The Buffalo Sabres continue to focus on forwards and drafted their third straight center in the 2026 NHL Draft. After the selection of Ilia Morozov in the first round, Olivers Murnieks in the fourth round, and the latest being Doman Szongoth in the fifth round.
The 18-year-old is 6'1" and a player who isn't going to get pushed around on the ice and recently played for Hungary in the IIHF World Championship. He finished with one goal in seven games.
Doman Szongoth has a chance to make NHL history with the Buffalo Sabres
Shortly after the pick, Steven Ellis tweeted his thoughts on the pick. He said that he thought Szongoth was one of the best players almost every night for Hungary in the IIHF World Championship.
However, he also noted that Szongoth is now the fifth Hungary-born player to be drafted by the NHL. If he does reach the NHL with the Sabres, he would be the first player from Hungary to play in the NHL.
Szongoth is going to face a challenge to get to Buffalo because of the depth the team has up the middle. They obviously have the young trio that emerged the past two seasons in Jiri Kulich, Noah Ostlund, and Konsta Helenius, along with the two centers drafted in this NHL Draft.
The Sabres, though, may have that in mind when they selected him and shouldn't expect Szongoth to be ready any time soon to make the jump to North America. The scouting report on The Hockey Writers mentions that he certainly has the potential, but needs time to develop:
"If a club selects him, the bet is on the player he becomes at 21 or 22, not the one he is today. For a Hungarian hockey program that has not produced an NHL draft pick in over two decades, Szongoth represents something larger than his individual projection. He is proof that the country’s investment in player development is starting to produce results."
The Sabres have only one pick left in the 2026 NHL Draft with their pick in the sixth round.
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