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.

The Buffalo Sabres loaned defenseman Oskari Laaksonen to the Lahden Pelicans after it was announced he wouldn’t return to Ilves.

Oskari Laaksonen was a third-round draft pick of the Buffalo Sabres back in 2017. He’s a 6-foot-2 defenseman and is just 21 years old, meaning he’s got a ton of hockey left to play.

He’s been a Sabres’ prospect since and hasn’t seen any playing time with either the Sabres or Amerks.

That’s not to say he hasn’t been busy. He spent the past three seasons playing for Ilves in the Finnish Liiga, recording a total of 5 goals and 35 assists in 113 games with the team. He also played for Finland’s national team (WJC-20) last season and was part of the team that secured a Gold Medal.

After it was announced he wouldn’t return to Ilves, the Buffalo Sabres were careful in making sure they picked a suitable new home for him — eventually loaning him to the Lahden Pelicans.

While he doesn’t have any experience on North American ice, the Buffalo Sabres like what they’ve seen from the young defenseman. They signed him to a three-year entry-level contract in the middle of June, just one day before the team let GM Jason Botterill go.

We’re sure to see Laaksonen on the ice for training camp, but it’s unlikely he makes his way to the final roster for Opening Day. Still, it’s good to know he’s in a good spot for now and should be getting some valuable minutes overseas.

It’ll be nice to see him continue to develop and we’ll certainly be keeping an eye on him!

The Buffalo Sabres loaned center Rasmus Asplund to the Västerås IK in Sweden, but is expected back in time for training camp.

Rasmus Asplund was a second-round draft pick of the Buffalo Sabres back in 2016. After finishing his fourth season with the Färjestad BK in the Swedish Hockey League, he signed a three-year entry level contract with the Sabres in 2018.

Over the past two years, Asplund spent time on both the Buffalo Sabres’ roster and Rochester Americans’ roster. He played a total of 108 games with the Amerks, totaling 13 goals and 47 assists. He also added one goal and two assists with Buffalo in 29 games.

Of the players on this list, Asplund is likely the one with the best shot at a roster spot this season. He has a lot of potential as a two-way player and plays a smart brand of hockey. He might not be the most physical guy on the ice, but he sure is a hard-worker.

It would’ve been nice to see him produce a little more at the NHL level, much like he did in the AHL, but I’m sure that will come with experience. Keep in mind, this kid is just 22 years old and has a lot of room to grow still.

With this being the final season of his entry-level contract, he’ll need to show the team he’s worth a contract past this upcoming season. Receiving some more playing time on the Sabres would definitely help, but he’ll need to put together a solid training camp for that to happen.

Of course, his time in Sweden will definitely help.

The Buffalo Sabres loaned forward Arttu Ruotsalainen to Ilves in the Finnish Liiga, the same league as two other prospects — Luukkonen and Laaksonen.

Arttu Ruotsalainen was signed to a three-year entry level contract by the Buffalo Sabres in May of 2019. He has had tremendous success in the Finnish Liiga, spending the past three seasons there with Ilves — now entering his fourth.

He also has two years experience with the Porin Ässät in the Finnish Liiga, prior to his time with Ilves.

Ruotsalainen is certainly a name to keep an eye on this training camp. He has yet to make his debut on North American ice and hasn’t suited up in a Sabres or Amerks jersey yet, but that time is sure to come soon.

He managed to score 9 goals and record 11 assists in his first year with Ilves, but has increased the intensity the past two seasons — combining for 36 goals and 49 assists in just 103 games. He’s been on fire in Finland and will continue to develop until his long-awaited debut.

It’ll be interesting to see how he adjusts to the NHL’s style of play after competing against competition in Finland for so long.

That’s not to say Finland doesn’t have good competition — because it does. It is, however, nothing like the NHL.

Another thing to keep in mind is that Ruotsalainen stands just 5-foot-8 and weighs just 181 pounds. Without a big frame, he’ll need to make up for that with speed, intelligence, puck handling, and playmaking.

He’s shown he can do that thus far, but we’ll have to wait and see.

The Buffalo Sabres loaned goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen to the HC TPS of the Finnish Liiga. He joins both Ruotsalainen and Laaksonen in Finland.

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was a second-round draft pick by the Buffalo Sabres back in 2017 and has become one of the most promising young goalie prospects in the NHL right now. He still has several years to go before he’s ready, but the development is coming together nicely.

The 6-foot-4, 21-year-old goalie is entering his first season with HC TPS, but it’s not his first time being in the Finnish Liiga. He spent one game with HPK in 2017-2018 and was later loaned to Mestis — the second-highest hockey league in Finland.

He has already accumulated a wide range of success overseas, including two Gold Medals (2016 IIHF World U18 Championships and 2019 World Junior Championships) and one Silver Medal (2017 IIHF World U18 Championships).

For the 2018-2019 season, he spent 53 games with the Sadbury Wolves in the Ontario Hockey League. He played so well that he was named the OHL’s Most Oustanding Player of the Year by winning the Red Tilson Trophy — the first European to accomplish that feat.

Last season, he played in 10 games for the Rochester Americans and 23 games for the Cincinnati Cyclones (ECHL). He played his best hockey in the ECHL, being named to the All-Star team and maintaining a .912 save percentage.

I can’t wait to see what this goalie has to show us this upcoming season, as he will likely be the starter in Rochester. With one more year since his major hip surgery, it should be a successful season for one of the league’s brightest young goalies.

The Buffalo Sabres have loaned forward Matej Pekar to the HC Benátky nad Jizerou in his home country of Czech Republic.

Matej Pekar was a fourth-round draft pick of the Buffalo Sabres back in 2018. He’s a 6-foot-1 forward that weighs 200 pounds that is known to make plays and has done so at various levels over the past few years.

So far in one game with HC Benátky nad Jizerou, Matej Pekar has recorded one goal and one assist, doing what he does best.

During the 2017-18 season, he played in the USHL with the Muskegon Lumberjacks. He totaled 14 goals and 40 assists in 56 games, which was good enough for USHL Rookie of the Year. Pekar’s 40 assists led the team and was also fourth in the USHL.

He has also spent plenty of valuable time with representing the Czech Republic internationally in the U18 and U20 leagues.

For the past two seasons, Matej Pekar has been in the OHL. He spent the first full season with the Barrie Colts, playing in 33 games. He recorded 14 goals and 22 assists in that time, but was sent to Barri Colts “A” the following season.

After spending 26 games with their minor league team — and recording another 16 goals and 13 assists — he was traded to the Sudbury Wolves. In 25 games, he recorded 12 goals and 22 assists.

There’s no doubt he’s been a playmaker everywhere he’s gone, even notching 4 goals and 14 assists in 27 games with Czech Republic in 2017-18.

He’ll now be playing in his home country again, this time for HC Benatky nad Jizerou in the country’s second-highest hockey league. Expect more success there while on a loan from the Buffalo Sabres.