Hockey is back in some sense this week as the Buffalo Sabres will be participating in the Prospect Challenge. The first game of the tournament will be on Friday, with the second on Saturday, before they finish on Monday afternoon.
This will lead right into training camp and then their first preseason game on September 22nd. However, these next few days are going to be focused on the rookies and the younger players. For some, this might be the most ice time they get in front of the coaching staff these next few weeks and they are going to have to take advantage of it.
When looking at the roster for the Prospect Challenge, these are four players that might be under-the-radar but could make a big impact.
Anton Wahlberg
Anton Wahlberg was a second-round pick by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2023 NHL Draft and spent the entire season last year with Rochester in the AHL. He did play in nine games the season before but this was essentially his first season in the AHL, and in 63 games, he had 11 goals and 19 assists.
There is room to grow for Wahlberg, and this is where the Prospect Challenge can show the coaching staff that he has made improvements. Wahlberg was pretty inconsistent last season and was almost a non-factor in the playoffs with no points in six games.
Noah Ostlund and Konsta Helenius will draw most of the headlines but Wahlberg is a player to watch closely as he could have a future in the NHL in the next few seasons if he is able to develop.
Riley Fiddler-Schultz
Riley Fiddler-Schultz went undrafted before the Buffalo Sabres signed him to a two-year contract ahead of the 2023 season. He spent the first season in the ECHL with the Jacksonville Icemen and appeared in 51 games and had 43 points.
This past season, Fiddler-Schultz spent the entire season with the AHL and in 51 games had 26 points with another three points in eight playoff games. The Sabres saw enough to re-sign him to another two-year contract and clearly see him as a key part of the Rochester Americans.
The question is whether or not he can reach that next level with the Sabres, and that is what fans can watch for this weekend.
Vsevolod Komarov
Among the defenders, all eyes will be on the Sabres first-round pick from this past June in Radim Mrtka and rightfully so, as this will be the first time for most fans to watch him live in a game. However, another defender to watch for is Vsevolod Komarov, who was a fifth-round pick by the Sabres in 2022.
Komarov is the type of defender that the Sabres have been looking to add in that he is a big, physical player who uses his size well at 6'4" and 208 pounds. This past season was his rookie season with the Amerks, and he did a good job transitioning to this caliber of talent with 18 points and a +/- of +7 in 69 regular-season games.
The Sabres are very deep on their blueline so it might be some time before Komarov is playing in the NHL but he should get there if he continues to develop the way he has.