Buffalo Sabres: Five best late-round draft picks since 2005
The Buffalo Sabres have had some incredible draft picks through the years. Today, we talk about their five best late-round picks since 2005.
Rarely, will you see late round picks make such an impact in the NHL, but the Buffalo Sabres snagged a few of them. Today, you’re going to meet some of these draft picks selected between rounds four and seven, since we are only discussing players drafted when the NHL reduced the number of rounds from nine to seven in 2005.
The players you meet below may or may not have played a significant role on the Sabres. One notable name never played for the Sabres at all. However, they have made their mark in one way or another in the NHL.
So who are these late round picks who enjoyed more time in the NHL than most of their late-round counterparts? Keep reading to find out.
Best late picks in Buffalo Sabres history: Pick #1 – Paul Byron, 178th overall/2007
A small winger at just 5’9, 158lb, Byron played just eight games with the Buffalo Sabres, scoring two points. In June 2011, the Sabres traded him and Chris Butler to the Calgary Flames for a second round pick in 2012 that they ended up using to select Jake McCabe. They also received Alex Kotalik and Robyn Regehr.
Despite Byron’s small size, he developed into one of the league’s better defensive forwards, playing for Calgary until 2015-16 before moving on to the Montreal Canadiens, where he played at the time of this writing.
Following the 2016-17 season, Byron saw himself in consideration for the Selke Award. It was a season in which he scored a career-high 43 points in 81 games, converting 22.9 percent of his shots on goal, logging 119 hits, and committing 40 takeaways.
He had an encore performance in 2017-18, playing in all 82 games while scoring 35 points. That season, Byron also tallied a career high 55 blocks, 137 hits, and 45 takeaways.
Marcus Foligno, 104th overall/2009
Unlike Byron, Foligno enjoyed an extended stay with the Buffalo Sabres. The towering winger later spent time with the Minnesota Wild, where like Byron, he saw himself acquiring votes for the Selke Trophy, finishing ninth in 2021-22.
In his six seasons with the Sabres, Foligno played in 347 games, scoring 116 points (49 goals). He shot a respectable 12.2 percent and saw his most productive season with the Sabres come in 2016-17. That year, he amassed an astounding 279 hits, 33 takeaways, and 57 blocks. Scoring-wise, Foligno recorded 23 points and 13 goals, good for a 13.4 shooting percentage.
You can argue that his best season in the NHL came in 2021-22 with the Wild. He scored 42 points (23 goals), converted 23.5 percent of his shots, compiled 238 hits, and 42 blocks.
Linus Ullmark, 163rd overall/2012
Ullmark at least provided a hint of stability at goaltender during his stint with the Buffalo Sabres. He was by no means great, posting a 50-47-13 record between 2015-16 and 2020-21 before moving onto the Boston Bruins. But after becoming a part-time starter for the team starting in 2018-19, Ullmark only got better.
That season, he finished 15-14-5, allowing an average of 3.11 goals per game and saving just 0.905 of his shots. The following year, he improved to17-14-3, saving 0.915 of his shots with a GAA of just 2.69.
Finally, in 2020-21, Ullmark’s save percentage hit 0.917 while amassing a 9-6-3 record. He allowed just 2.63 goals that year. During his first season in Boston, his GAA improved to 2.45 while his save percentage remained even-keel. He also posted an astounding 26-10-2 record.
Victor Olofsson, 181st overall/2014
Olofsson showed flashes throughout his career with the Buffalo Sabres, really turning on the jets between February and April 2022. During the 2021-22 season, he posted a career high 49 points and 29 assists to go along with 20 goals. And he did all of this in just 72 games, meaning that had he been healthy all season, Olofsson most likely would have encroached the 50 to 55-point range.
His best season overall, however, came during the COVID-19 shortened 2019-20 season. He scored 42 points (20 goals) in 54 games, converting 15.7 percent of his shots. For his efforts, Olofsson earned a top spot on the NHL All-Rookie Team and he finished seventh in voting for the Calder Trophy.
Olofsson is one of a few NHL players who has shown that draft status doesn’t always relegate one to the minors or a short hockey career. Given his prominence on the Sabres top scoring lines, Olofsson further proved that even late-round picks can evolve into core players for any NHL franchise.
Brandon Hagel, 159th overall/2016
The former sixth-round pick never played in the Buffalo Sabres organization. But in 2021-22, he evolved into one of the NHL’s more promising players. Hagel‘s rise actually started as a member of the Chicago Blackhawks in 2020-21, where he finished 18th in the voting for the Calder Trophy.
That season, he scored 24 points (nine goals) in 52 contests. His play skyrocketed in 2021-22, when he spent time with both the Blackhawks and the Eastern Conference Champion Tampa Bay Lightning.
Hagel appeared in 77 games, totaling 44 points (25 goals) while logging an amazing 20.0 shooting percentage. He also showed off his defensive prowess, recording 63 hits, 32 blocks, and 53 takeaways.
Related Story. Best players originally drafted by the Sabres. light
Overall, the five players listed may not have made their presence known with the Buffalo Sabres. But they all carved out solid roles in the NHL and have long since outplayed their draft status, proving that at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter where one is drafted if they are willing to put in the time and dedication.
(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)