NHL Draft Grade: Buffalo Sabres score ultra-high grade with Leinonen

NHL pundits praised the Buffalo Sabres for a stellar first round in the 2022 NHL Draft. Then they struck gold in Day Two. 

Kevyn Adams, if there is one word to describe him so far, is gutsy. Yesterday, he drafted three forwards, two of which are high-upside projects, for the Buffalo Sabres prospect pool. And today, at pick 41, Adams pulled off a stunner by drafting goaltender Topias Leinonen.

When you look at Leinonen’s numbers and save percentage, they don’t look to be all that good, But don’t look at the overall numbers. Instead, pay attention to how he performed in leagues against players at his experience level, and it tells you a different story.

Yeah, he finished just 9-10-0 last season in U20 SM-sarja, but he also scored a 0.916 save percentage and posted a GAA of just 2.28. Yeah, his numbers were terrible in Liiga and Metsis, but they rebounded with the Finland U18 Team, where he posted a 2.61 GAA, a 3-2 record, and 0.897 save percentage at the U18 World Championship.

Kevyn Adams just drafted the steal of the second round for the Buffalo Sabres

In short, Leinonen is a STEAL. In a weak goaltender class, and with a weak prospect pool in the organization at goaltender outside Devon Levi, Adams knew he needed to make a bold move in this draft for a potential franchise goaltender, and he found one in Leinonen.

The kid is an Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen clone, but with more bulk and upside. Now, if Leinonen can build his game for JYP in Liiga, my early prediction is that he will eventually wind up in Rochester and perhaps as the goaltender of the future if things don’t work out regarding Luukkonen, Erik Portillo, or Levi.

However, I do, at this point, see Leinonen taking a backseat to Levi, considering the latter’s success at Northeastern last season. But if Levi does not sign, or for some odd reason, does not pan out, the Sabres have an excellent contingency plan in Leinonen. Grade: A++.

(Statistics provided by Elite Prospects)