5 players to watch closely as the Sabres kick off rookie camp

Take one look at the Sabres rookie camp roster, and you’ll find a few names that will jump out at you. One of which is 2024 first-round pick Konsta Helenius, who will make his presence known both while practicing with the Sabres and at the Prospects Challenge early and often. 

Since Helenius is one player who just about every fan of the Blue and Gold will be excited to see, I won’t bother listing him in the top five players to watch closely throughout rookie camp as there are quite a few other names to cover, starting with a fan favorite in recent seasons.

Jiri Kulich

Jiri Kulich is someone fans have been zeroing in on, and if this wasn’t a definite make-or-break year for the Sabres, I’d be more than happy to pencil him in as a member of the big club. Not that it can’t happen, especially with a dominant camp, but the Sabres should find themselves beyond looking for even high-end prospects to make the lineup at this point.  

That said, the kid who scored 27 goals in 57 games last season will be the one player fans may want to see play this week more than anyone next to Helenius, and he will make excellent insurance should the Sabres see an injury or two early in the year. But until he gets a recall, enjoy watching Kulich crush the competition this week and at the subsequent Prospects Challenge. 

Anton Wahlberg

The 2023 second-round pick saw himself put up just 10 points in 43 games for Malmo in the SHL, but don’t let Anton Wahlberg’s lack of productivity fool you. He came to North America last season and played well, with four points in nine games, and that’s something he will build on starting this week in camp. 

Wahlberg, listed at 6’3, 198 lbs, already has the size needed to take on opponents at the professional level, and it’s something you could see play to his advantage at the upcoming Prospects Challenge. 

Vsevolod Komarov

I’ve been excited to see Vsevolod Komarov for a while, and his performance in the QMJHL last season was better than I expected. If you missed it, Komarov finished the regular season with 14 goals, 55 assists, and 69 points in 60 regular season matchups, and this all came despite his 105 penalty minutes. 

He will, finally, join the AHL’s Rochester Americans this season, and it wouldn’t surprise me if he, like the next player on my list, didn’t need much of an adjustment period. Should that be the case, you’re looking at a two-way defenseman who, at worst, is future organizational depth for someone. But it also wouldn’t surprise me if we saw him in a Sabres uniform a few years down the road. 

Nikita Novikov

Some players have a tough time adjusting to the North American game, but from the second the puck dropped last season, Nikita Novikov looked like he’d been playing here for years. He ended up seeing time in 65 regular season matchups for the Rochester Americans, finishing with a solid three goals and 20 assists, good for 23 points on the year. 

Novikov has size and he’s not afraid to use it to his advantage on the ice, so with more development to his game and if he can maintain an edge, I’ll be excited to see what he will eventually bring to the NHL. It won’t happen this season, but if Novikov has another good camp, he’ll be one of a few prospects to follow all year. 

Scott Ratzlaff

If there is one goaltender I’m happy to see back at rookie camp, it’s Scott Ratzlaff, who will be in town along with Ryerson Leenders. One reason I’m looking forward to seeing Ratzlaff more stems from the fact he finished his first full season as a goaltender in the WHL and did a respectable job, considering the way the Seattle Thunderbirds regressed as a team. 

It was going to be a long season for Ratzlaff, but he hung in there for 52 games and finished with a 0.905 save percentage, a 3.33 GAA, and 21 wins. Not the best numbers, but he made the most out of what was a bad Thunderbirds team last year, and it’s an experience he could carry over into Year 2 of his development.