NHL Draft Grades: Buffalo Sabres score low grade with Noah Ostlund

The Buffalo Sabres went from Canada to Sweden for the second year in a row, grabbing Djurgardens prospect, Noah Ostlund at 16th overall. 

The Buffalo Sabres took Noah Ostlund with the 16th overall pick and at this point, it makes little sense with Danila Yurov still on the board. Okay, so Yurov’s development stagnated in the KHL, but you can’t deny what the kid did when they sent him to the MHL: He burst onto the scene and stole the show. 

Yeah, there is also uncertainty regarding his contract at the moment. But other than that, he was a top-ten talent that the Sabres should have just taken the gamble with. His numbers in the MHL last season were 36 points, 13 goals, and 23 assists in just 23 games, good for 1.56 points per game.

And if they were too afraid to gamble on Yurov, well, Joakim Kemell was still there. The latter was a draft pick I was also high on, who I thought would not stick around at 16th overall. But, the Sabres ended up passing up on both Yurov and Kemell, and instead decided to take Ostlund at 16, who was nowhere near as productive. Anyway, let’s take a closer look at the Djurgardens product.

Why Noah Ostlund was not a good pick for the Buffalo Sabres at 16th overall

First off, Ostlund needs to add some bulk to his 5’11, 163lb frame. But I won’t take off too many points here, as most NHL Draft prospects are undersized, and he will fill out his frame in time. But he also lacks strength, which reminds you of, gasp….Casey Mittelstadt. 

TCB’s 2022 NHL Draft Guide projects Ostlund to be a middle six forward whose development could possibly take a bit more time, telling me the kid was a reach at 16th. Especially since TCB ranked him at 24th overall and again, Yurov and Kemell were still available.

Production-wise, when I first looked at his statistics, I mistook him as a two-way defenseman, given his nine goals and 33 assists (42 points) in 32 games, good for 1.31 points per game. He does display excellent on-ice vision and his 33 assists shows that he knows where to go with the puck.

But there is a lot of development left for a prospect that I personally wouldn’t have wanted the Sabres go have even considered until at least the 41st selection. TCB calls him a safe pick. I call him an unnecessary project. Grade: D.

(Statistics provided by Elite Prospects)

Prospect information provided by the 2022 TCB NHL Draft Guide.