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NHL Draft: Revisiting the 2009 Selections, Six Years Later

By Melissa Kania

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Continuing our series of looking back at Buffalo Sabres draft picks throughout history, today we look back six years to the 2009 NHL Draft.

The 2009 NHL Draft was hosted by the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre, part of the team’s centennial celebrations.

As predicted by NHL Central Scouting, top-ranked center John Tavares was selected first overall by the New York Islanders. The Tampa Bay Lightning used their second-overall pick to grab defenseman Victor Hedman, while Matt Duchene went to the Colorado Avalanche third overall.

Other notable first-round picks include Oliver Ekman-Larsson (6th, Phoenix), Nazem Kadri (7th, Toronto) and Brayden Schenn (5th, Los Angeles).

Meanwhile, the Buffalo Sabres held six selections in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. They picked once in each round, with the exception of the second round.

First up, the Buffalo Sabres used the 13th overall selection on right winger Zack Kassian of the OHL’s Peterborough Petes.

After two more seasons in the OHL, Kassian eventually joined the AHL’s Portland Pirates and Rochester Americans. He played just 27 games for the Sabres at the NHL level, in 2011-12. Since then, he’s been with the Vancouver Canucks, playing mostly at the NHL level.

With no selection in the second round of the 2009 NHL Draft, the Sabres used their next pick on defenseman Brayden McNabb (3rd round, 66th overall.)

McNabb spent most of his time with the Sabres organization in the AHL between 2011 and 2014, but also played in 37 NHL games.

He was eventually traded to the Los Angeles Kings organization. He spent all of this past season playing at the NHL level, with 24 points (2-22) in 71 games.

Marcus Foligno was the next Buffalo Sabres pick, with the 104th overall selection. The left winger joined the Sabres’ AHL affiliate in Rochester in 2011 at the end of his junior career.

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After playing with both the Amerks and Sabres on and off, Foligno has gotten a full-time gig with Buffalo. This past season, he had 20 points and 50 penalty minutes in 57 games in an injury-shortened season.

With their 5th round pick in the 2009 NHL Draft (134rd overall), the Sabres selected high school defenseman Mark Adams.

Adams played one season with the USHL’s Chicago Steel in 2009-10 and has been playing with Providence College ever since. This past season, he had three points and 20 penalty minutes in 32 games.

Next up, it would be goaltender Connor Knapp of Miami joining the Sabres, with the 164th overall selection (6th round).

After four seasons with Miami University, Knapp struggled to reach the NHL and found himself even struggling for games in the AHL. He played just two games for the Sabres in the 2013-14 season, and that is his limited NHL experience.

Knapp has mostly spent his career in the ECHL, where he played this last season with the Reading Royals. He had a 2.58 GAA and .915 save percentage.

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    • With their final selection in 2009, the Buffalo Sabres picked up right winger Maxime Legault from Shawinigan of the QMJHL.

    After his draft, Legault spent two more seasons in junior. He joined the Portland Pirates and Rochester Americans between 2009 and 2013, but never made it to the NHL. He spent all of the 2013-14 season with the ECHL’s Gwinnett Gladiators.

    Most recently, Legault spent this season with the Lausitzer Foxes overseas. He had 36 points (20-16) in 42 games playing in the second-highest level of hockey in Germany.

    Other current Buffalo Sabres players who were selected in the 2009 NHL Draft – albeit not by Buffalo – include newcomer Evander Kane, picked fourth overall by the Atlanta Thrashers.

    Rochester Americans goaltender Matt Hackett entered the draft as the top-ranked North American goaltender and ended up going 77th overall to the Minnesota Wild.

    Nicholas Deslauriers went 84th overall to the Los Angeles Kings, while Philip Varone went 147th overall to the San Jose Sharks.

    Jerry D’Amigo was picked up with the 158th selection, while Jordan Samuels-Thomas was chosen 203rd overall by the Atlanta Thrashers.

    Next: Revisiting the 2005 NHL Draft

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