Viktor Olofsson, LW/HV71
In all fairness, you could call Victor Olofsson a draft-day steal for the Sabres, even if he never became the most prominent player for the Blue and Gold. But he was good enough to make it to the NHL and put up some dominant stints, so why not see if lightning strikes twice and roll with Viktor Olofsson, who, while a small 5’8, 172 pounds, put up some decent numbers in J20?
Okay, just for the record, I didn’t roll with Olofsson here because he has a namesake who played (I’m guessing Victor won’t be back) for the Sabres. Steven Ellis of Daily Faceoff had good things to say about the younger Olofsson, including his playmaker potential. And when you have a possible playmaker who will be available late in the draft and otherwise wouldn’t be if he were a few inches taller, you take a chance on them.
Across 47 regular season games, Olofsson gave his hockey club 19 goals and 19 assists, good for 38 points and 0.8 per game. This all occurred around the same time he put up two goals and four points for his J18 club, showing us that Olofsson could develop into a fine player offensively, even if he never possesses ideal size.
It’s also worth looking back at Olofsson’s 2022-23 season to further show us just how much damage he can cause when the puck is on his stick. Across his J18 Region and Nationell, Olofsson played in 29 regular games, yet he scored 16 goals and put up 41 points, and it foreshadowed his successful J20 season in 2023-24.
As with the other two prospects in this piece, Olofsson would most likely spend a lot of time developing before he’s even ready for the AHL. But considering his numbers and playmaking potential, the small yet enticing winger should be on the Sabres shortlist.
(Statistics powered by Elite Prospects)