With some surefire changes coming to the Sabres, expect to see a veteran-heavy team take the ice in 2025-26 in hopes that they can finally end this long playoff drought. But it doesn’t mean we won’t see the influx of prospects getting their respective chances with the big club cease any time soon.
Players like Devon Levi have more than made their case to forge their spot as a full-time NHLer. Levi’s regular and postseason stats, at least with the AHL’s Rochester Americans, had been phenomenal. But he’s not the only one fans should rave about.
Below, I got three prospects who exceeded expectations this season. One of them spent a good portion of their campaign with the Sabres, and he too could see an expanded role next year. Another saw a borderline trial run, and the third player listed could sneak their way onto the main roster for a few contests in 2025-26.
Tyson Kozak
I’ve been calling this one for a while now, and while I don’t want to say that I told you so, well, I told you so. Tyson Kozak finally came up to the big club and made an impact on the bottom six after playing well with Rochester.
During his time with the Amerks this season, Kozak appeared in 31 contests, scoring eight goals and 14 points, with a plus-5 rating. He was never a points producer in Rochester, but that’s not the role he plays when on the hockey rink.
Kozak played a similar game in Buffalo, putting up five points and three goals in 21 contests, a minus-2 rating, with 23 blocks and 26 hits. He also fared well at the faceoff dot for a player getting his first look in the NHL, with a 46.2 faceoff win percentage, and 67 faceoff wins.
Kozak’s a player who should challenge for a full-time role in 2025-26. The fourth line is his ceiling in the NHL, but his gritty, physical play is what the Sabres need in what might be the NHL’s toughest division.
Noah Ostlund
Now, you can laugh at me for laughing when the Sabres picked Noah Ostlund 16th overall back in 2022. Honestly, I didn’t want someone with a mid-first-round pick who wasn’t known for his scoring, even if Ostlund’s playmaking made up for it.
Then, he came to North America and looked horrendous earlier in what was his first full season with Rochester. Yet, starting on January 25th, something clicked, and Ostlund went on a points-producing rampage. If you want to talk about an ‘overnight sensation,’ you’re looking at one in Ostlund, even if he’s far from a finished product.
By the time the season ended, Ostlund racked up 19 goals and 36 points in 45 games with a plus-20 to go with it. He earned some time with the big club and, predictably, struggled. But still, heading into this season and after some poor returns early on, I thought there was no way we’d see Ostlund skating in the NHL this season. Turns out, he was just holding back.
Nikita Novikov
He stood out to me last season, and Nikita Novikov took another leap in 2024-25, finishing the regular season with 20 points and six goals in 68 games, to go with a plus-28. He showed he wasn’t afraid to go to bat for teammates, logging a good 52 penalty minutes, and his imposing size coupled with two-way play will only help his cause.
Amerks coach Michael Leone spoke highly of Novikov earlier in the season, saying, “His footwork, his ability to gap against speed now, I think was probably a weakness before and it's becoming a strength. His ability to kill plays in the corners and for us to get out of the zone, and then I think his offensive instincts are really good in our O-zone too. You wouldn't think a guy that big has a really good stick, but he has the ability to protect pucks.”
Built in the same mold as Mattias Samuelsson, Novikov could make a push if he keeps playing great hockey. Next season, he might get a few games with the big club and if he keeps developing in Rochester, I see him as a blueliner who could likely put in at least third-pairing minutes.