Buffalo Sabres: Did Noah Ostlund make the right decision to forgo AHL?

For one fleeting minute, it looked as though Buffalo Sabres prospect Noah Ostlund would be playing in North America for the 2023-24 season.

As we all know, Noah Ostlund will be playing professionally for Vaxjo in 2023-24, which allows him to move up to the SHL this year and gain extensive experience in Sweden’s top hockey league. Last year, Ostlund didn’t get that opportunity as his former club, Djurgardens, was relegated to playing in HockeyAllsvenskan.

That said, you may think Ostlund would better prepare himself in the AHL, where he could get used to the North American game. However, Ostlund at least considered the same, as he recently reflected on his brief stint in hanging around the Rochester Americans:

"“I learned a lot. Met all of the staff and the players. I had a great time and learned how it is to play in the American [Hockey] League. It was a good experience.” – via NHL.com"

Despite Ostlund’s praises for the AHL, he also felt that spending one more season in Sweden was still the better route in his professional hockey journey. Here is what he said about the decision:

"“”It was a pretty tough decision to make. Both places are very good places to be, and I think Vaxjo is a very good experience to play in the SHL. I think that will make my make my path to the NHL quicker.” – via NHL.com"

Did Buffalo Sabres prospect Noah Ostlund make the right decision?

While Ostlund won’t have the luxury of acclimating himself to the North American game in the SHL, it doesn’t mean he made the wrong decision. Ostlund saw a good deal of success in HockeyAllsvenskan last season with Djurgardens, and his efforts resulted in 26 points, eight goals, and 18 assists in 37 games, with another five points, two goals, and three assists in 12 qualification games.

This shows us that Ostlund received some extensive ice time playing in Sweden’s second tier professional league last year. And that trend should continue this season with a taller and more muscular version of himself receiving more ice time in Sweden than he may have gotten in the AHL in 2023-24.

So if that indeed turns out to be the case, I can say that in foresight, Ostlund made the correct decision. And if he makes another jump in production in Sweden, look for Ostlund to make his AHL debut in 2024-25.

Source: Ostlund bids to continue growth spurt on path to Sabres roster spot by Heather Engel, NHL.com

(Statistics provided by Elite Prospects)