This one was a little difficult, but like last year I wanted to do the Sabres first because I really like their system and it seems fitting to assess the usual favourite for Connack McEichelâ„¢ first. Michael Pachla the Sabres blogger helped me a lot with this list, as I hope most of the HB community bloggers will (we have a bunch). I usually do this alone, and most of the opinions are my own, but I like team centered bloggers to help out on identifying players and bringing them into greater focus. In the second half of this one, I’ll show his tentative list, see how much you like his better than mine.
This list leaves off players with 40+ games of NHL experience. I picked that cut off as it would take off some guys who might otherwise be considered prospects but have cemented themselves as NHLers. Obviously it stinks that it leaves the much malignly developed Grigorenko or steady Pysyk, but that will happen.
1. Sam Reinhart : Centre, 6’0 185lbs, 2nd Overall, 2014, 18 Years Old, Kootenay Ice in the WHL
60 games 36 goals 69 assists 105 points
You’ve likely heard it all before, but the youngest (and probably best) Reinhart is the top prospect for the Sabres pretty much undoubtedly. I still love the second guy on this list and have been pumping his tires for three years now, but I can’t argue with a consensus like this. Reinhart is a great thinker of the game and has dominated the WHL for two seasons now, let alone an extremely strong rookie campaign. He upped his game in the playoffs basically willing an Ice squad that was very pedestrian into the second round and on the brink of eliminating the Tigers. Known for his leadership abilities despite his age, Reinhart captained the Ice and the Gold winning U18 squad of the previous year, before that he was wearing an “A… at 17. Strong vision, excellent hockey sense and a strong work ethic are a nice compliment to a player with a wide array of offensive talents. One thing he could improve is his top-end speed, though to be honest; with a player of his ability (much like the knock on John Tavares) it probably is just a quibble rather than an issue. Look to see him in a Sabres jersey next season as there really isn’t much more for him to do in what would be his fourth and final year of junior. Maybe he sees some time with the U20 squad if the Sabres are downright tanking and he’s not lighting it up.
Potential : First Line Centre
2. Rasmus Ristolainen : Defenseman, 6’3 211lbs, 8th Overall, 2013, 19 Years Old, Rochester Americans in the AHL
34 games 6 goals 14 assists 20 points
This one might be cheating a little as he has 34 games in the NHL under his belt and the cut-off for these blogs is 40, but screw it. Ristolainen helped showcase why the CHL agreement can be a massive hindrance in development versus the rest of the known hockey playing world. Ristolainen had played for two years against men in the SM-liiga, needed to get acquainted with the North American game...so play him in the NHL and AHL as needed. Nearing the end of the year he was playing heavy minutes and really finding his confidence after anchoring the surprise Gold winning Finns at the U20 (where he won Best Defenseman) and proving he was pretty much too good for the AHL. Physicality, an NHL caliber shot, strong skating ability, an eye for two-way play, Ristolainen brings a little bit of everything which is why he’s so intriguing. Obviously some easy criticism is pointing out his +/- on any given team, but that seems like a cheap copout and an easily overplayed hand for criticism. It isn’t exactly hard to figure out why a guy who is constantly one of (if not) the youngest player playing at any given moment might be on for a goal against. Let alone playing on some...poor?...teams. Expect big things from the Finn if he can put it all together. He’ll almost certainly begin the year with the Sabres.
Potential : Number One Two-Way Defenseman
3. Nikita Zadorov : Defenseman, 6’5 227lbs, 16th Overall, 2013, 19 Years Old, London Knights in the OHL
36 games 11 goals 19 assists 30 points
It’s actually quite funny that the Sabres have the blue line of the U20 All-Star team, both from separate nations, yet the same draft year. I actually can’t remember a time when that happened before. Zadorov had an interesting year and was given some more offensive freedom than his rookie campaign in the OHL. Despite not having tremendous speed, his sheer size has allowed him to be a quality puck mover and while the NHL will be a different animal, very few forwards in junior could really stop him when he wanted to cross into their zone. He can be a little erratic at times and does love going for the big hit at times that can compromise position, but he seems to be calming that aspect of his game under the veritable player production factory in London. It has to be said that when I first watched him back in his MHL days I didn’t really see his offensive talents going anywhere, but that is the very real difference between the big ice surface and the smaller one. On the big ice, his slower speeds made his puck rushing negligible and easy to stop, on the smaller surfaces it’s ironically the lack of space that helps him bull through the zones. In the end it is safe to say with his size and level of physical and strong defensive ability, he will carve out a career as an NHL defender, it’s whether his excellent hard shot and average passing abilities will grow enough to turn him into a true “two-way defender.… Next season will be a critical one as Zadorov will either have to take the plunge as an NHL player fulltime or go back to London. He seems very much to be in the Nino Niederraeter situation right now where he is definitely too good for junior, but still needs polishing to be an effective NHLer.
Potential : Number Two-Three Two-Way Defenseman
4. Joel Armia : Right Wing, 6’3 214lbs, 16th Overall, 2011, 21 Years Old, Rochester Americans in the AHL
54 games 7 goals 20 assists 27 points
The shift from Europe to America can hurt even the most talented players, especially one who has always taken some time to get his barring’s. Armia was no exception and he had moments where he dominated and moments where he struggled, something that seems to have followed the young Finn his whole career. Sabres management was rightly gushing over his performance in the AHL playoffs, the Americans would go down to the Wolves in a tight series, a series made tight primarily by Armia’s elite play. Consistency is still an issue, but it isn’t consistency in effort, Armia is usually giving a strong effort, especially on the boards where he does a lot of his most useful work. It’s just he has cold spells offensively that are worrying and hasn’t developed his defensive game enough to make you overlook it. When he’s on his game he is an elite puck protector that can score from any area of the ice, if he has a little space he can use his excellent wrist shot. As many people love these days, he’s a possession driver (from what I’ve seen and heard from the SM-liiga mainly so bear with me) that has an excellent speed to size ratio. In the end he’s still an excellent prospect and shows serious glimpses of becoming a top-6 power forward, but consistency and the ability to use his linemates effectively will make or break him. The biggest scare would be he turns out to be more Dustin Penner than Max Pacioretty. Next season he will either make the Sabres out of camp or go back for a second stint in the AHL. Personally I think a little more time in the A (especially if Grigorenko is down there to start next season) would do him some good.
Potential : Top-Six Power Forward
5. Jake McCabe : Defenseman, 6’1 205lbs, 44th Overall, 2012, 20 Years Old, University of Wisconsin in the NCAA
36 games 8 goals 17 assists 25 points
McCabe is quickly rising in the prospect world. Drafted as an extremely steady and competent defensive defender with the ability to shutdown opponents, McCabe continues to grow his offensive awareness each season. There are hints that there is more to him than simply strong defense. He even got a stint at the World Championships for the USA this year. Good gap control and a player with smarts in his own end are the usual description for his play. People will remember his amazing play for the Gold winning Americans in 2012-2013, another instance where some offense began to shine through. He brings a little bit of everything including physicality. At the NHL level it’s hard to say what kind of points he might put up, but I’m hesitant to say many. I think management would be content for him to help shore up the defensive end above all else and have some of the scoring as a little bit of a bonus. A Dennis Seidenberg if you will. Last season he played 7 games for Buffalo and officially ended his NCAA career, with so many defensive prospects looking to make the Sabres, it will be interesting to see where he starts. Personally I hope he starts in the AHL as defensemen can never get enough development.
Potential : Top-Four Defensive Defenseman
Next 5 up soon, sorry about the wait (weight).