Buffalo Sabres: What does Josh Bloom mean for the franchise?
The Buffalo Sabres recently signed their third-round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, Josh Bloom to an entry-level contract and they might just cash in big.
The Buffalo Sabres, barring a catastrophic meltdown, hit a ringer with Owen Power. But all professional sports teams across North America are expected to achieve solid returns on their top draft pick.
Even if a second-round pick does not live to expectations, it is easy to consider them a draft bust. Therefore, rounds three and beyond are gambles. But, it doesn’t mean teams shouldn’t dig deep and select a player they feel will best serve their organization.
And the Sabres believe Josh Bloom will evolve into one of those players. The 95th overall pick in the draft, Bloom will practice for the rest of the season with the Rochester Americans.
The Buffalo Sabres have a golden opportunity with Josh Bloom joining the organization
Bloom, no pun intended, is a bit of a late-bloomer. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, he spent the season practicing after a forgettable 2019-20 campaign that he spent with the OHL’s Saginaw Spirit. However, in his second season with the team, he logged 61 points, just one shy of top draft prospect Pavel Mintyukov.
He will have an outside chance to earn a spot in the AHL in 2023-24. For 2022-23, his destination is back to the OHL, where the Sabres will see how Bloom develops his veteran presence in Saginaw for a team won just 24 games in the 2021-22 OHL Season.
Bloom, like all pro-caliber hockey players, skates with relative ease. And while he is good at diagnosing plays and making sound decisions with the puck, he has impressed as a shooter this past season. He’s taking more shots with the puck when he feels he has a chance to score, a stark contrast from what he was earlier in his career.
More. AHL prospects who will be Sabres in 2022-23. light
It’s clear that Bloom did everything required of him in his season off and returned stronger. Now, he gets a chance to impress an organization that has become one of the NHL’s youngest and fastest-rising franchises.
(Statistics provided by The Hockey News)