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Top-10 Prospects : Sabres (6-10)

July 31, 2013, 12:25 PM ET [73 Comments]
Adam French
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Finishing off this top-10. I won't be posting until Monday so I wanted to get this thing out before then. Thinking of doing other teams. Will decide on the order later.


6. Mark Pysyk : 23rd Overall, 2010, 21 years old, 6’1 198lbs, Rochester Americans in the AHL


Pysyk doesn’t have the higher potential of some of the guys in the top-5 which is why he just misses out despite being the most NHL ready of the lot. He’s an excellent skating defensive defenseman that plays a really steady, safe and smart game. He’s at his best when you don’t really notice him, because that means he’s playing his game and not making major errors. In the future the hope is that he can be the complimentary partner to a more erratic risk taking defenseman and essentially play his nanny. He’s what I like to call the “new breed” of defensive defenders, guys who are extremely smart positionally who are also plus skaters. Think guys like a Teppo Numminen, a Zbynek Michalek, a less offensive Paul Martin or a less physical Mark Methot. Somebody you can plug beside a really talented guy and have them make few mistakes and just help clean up. He probably will fill in fulltime for the Sabres next season.

Potential : Top-4 Defensive Defenseman


7. Jake McCabe : 44th Overall, 2012, 19 years old, 6’1 205lbs, University of Wisconsin in the NCAA


Like Pysyk, McCabe isn’t the sexiest defender and his upside is not as high as some others. He is however very likely to make the NHL in a 4-6 role at some point. He’s most remembered for his part as the Captain of the Gold winning American WJC team this past year. He plays a tough hardnosed game and is very strong positionally and with his stick. He skates well which is an asset and there is some evolution to his game as people who watch the NCAA say he’s becoming more confident in rushing the puck. He’s shown some flashes of offensive potential, though you have to wonder if it will translate over to the next level. He was the main driver of the major stunner against Canada where they won 5-1 (Game of a lifetime for him) and was one of the best defenders in the whole tournament.


Potential : 4-6 Two-Way Defenseman


8. JT Compher : 35th Overall, 2013, 18 years old, 6’0 170lbs, USNTDP in the USHL.


Compher was the highest ranked American development system player in last year’s draft (Despite ending up being the third picked) and a player most felt would go around the 20-25 area. He was dominant offensively in the USHL and was the best player for the Americans on their Silver Medal squad. He’s a pretty speedy two-way centre who excels at face-offs and is fearless around the scoring areas. He’s got good passing and scoring abilities like most offensively gifted players, but it’s the determination to get into the slot and into the crease that sets him apart from some of the more perimeter/one-shot scoring players. At the moment he is in need of a few years of putting on muscle and just getting more ready for the pro game. He is expected to go to the University of Michigan next season and I wouldn’t be surprised if he makes the US U20 team.


Potential : 2nd Line Two-Way Centre


9. Johan Larsson : 56th Overall, 2010, 21 years old, 6’0 201lbs, Rochester Americans in the AHL


Larsson came over in the Pominville deal and while his transition to the North American game was a little up and down, he is nevertheless still a strong prospect. He was the Elitserien rookie of the year only a year ago and captained the Swedish to a WJC Gold medal that same year. He’s a very strong two-way player who understands positioning and face-offs. He works hard all over the ice and despite not having a lot of flashy tools gets the job done in all three zones. It’s hard to say his actual upside, some think he can be a 2nd line centre someday, others that he will likely be a 3rd liner. His limited showing for Rochester was very impressive and so it could give some hope that his offensive game will continue to develop. He’ll start the year again in the AHL.


Potential : 3rd Line Two-Way Centre


10. Brayden McNabb : 66th Overall, 2009, 22 years old, 6’5 213lbs, Rochester Americans in the AHL


I was really tempted to put Catenacci here because of his amazing speed and due to McNabb’s regression this past season. McNabb had been one of the highest jumping prospects in the league after continual progress and major leaps forward in all aspects of his game year after year…hell he was drawing comparisons to the progress another big WHL defender Shea Weber made. Those comparisons are unfair to McNabb in my mind, though at 22 he still has some great potential. He has a big shot and plays with a meanstreak. He’s shown that he can log some big minutes and also shutdown players at times. The issue seems that he doesn’t have a middle ground, when he’s trying to rush forward with the puck he seems to lose sight of anything defensively. He’s also not a quick enough skater to really use some of his offensive skills, he plays very much like Bryan McCabe used to. His decision making is still slightly suspect at times which is exacerbated by the lack of foot speed. He has some high potential, but also could be a bust. Oddly enough a player like Pysyk is the perfect partner for him, though with McNabb he’s most effective when he has somebody to get him the puck and be the trigger man. I’m very interested to see how he progresses next season in the AHL. He did make it to the AHL All-Star game regardless of the negatives.


Potential : 3-4 Physical Two-Way Defenseman


Honorable Mentions : Daniel Catenacci (Small speedster), Connor Hurley (Extremely young highschool player, very raw), Matt Hackett (23 year old goalie with a lot of AHL experience, could be a number one at some point) and Andrey Makarov (Inconsistent but at times dominant goalie).


Thanks for reading.
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