It’s safe to say general manager Kevyn Adams has never had a bad draft, given the number of players who came to the organization on his watch who are already with the Buffalo Sabres big club. So far, Zach Benson, JJ Peterka, Jack Quinn, and Owen Power have already found homes there, and there is an outstanding chance we’ll see even more from his draft classes in the future.
There was one pick in particular who could find their way with the Sabres sooner than later, and it was their best overall pick in the 2024 class, Konsta Helenius. I won’t put too much stock into what made me like this pick so much, having covered the topic on Friday night, but thanks to his ability to play so well against men at his age, Helenius should hit the ground running once he’s playing in North America.
An honorable mention goes to seventh-round pick Ryerson Leenders, who saw a major production jump in the OHL this season. His save percentage improved from a meager 0.879 in 35 games to 0.909 in 46, and his 3.48 GAA improved to just 3.12 for the year. Look for Leenders to improve even more for the upcoming season.
Who were the worst and most intriguing picks for the Buffalo Sabres?
It’s always hard to say Kevyn Adams made a bad pick, but wow, I did not like their 42nd overall pick, Adam Kleber. I have nothing against Kleber, and ordinarily, I would call this a good selection. But you had Cole Hutson, Harrison Brunicke, Leo Sahlin-Wallenius, and Jesse Pulkkinen all on the board. Hey, I love Adam Kleber’s size and his mobility, but I’ll tell you this - Hutson and Sahlin-Wallenius are future game-changers, and you didn’t grab them, Kevyn. I don’t get it.
Something else I’ll never get is how Brodie Ziemer was ranked so low and that nobody “reached” for him when the Blue and Gold were set to pick at No. 71 overall. But the two-way winger was there for the taking, and the Sabres got a player who put up 94 points and 35 goals in 88 contests, plus another three goals and 12 points in World Junior competition this past season.
If there’s one player from this draft class whose college/junior/international - Ziemer will be attending the University of Minnesota - I’ll be following closely, it’s Brodie Ziemer’s. I can’t wait until he goes pro after a few dominant seasons with the Golden Gophers.
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