Daxon Rudolph isn't the only Sabres defense prospect shining in college

Daxon Rudolph, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, continues to generate excitement in Western New York with a memorable start to his collegiate career at the University of Denver, but he's not the only Buffalo Sabres prospect making a statement in the NCAA ranks.

Fellow defenseman Luke Osburn has racked up nine points (four goals and five assists) in eight games for the University of Wisconsin. The standout sophomore and the Badgers have also climbed to the top of the college hockey national rankings with a 7-0-1 start.

Osburn put together his most impressive Wisconsin outing to date with a goal and two assists in a 6-1 road win over Minnesota, led by Sabres prospect Brodie Ziemer, on Saturday. The Big Ten rivals had battled to a 1-1 tie a few nights earlier.

It continues an impressive upward trajectory for the 6-foot-1 defender, who joined the Buffalo organization as a fourth-round selection in 2024.

The Michigan native put together a breakthrough year (41 points in 55 games) with the USHL's Youngstown Phantoms in his first post-draft season. He backed that up with a strong freshman campaign for the Badgers (21 points in 33 contests) to earn a bigger role for 2026-27.

Osburn's combination of skating ability and offensive instincts make him a perfect fit for the Sabres' preferred up-tempo style of play, which relies heavily on defensemen joining the rush to help create scoring chances in transition.

The biggest question is whether his defensive impacts would improve enough to make him a legit NHL prospect, and that's certainly been the case early in his second season in Madison.

It wouldn't be a surprise to see the Sabres sign Osburn to an entry-level contract after Wisconsin's season ends, though a third year with the Badgers isn't out of the question. He's certainly accelerated his journey toward the NHL since the draft a few years ago.

Between Osburn and Rudolph (12 points in 10 games as a freshman for third-ranked Denver), Buffalo should be feeling good about the next wave of defensemen looking to join the likes of Rasmus Dahlin, Mattias Samuelsson, Owen Power and Olen Zellweger in the coming years.

Sabres fans also can't forget about prospect Adam Kleber

Although Adam Kleber, a bruising 6-foot-6 blueliner playing for the University of Minnesota-Duluth, isn't going to match the offensive production of Osburn or Rudolph, he's showing signs of an uptick in point production this season.

Kleber has posted five points (one goal and four helpers) in 12 appearances as a junior for the Bulldogs. It's not an elite scoring rate, but it's still a jump from the 12 points in 40 games he compiled as a sophomore.

Given his strong performance as a shutdown defender in his own zone, all it's going to take for him to make a serious NHL push is modest offensive involvement. That's why the Buffalo front office is probably pleased to see the developments early in 2026-27.

It goes back to the conversation we've had about Radim Mrtka, another Sabres defensive prospect.

The franchise doesn't need Mrtka to drive play at a Dahlin level, but the fact he scored just one goal across 48 WHL games (regular season and playoffs) in 2025-26 and has yet to record a point in 13 outings with the AHL's Rochester Americans this season is a concern.

Being a stay-at-home defensive defenseman is one thing. Being incapable of driving offense at all is another, though there's still plenty of time for Mrtka, who's still only 19, to evolve.

Kleber is 20, and those modestly promising offensive signs are starting to show. It puts him in the same category as Osburn: players who could join the Amerks for the stretch run of the current campaign after the college season comes to a close.

In the bigger picture, the Sabres have no shortage of talent on the blue line while facing question marks in other key areas, mostly notably first-line center and goaltender. It wouldn't be a surprise if general manager Jarmo Kekalainen uses that position of strength as part of a blockbuster trade.

There are plenty of teams around the league that could use a player like Kleber in their pipeline, but we'll see whether Kekalainen is willing to give him up.

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