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Top 5 draft sleepers to bolster the Buffalo Sabres in 2023

By Sion Fawkes

TAMPA, FLORIDA - APRIL 06: Luke Mittelstadt #20 of the Minnesota Golden Gophers celebrates a goal in the third period during a semifinal of the 2023 Frozen Four against the Boston UniversityTerriers at Amalie Arena on April 06, 2023 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
TAMPA, FLORIDA - APRIL 06: Luke Mittelstadt #20 of the Minnesota Golden Gophers celebrates a goal in the third period during a semifinal of the 2023 Frozen Four against the Boston UniversityTerriers at Amalie Arena on April 06, 2023 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) /
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Tomas Suchanek is familiar with the Buffalo Sabres
HALIFAX, CANADA – JANUARY 04: Tomas Suchanek #30 of Team Czech Republic tends net during overtime against Team Sweden in the semifinal round of the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship at Scotiabank Centre on January 4, 2023 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Team Czech Republic defeated Team Sweden 2-1 in overtime. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /

3 – Lenni Hameenaho, LW/RW

If the Buffalo Sabres want a forward who boasts more size, then Lenni Hameenaho (6’1, 185 lb) is a good option. And despite his young age, Hameenaho has already shown some productivity at professional hockey’s highest level in Finland, having scored 21 points (nine goals) in 51 contests. He also tacked on another four points (three goals) in eight playoff games.

Despite the solid numbers considering he’s such a young player, Hameenaho still needs to work on his offensive game and skating, as raw ability has dictated most of his success at this point. He does, however, possess an ultra-high hockey IQ and his game in the defensive zone jumps out in terms of disrupting plays and forcing opponents to improvise. Overall, he could wind up with sound defensive forward tendencies.

4 – Tomas Suchanek, G

Definitely a favorite among Buffalo Sabres fans, Tomas Suchanek started to more than prove his worth this past season, finishing with a 3.05 GAA and a 0.912 save percentage to go with a 27-14-1 record for the WHL’s Tri-City Americans. He also played exceptionally well in the World Juniors, posting a 0.934 save percentage and an astounding 1.52 GAA.

Suchanek takes a proactive approach to his game, and he’s not afraid to get aggressive and would rather take chances when facing rushes. If Suchanek improves his play-reading, he could be in the system for a while should Adams officially add him to the system.

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