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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37. Ashton Schultz – Center (Chicago/Sioux City – USHL)
The Sabres continued their practice in the 2025 NHL Draft of selecting players with longer development windows, since they did not have to sign them within two years. That window has altered slightly with the new Collective Bargaining Agreement kicking, but GM Jarmo Kkealainen and his scouting staff will have plenty of time to evaluate young center Ashton Schultz, who was selected in the sixth round (167th overall) in the first decentralized draft in Los Angeles.
The Victoria, MN native is a product of the vaunted Minnesota high school system and played 11 games in the USHL for Sioux Falls as a 17-year-old, while also scoring 57 points in 28 games for Minnetonka HS. In 2024-25, he scored 39 points (14 goals, 25 assists) in 57 games for the Chicago Steel, and last season, he split time between Chicago and Sioux City, posting 42 points (17 goals, 25 assists) in 49 games.
The 19-year-old is committed to play for the University of North Dakota this fall. The 5’11”, 181 lb. center is described by Elite Prospects as someone who “always gives his teammates an option, whether that’s offensively, defensively, or along the walls. Sturdy inside contact with play-killing skills, he breaks up the opposition’s cycle, diffuses their rushes, and retrieves pucks at top rates.”
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