3 – Isak Rosen
Few have made their presence known during the Amerks playoff run more than Isak Rosen. While he still needs to put on a good 10 to 15lb before he’s ready to make the jump to Buffalo, Rosen has nonetheless shown us he’s more than capable of producing at the NHL level. His playoff tear has been nothing short of impeccable, and look for it to continue. Further, expect Rosen to become the go-to on the power play in 2023-24.
2 – Matt Savoie
Matt Savoie is yet another member of the prospects pool who enjoyed a remarkable playoff run, scoring an impressive 29 points, 11 goals, and 18 assists in 19 playoff games. Now that he’s with the Rochester Americans, Savoie isn’t done yet, as it looks like we will see him in the Amerks lineup at some point during Rochester’s Eastern Conference Final vs. the Hershey Bears.
1 – Jiri Kulich
If there is any prospect more than ready to make the jump to the Buffalo Sabres lineup in 2023-24, it’s none other than Jiri Kulich. Ever since he entered the system, Kulich’s motor just hasn’t stopped, despite a busy schedule that included stints in development camp, the Prospects Challenge, Rochester, and the IIHF World Juniors. The scary part? His recent playoff tear, with nine points in six games, plus one goal per game, tells us that he’s playing his best hockey of the season.
As mentioned, this list may look dramatically different from others you will see. I’ve taken the liberty to include a few older prospects on my list who, even if they don’t wind up playing in Buffalo, have shown us enough to potentially find a home in the NHL. A good few of the prospects mentioned, however, will be playing in the Queen City at some point in their respective careers.
Source: Buffalo Sabres are No. 6 in 2023 NHL prospect pool rankings by Scott Wheeler, TheAthletic.com
(Statistics provided by Elite Prospects)