Brantford Bulldogs head coach Jay McKee spent three years playing defense in front of legendary Buffalo Sabres goalie Ryan Miller, and he sees a lot of the same traits in one of the organization's top goaltending prospects.
Ryerson Leenders, a seventh-round pick by the Sabres in the 2024 NHL draft, plays for McKee in Brantford. His fourth OHL season is off to a terrific start with a 2.17 goals against average and .920 save percentage across 15 games for the first-place Bulldogs.
"I think if I were to compare him style wise, he really mimics Ryan Miller," McKee told Tyler Millen of Sabres.com. "He's always in position. He has the ability to move quick if he does happen to be out of position, but he's just a guy that looks big in the net, takes up a lot of space, he's calm. A lot of younger goalies in the league, puck will hit them, they'll bounce off into scoring areas. They just seem to stick to him."
Miller spent 11 seasons of his 18-year NHL career in Buffalo. His No. 30 was retired by the franchise for a decorated tenure that included several deep playoff runs and winning the 2010 Vezina Trophy.
"I remember when Millsy was in net, you feel confident on the ice and (Leenders) raises the confidence of the guys around him, just through playing clean," McKee said. "He gives you a chance to win every night."
Leenders' continued development adds another player to the conversation as the Sabres attempt to figure out their goaltending future.
Buffalo Sabres must begin to take steps toward trimming their overcrowded goalie depth chart
Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams, or potentially his successor if the club moves in a new direction after this season, has a lot of work to create a clearer goaltending picture.
Buffalo currently has three goalies on its active roster (Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Alex Lyon and Colten Ellis) along with top prospect Devon Levi in the AHL.
The Blue and Gold feature some other prospect netminders having strong seasons (Yevgeni Prokhorov and Scott Ratzlaff), while the team also remains high on Topias Leinonen despite some early struggles with the AHL's Rochester Americans.
Although the unpredictable nature of the goaltending position makes depth a valuable commodity, there's only so much playing time to go around. The team's three-goalie rotation at the NHL level this season has been a borderline disaster.
So, at some point in the near future, the Sabres need to make a decision about who's in their plans for the long haul and who's expendable in trade talks.
The most logical path, especially if this season gets away from Buffalo just like the previous 14, is trading UPL before the 2026 NHL trade deadline in March. Then, if Ellis shows he's worthy of being at least a part-time starter, follow that up with dealing Lyon over the offseason.
That would leave Ellis and Levi as the Sabres' NHL tandem next year, while Ratzlaff and Leinonen would split playing time with the Amerks. There would be space available with the ECHL's Jacksonville Icemen for other prospects, as well.
Is it a perfect solution? No. There aren't any bona fide superstars in that group, so there would still be question marks moving forward.
That said, it would at least create a clear hierarchy for 2026-27, while leaving a lane for prospects like Leenders, Prokhorov or Samuel Meloche to begin climbing the ranks if their play warrants it. That's better than the mess Buffalo is dealing with right now.
Meanwhile, Leenders is just focused on his own development as the Sabres sort through their future between the pipes.
"I'm holding myself to a higher standard this year," he told Millen. "Being my fourth year in league, we have so many expectations around us. I've dialed in that much more, watched more video, done more workouts, been on the ice, asking more questions with coaching staff and my teammates."
So far, the results suggest those strides are having a positive impact on his performance.
Buffalo will hope Leenders' steady upward trajectory continues for the next handful of years as he attempts to transform into a future NHL starter.