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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3. Noah Ostlund – F (Rochester – AHL, Buffalo – NHL
Ostlund was the Sabres second first-round pick (16th overall) at the 2022 NHL Draft in Montreal after scoring 42 points for the Djurgardens junior-level club, 10 points for Sweden at the Under-18s, and a brief stint in the SHL. The following season, he had 26 points (8 goals, 18 assists) in 37 regular season games in the second-level pro league Allsvenskan and four points (1 goal, 3 assists) for Team Sweden at the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championships.
Who will fill the gap caused by the departure of Alex Tuch?
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He travelled to North America after his season in Sweden and joined the Rochester Americans for their Calder Cup Playoff run, but did not play. The Stockholm native chose not to come over and play for the Amerks in 2023 and instead returned to Sweden to play for Vaxjo and play again for his country at the 2024 World Junior in Gothenburg.
After thriving at the WJC, (3 goals, 7 assists in seven games) and earning a silver medal, Ostlund followed that up being a solid contributor for Vaxjo, with 23 points (12 goals, 11 assists) in 38 games. He joined Rochester at the end of the AHL season, earning an assist in two regular season games and one goal in three playoff games.
In his first full season in North America, Ostlund missed nearly two months with a hand injury, but returned just before Christmas and went goalless in his first 10 games, but finished the season with 36 points (19 goals, 17 assists) in 45 games and earned a late-season NHL call up.
Last season, after averaging over a point per game with the Amerks was called up by the Sabres, and became a regular, shifting between center and wing, playing solid two-way hockey, and scoring 27 points (11 goals, 16 assists) in 60 games. With the departure of Alex Tuch, Buffalo appears to be relying on the 22-year-old to show more progress at the offensive end of the ice, likely in a third line role, but possibly graduating into the top six if he has success.
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