Dylan Dumont put together a breakthrough offensive campaign for the Saint-Hyacinthe Gaulois, a U18 team in the Quebec junior hockey system, two seasons ago, but there were questions entering his draft year about whether his defensive game could take a similar leap.
Sylvain Favreau, Dumont's head coach with the QMJHL's Drummondville Voltigeurs last season, decided the best way to find out was throwing the 17-year-old winger into the proverbial deep end. He frequently found himself on the ice for defensive-zone faceoffs while the team was protecting a third-period lead.
Favreau told Bill Hoppe of the Times Herald he was highly impressed with the young forward's response to that challenge as a QMJHL rookie.
"Those types of opportunities, he got a lot, and he really (had) a lot of success, and his growth was incredible," Favreau said.
The 48-year-old coach has nearly two decades of experience coaching junior players in Canada, and he was recently hired by the Tampa Bay Lightning to serve as an assistant for the Syracuse Crunch, the NHL club's AHL affiliate.
He quickly identified Dumont's intriguing offensive skill set, highlighted by "great hands" and an ability to generate a lot of scoring chances off the rush, which perfectly matches Buffalo's system under head coach Lindy Ruff, but the Ontario native noted the newly minted Sabres sixth-round pick from the 2026 NHL Draft still needs to check some key developmental boxes.
"Where he has to gain is on the physical side, needs to become a more complete player physically, and that's going to come with maturity," Favreau told Hoppe.
He added: "Being able to contribute as much away from the puck than with the puck."
Dumont certainly needs to add a little more strength and power to his 6-foot, 168-pound frame, but there's plenty of time for him to achieve that goal. He's only 17, and won't turn 18 until mid-August. It gives him a little more runway than most of the prospects from the 2026 draft class.
The Canadian is expected to play another season with Drummondville in 2026-27, and then he'll have to decide the next step in his career. It wouldn't be a surprise to see him courted by some top college hockey programs if he continues his upward trajectory starting in the fall.
From a hypothetical perspective, Dumont is probably a handful of years from entering the conversation to join the Sabres roster. Another QMJHL campaign, a few years of NCAA hockey and a season or two with the AHL's Rochester Americans seems like a realistic path.
That'd put him on a journey toward reaching the NHL around 2030, though obviously a lot can change to either accelerate or decelerate that timetable.
Buffalo Sabres appeared to place an onus on younger prospects in 2026 NHL Draft
The Sabres made five selections in this year's draft, and three of them were only 17 years old:
- Ilia Morozov (No. 20 overall; Round 1)
- Olivers Murnieks (No. 124 overall; Round 4)
- Dylan Dumont (No. 188 overall; Round 6)
Most players are 18 when they're selected by an NHL organization, as was the case for defenseman Daxon Rudolph and center Doman Szongoth for the Sabres.
Although a year in age may seem minuscule in the grand scheme of things, taking players who have between an extra few months and a full season of extra development compared to other prospects in the same class feels like a potential preference by Buffalo general manager Jarmo Kekalainen. (We'll find out for sure at the 2027 NHL Draft.)
It also makes a ton of sense for an organization like the Sabres, who are dealing with a little bit of a roster logjam on their active roster right now. So, making a bet on some high-upside prospects who may take an extra year or two to reach hockey's top level works for all parties involved.
Morozov is a perfect example.
The 6-foot-3 Russian was the youngest player in college hockey last season. He held his own, tallying 20 points (eight goals and 12 assists) in 36 appearances for Miami (Ohio) while facing off with opponents who were often three or four years older.
Morozov projects as a future middle-six center, mostly likely on the third line. His development timeline puts him on a path to reach Buffalo right around when Ryan McLeod, the player currently filling that role, is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent (2029).
That's the hallmark of a strong franchise: Having young players constantly working their way through the system to fill roster holes when they arise. It's simply impossible to re-sign everybody. You're always going to need players on team-friendly entry-level contracts stepping up.
On the flip side, the Sabres were often too dependent on prospects throughout their 14-year playoff drought. They prioritized players who were deemed close to NHL ready and while it worked in some cases, most notably Zach Benson, it wasn't a winning approach over the long haul.
Now the Blue and Gold are in a far more favorable position.
They're coming off a memorable turnaround season that included a run to the second round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs. They have several core pieces signed to long-term contracts. And their prospect pool has vastly improved over the past 24 months to set the club up for a brighter future.
Kekalainen said when he took over the Buffalo front office in December that his main goal was building a sustainable winner.
"I'm not going to sacrifice the ultimate goal for the sake of making the playoffs and then not having any sustainability for our goal as a team to take the next step and have it be an opportunity, a chance to compete for the Stanley Cup," Kekalainen told reporters at the time. "So, no, we're not going to do that. We're going to have a plan, and the plan is going to be the Stanley Cup."
The Sabres are finally moving in that promising direction again for the first time in two decades.
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