The Buffalo Sabres hold the ninth pick in the 2022 NHL Draft and recently, NHL.com listed eight potential prospects the team can draft with the ninth pick.
On June 13th, 2022, NHL.com listed who they think the Buffalo Sabres will target with the ninth pick. Of those potential picks, I have listed three of the likeliest candidates in today’s slideshow. But before we get to the good stuff, I’d like to talk about another likely prospect not mentioned.
Since I slated Liiga’s Joakim Kemell to the Sabres in my latest mock, I did not place him in this slideshow as a prospect. But feel free to consider Kemell to be part of this list, too. It just didn’t make sense to list the same prospect in back-to-back articles.
I also feel Kemell, at this point, is the likeliest option to go to the Sabres with the ninth pick. So the following prospects would be the team’s top targets IF Kemell is gone when their pick rolls around.
Who are the Buffalo Sabres likely to grab at nine? Keep reading for more.
The top prospect the Buffalo Sabres can draft with the ninth pick: Matthew Savoie, C/Winnipeg
If NHL.com had it their way, Savoie would be a Sabre, given the results of this mock draft. NHL.com also ranked him the fourth-best skater in North America, and they acknowledged he may not be there when the Sabres draft at ninth overall.
Is it a nightmare scenario if both Kemell and Savoie are gone? Not really. But it would prevent the team from drafting two smaller but intriguing prospects.
Mike Morreale, whose mock draft I linked above, and other scouts compare him to the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Brayden Point. Like Point, Savoie’s speed and skating ability stand out. He is also a phenomenal chess piece to use on special teams.
The first overall pick in the WHL’s 2019 Bantam Draft, Savoie solidified his draft status in the league this past season when he recorded 90 points (35 goals) in 65 games. If he is there and Kemell is not, look for the Sabres to snag him. And you can also expect some fast development from this small but speedy prospect.