Mock Draft 1.0 tells us who the Sabres must select in each round of the 2024 NHL Draft
The Buffalo Sabres may look to shed some of their prospects pool this summer, so it’s imperative for Kevyn Adams to enjoy a strong 2024 NHL Draft.
The Buffalo Sabres must find a way to acquire established talent this offseason and finally end their playoff drought. This means taking close looks at players who are on bad hockey teams with mediocre prospect pools and enticing them with some of their higher-end talents, regardless of who those players are.
It also means giving little thought to whether it’s Jiri Kulich, Matt Savoie, Nikita Novikov, or even someone who hasn’t even signed yet. At one time, we would have all liked to have seen the aforementioned players, plus those like Isak Rosen, Anton Wahlberg, and Noah Ostlund scoring goals in Sabres uniforms.
But considering the current situation, it’s not feasible to keep such players in Rochester (or the junior leagues) if it means landing a player for the immediate future.
Luckily for the Sabres, general manager Kevyn Adams knows how to draft well, and he once again has plenty of picks at his disposal. So it shouldn’t hurt too much to see one of the names mentioned above going elsewhere if he enjoys yet another solid NHL Draft, especially with another pick in the top half of the field.
So, who must the Sabres target in all seven rounds of the 2024 NHL Draft now that they know exactly where they’re picking? Using the mock draft simulator from FC Hockey, I decided to lay out a logical scenario.
Round 1: Zeev Buium, D/University of Denver
Should the Sabres end up trading one of their playmakers this summer, someone like Zeev Buium would factor in as a sound replacement, regardless of position. The former national champion may not be the RHD, but Buium would be way too enticing of a prospect for Kevyn Adams to pass up.
Round 2: Will Skahan, D/Boston College
A lot of fans may not like seeing yet another LHD in the system, but Will Skahan was the best player on the board in the second round. His size and “shutdown” mentality aren’t just two ideal traits for the imposing blueliner but an excellent complement to Buium.
Round 3: Will Zellers, LW/North Dakota
He ended his prep career with 111 points and 54 goals, a 62-point and 38-goal improvement from 2022-23. If you’re a Sabres fan who also keeps tabs on a prospect’s collegiate career, Zellers should be one of the top players on your list to follow if he fell to the third round and Buffalo took him.
Round 4A: Erik Pahlsson, C/Minnesota
Erik Pahlsson is one of the older prospects in this mock draft and one who enjoyed a sound debut season in North America with the Dubuque Fighting Saints with 28 goals and 72 points. Pahlsson was also a captain at HV71 at the J20 Nationell level, and perhaps he will work his way into a leadership role at some point when he attends the University of Minnesota.
Round 4B: Trent Swick, LW/Kitchener Rangers
Another older prospect, Trent Swick may be a power forward who, at worst, could provide incredible organizational depth. His productivity wasn’t impressive until this season when he scored 30 goals in 70 regular season and playoff games, with 67 total points, so if he builds on that, Swick could end up as a steal.
Round 6: Chase Wutzke, G/Red Deer Rebels
I’m a fan of taking one goaltender (sometimes more) per draft, and Chase Wutzke of the Red Deer Rebels in the WHL is yet another sleeper. This was his first season playing 35-plus games at the junior level, and he was stellar. Wutzke also embarked on a seven-game playoff run that included a 0.924 save percentage and a 2.48 GAA.
Round 7A: Svante Sjodin, C/Orebro HK J20
Svante Sjodin should play in the SHL full-time next season after making 17 appearances this past year. He’s yet another one on this list who saw time as either a captain or an alternate captain with his respective team, and the projected late-round pick brings decent size at 6’1, 183 lbs, and a sensational work ethic, per Elite Prospects.
Round 7B: Mitja Jokinen, D/TPS
We’re ending this mock draft with a high-potential LHD - and I know, no RHDs in this entire exercise, but that’s just how the cards fall sometimes. Anyway, Jokinen may be undersized at 5’11, 170 lbs, but he saw an uptick in production with TPS 20 of U20 SM-sarja. If he parlays that success in Liiga next season, he will get his extended looks.
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(Statistics provided by Elite Prospects)