The NHL Draft Lottery is over. The order of the Top-16 is set.
It’s time to start looking ahead to the draft in July.
The Sabres have three selections in the first round with two confirmed slots at #9 and #16.
Their 3rd first-round selection (via the Florida Panthers) is pending the results of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
2022 Draft Class
Kingston’s Shane Wright should be the first off the board come July, but overall, the first round of this draft class is relatively wide open.
While the top-end of the class isn’t overly-flashy, there is a lot of depth. There’s not much separating the players within the Top-16 — which is music to your ears if you’re a team with multiple first-round picks.
There’s a very good chance the Sabres could end up selecting a player at sixteen that they were otherwise considering at nine. It’ll be fun to see how Kevyn Adams and the scouting staff approach this one.
Here’s our first run at how we see the Top-16 playing out.
Mock Draft 1.0:
1- Montreal Canadiens — Shane Wright, (C), Kingston (OHL)
2- New Jersey Devils — Logan Cooley, (C), USNTDP
3- Arizona Coyotes — Juraj Slafkovsky, (LW), TPS (FIN)
4- Seattle Kraken — Simon Nemec, (RD), HK Nitra (SVK)
5- Philadelphia Flyers — Frankie Nazar, (C/RW), USNTDP
6- Columbus Blue Jackets — David Jiricek, (RD), HC Plzen (CZE)
7- Ottawa Senators — Joakim Kemell, (RW), JYP (FIN)
8- Detroit Red Wings — Matthew Savoie (C), Winnipeg (WHL)
9- Buffalo Sabres — Brad Lambert, (C/RW), Pelican (Liiga)
Having three 1st round picks affords the Sabres the ability to take a swing on Lambert. Consistency issues have caused Lambert to fall down this year but the talent and skill are undeniable. With blazing speed and the dynamic ability to create scoring chances, Lambert has tremendous upside. While Lambert comes with risk and is a bit of a project, the potential he possesses is a great fit for a team that was able to harness and turn Tage Thompson’s potential into stardom.
10- Anaheim Ducks — Jonathan Lekkerimaki, (C/RW), Djurgardens IF J20 (SWE)
11- San Jose — Noah Ostlund, (C), Djurgardens IF J20 (SWE)
12- Columbus Bue Jackets — Cutter Gauthier, (C/LW), USNTDP
13- New York Islanders — Denton Mateychuk, (LD), Moose Jaw (WHL)
14- Winnipeg Jets — Liam Ohgren, (LW), Djurgardens IF J20 (SWE)
15- Vancouver Canucks — Rutger McGroarty, (C/LW), USNTDP
16- Buffalo Sabres — Conor Geekie, (C), Winnipeg (WHL)
Geekie is a huge centerman that was dominant at the junior level this last season in the WHL. With a strong shot and high-end offensive awareness, Geekie has the upside of a 2nd line center. Skating concerns may limit his true potential but Geekie plays to his strengths and understands how to compensate for his lack of top-end speed. With NHL-ready size and great hockey IQ, Geekie could come into Buffalo and deepen the center depth.
For more coverage leading up to the draft, you can find our scouting staff on Twitter at the handles below: