Herman Traff, W/HV71
Like Aron Kiviharju, Herman Traff has a relatively early birthday, with his coming in December 2005. But the winger carries immense size at 6’3, 216 pounds, and he’s versatile enough to also play off-wing. For a player who could fall out of the first round, those two traits alone are enticing for a Sabres prospect pool that can use more size, and immediately, someone like Anton Wahlberg came to mind.
Traff is also someone with a bit of Alex Tuch and Jeff Skinner in him, with a shot like Skinner’s but with power forward potential like Tuch. No, his SHL numbers didn’t impress, with zero points in 10 games, but whatever, that’s expected for such a young player. He was, however, loaned to Vasteras IK of HockeyAllsvenskan for eight games, where he put up three points and a goal in the process.
Traff also had 13 goals and 21 points in 26 regular season contests in J20 Nationell before logging another two goals and three points in two playoff games, giving him 15 goals and 24 points in 28 contests. Overall, the Sabres would get an intense player if they drafted Traff, and scoring may not be his niche at the pro level when he’s finally on NHL ice, either for Buffalo or someone they would trade him to should Kevyn Adams take him with that second-round pick.
He’s someone who already likes to hit and his forechecking is also a strength, so imagine what kind of player Traff will be once he’s fully developed. That’s one reason he may be the most enticing player on this list, even if Jett Luchanko and Aron Kiviharju have made their respective cases.
(Statistics powered by Elite Prospects)