The Buffalo Sabres have been considered to have one of the deepest prospect pools in the NHL, which is in part due to them selecting high in recent drafts because of their not qualifying for the playoffs. The Sabres have displayed an eye for talent, and the organization’s developmental model has begun to yield results, with 2023 first rounder Zach Benson making an impact in the playoffs, and 2024 top pick Konsta Helenius appearing as one of the AHL’s top prospects the last two seasons.
Leading up to the opening of training camp in mid-September, we will look at the club’s top 40 prospects. These players are all 25 years old or younger, whose rights are currently held by the Sabres or are on AHL or NHL deals, and have played less than 82 NHL games.
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10. Jake Richard – Forward (Connecticut – NCAA)
Richard was the Sabres sixth-round pick at the 2022 NHL Draft in Montreal who has opened eyes every year at the club’s development camp. A native of Jacksonville, FL, the 6’1″, 194 lb. winger played his youth hockey in Florida and a year with the USHL’s Muskegon Lumberjacks, where he scored 48 points (18 goals, 30 assists) before being selected 170th overall.
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The following season, Richard split time between the Lumberjacks and Tri-City and increased his goal total to 31 and compiled 62 points in 57 games. As a freshman at Connecticut, he finished fourth on the club with 18 points (7 goals, 11 assists). As a sophomore, he finished second in team scoring, averaging over a point per game (15 goals, 28 assists) in 34 games.
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Richard’s totals dropped in his junior season with the Huskies (10 goals, 17 assists in 38 games), but that did not dissuade the Sabres from signing him to an entry-level deal in May. With a number of forward prospects expected to be playing in Buffalo instead of Rochester, it is expected that Richard will get an opportunity to play in a scoring role in his first pro season with the Amerks.
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