter.

Konsta Helenius (middle of the tier):

Scouts are a little softer on Helenius today than they were a year ago, and there was some discussion about maybe moving him down to Tier 5C after his rookie season was just OK. But the AHL is a hard league for 18-year-old centers, and everyone seemed content to wait another year before adjusting his slotting.

Noah Östlund (bottom end of the tier):

Östlund is a player who is beloved by coaches and scouts alike for his blend of speed and creativity on offense, and his commitment to the little details off the puck. He's also viewed as a comparable player and prospect to the others in this tier. And yet the consensus is that he's a bubble guy for inclusion here. He got enough love to make it, but some wonder whether he'll score enough in the NHL or become more of a Peyton Krebs type.

 

 

 

 

Some NHL ppl are about to learn Zach Benson.