What would the Buffalo Sabres 2023 All-Prospect Team look like?

If the Buffalo Sabres were putting together an All-Prospect Team, who would make the cut for the summer of 2023 should such a team exist.

Every year, the NBA Summer League showcases its best prospects and young players roughly three months before the regular season tips off. So let’s take a moment and ask ourselves, “What if the NHL had a Summer League?” I know, I know, they already have the Prospects Challenge, something I always look forward to.

But if the prospects from most if not all 32 teams joined at a central location and played, say, a seven-game round robin against their division, with the top two from each heading into a “Knockout Stage,” what would the Sabres prospects team look like in 2023? Well, first off, let’s start with my criteria for the team in this fictitious league. Each player must be:

• Aged 25 or under
• Signed OR unsigned
• Have fewer than 25 games of NHL experience
• 23-man roster

Ready to see which Sabres prospects made the team for the “Summer League?” Let’s introduce your 2023 Buffalo Sabres All-Prospect Team.

Welcoming the Buffalo Sabres 2023 All-Prospect Team

Forwards

First Line

• Brandon Biro – Jiri Kulich – Lukas Rousek

Something tells me that this line would be a blast to watch. All three of the prospects listed above will be front runners to potentially bump up to the Buffalo Sabres lineup. So getting an extended look at them during the summer could enable one to separate themselves from the others.

Second Line

• Zach Benson – Matt Savoie – Isak Rosen

It would have been against my better judgment to separate Benson from Savoie in this, and putting them as linemates would immediately give the Sabres prospects some chemistry. Rosen more than showed that he will be one of the Blue and Gold’s more effective prospects in 2023-24, and he could even make an appearance in the NHL for a one-off.

Third Line

• Linus Weissbach – Noah Ostlund – Olivier Nadeau

Weissbach could be a dark horse contender come September for a roster spot, so an NHL Summer League would strongly benefit him. Ostlund would get more experience playing the North American style of the game, assuming he’d be willing to come over for a couple of weeks, while Nadeau is one prospect I’ve been ultra-high on for a while and he’ll get an early chance to show what he can do.

Fourth Line

• Brett Murray – Tyson Kozak – Filip Cederqvist

Murray is not waivers exempt, and would therefore benefit from a few more games of experience to show he can snag a permanent spot at the next level. Kozak’s skills as a defensive forward make him yet another dark horse candidate once training camp rolls around, and he’d also give coaches more of a showcase alongside the energetic Cederqvist.

Extras

• Viktor Neuchev – Anton Wahlberg

Neuchev and Wahlberg would get an opportunity to practice with the team and watch the games to get more of a grasp on the North American style of play. They also make for good insurance policies should they need to step in.

Defensemen

First Pairing

• Nikita Novikov – Vsevolod Komarov

This would be an interesting duo, with the offensive-minded Komarov pairing with the sledgehammer in Novikov. This pairing would give the Buffalo Sabres a balanced look on the first pairing.

Second Pairing

• Ryan Johnson – Gavin McCarthy

This pairing gives us someone with experience at the lower levels in Johnson teaming up with a newbie in Gavin McCarthy. Once again, there is balance here, but it’s also where the young rotation in this exercise would show some inexperience.

Third Pairing

• Mats Lindgren – Maxime Strbak

Lindgren has and could continue to work on his defensive game here while Strbak would continue getting experience in the North American style of play – he did have 45 games of experience in the USHL in 2022-23.

Extra

• Norwin Panocha

As with our two extras at forward, Panocha would sit and watch while getting more practice reps in with the team. And if he were to play, Panocha would rotate in with either Lindgren or Strbak.