Sabres 2023 Entry Draft Recap

Entering the 2023 EHE Entry Draft, the Buffalo Sabres came in with 4 picks (their own 1^st, their own 2^nd, the Devils’ 2^nd and their own 5^th). The mindset this year was to use these picks, as well as potentially bringing in a couple more, to add some prospects to the team’s pipeline. “Over the last few seasons we did not focus very much on the draft and our focus was on building a good roster to be a contender. Now that we are in a place where we are comfortable with the roster we have on the ice we wanted to add some young players to the system so we wouldn’t have to rely solely on trading and free agency” said GM Roberto.

For a bit of context, the Sabres ended up making 5 picks in this year’s draft. The previous 3 years, the Sabres made 4 picks combined (1 pick in 2022, 2 picks in 2021, and 1 pick in 2020). The draft is an exciting time for players and GM’s alike, and this is how the Sabres draft shaped up.

Round 1, 24^th Overall – Bradly Nadeau

GM Comments: When looking at our pick at 24 we had a couple of guys we really liked, and I couldn’t happier drafting Bradly. He had an unbelievable season, putting up the highest point totals in the BCHL since Kyle Turris in 06-07. He’s got an incredible shot and we love the way he competes hard in all zones on the ice and want to see how he continues to progress when heading to the NCAA this season.

Round 2, 57^th Overall – Koehn Ziemmer

GM Comments: This is another guy we were locked in on for the 2^nd round and love that he fell to us. He protects the puck well, wins his battles and although he scored 41 goals this season, we think he’s an excellent passer, and something that doesn’t always get discussed about his game. He isn’t afraid to go to the dirty areas and he’s great in front of the net, which are all tools that translate well to the pro game.

Round 2, 61^st Overall – Aydar Suniev

GM Comments: Suniev had a great season with Nadeau and the Vees in the BCHL, and we like how smart he is as a player. He’s excellent in the offensive zone and knows where to be to find space and create offense for him and his teammates. Similar to Nadeau, he’s heading to the NCAA this season and we look forward to watching his progress with UMass. He’s got the offensive tools in his bag, we want to see him continue to improve the skating and defensive game and he could be an absolute great pick for us at 61.

Round 5, 142^nd Overall – Jacob Julien

GM Comments: Jacob was a little more unknown and someone we had on our list as a potential snag for a late pick. As a first year in the OHL he really impressed us, especially having some limited minutes. He’s a little weak physically, but someone who we thought has the talent and just needed more minutes. He should move up the depth chart and that offensive ability should shine through this season.

Round 5, 152^nd Overall – Stanislav Yarovoy

GM Comments: We decided to go with someone a little older for our last pick of the 2023 draft and grabbed Yarovoy. We like how dynamic he is and he’s performing well in a top 9 role in the KHL. He comes to play every game and we think he’s got a legitimate shot at becoming a top 6 forward at the pro level.

Those are the 5 draft picks that conclude the Buffalo Sabres 2023 Entry Draft. We are extremely happy to have added this talent to our system and look forward to seeing them progress over the years. We’d also like to thank Kevin and the other EHE GMs for another great showing at the draft this year. It was handled great again and the draft progressed nicely. It’s always nice to be a part of it!