Checking in on the Buffalo Sabres’ prospects currently playing overseas

You’ve probably seen several Buffalo Sabres’ prospects in the news recently for their play overseas. Don’t worry, they’ll return, but let’s see how they’re doing.

The Buffalo Sabres weren’t one of the teams that got a chance at the Stanley Cup Finals inside the bubble(s), but that hasn’t stopped some of them from playing hockey — albeit overseas.

By now, it’s well-known that the Buffalo Sabres don’t have a lot of American talent on their roster. In fact, only four of their players are from the United States — Kyle Okposo, Jack Eichel, Jack McCabe, and Jimmy Vesey. The diversity continues at the lower levels, too.

For comparison, 8 Sabres’ players come from Canada and 5 from Sweden. There are even more in the AHL and ECHL.

With that being said, it’s no wonder why we’re seeing so many of them take their talent overseas in-between NHL seasons. It’s good for their development and keeps them warmed up for when the Buffalo Sabres need them — hoping they stay healthy, of course.

To my knowledge, there are currently six notable players currently overseas for the Buffalo Sabres — and there were three more that were rumored to be going overseas, but nothing new has been reported since.

Let’s take a look at who they are:

1. Arttu Ruotsalainen is playing for Ilves in the Finnish Liiga — is currently on loan from Buffalo.
2. Oskari Laaksonen is playing for the Lahden Pelicans in the Finnish Liiga — is currently on loan from Buffalo.
3. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is playing for HC TPS in the Finnish Liiga — is currently on loan from Buffalo.
4. Rasmus Asplund is playing for Västerås IK in the second-tier legue in Sweden — is currently on loan from Buffalo.
5. Matej Pekar is playing for HC Benátky nad Jizerou in the Czech 1.liga (second-tier).
6. Lawrence Pilut is still playing for KHL’s Traktor Chelyabinsk in Russia — signed a two-year deal.

It is still unknown whether or not Pilut will be available to play. There were reports of an NHL opt-out clause in the contract, but those were just reports.

In addition to those above players, there were also reports that Linus Ullmark, Victor Olofsson, and his brother Jesper Olofsson may play for Modo Hockey in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden. Again, those were just reports.

You also can’t forget about the reports that Michael Frolik had an offer from te KHL.

Now that we’ve got a better idea of which prospects are playing overseas, let’s take a quick look at them one-by-one and how they’ve been doing thus far.