NHL Draft: Round One Instant Reaction
Sabres draft three centers on night one of the NHL Draft... How'd they do?
What a fun round one!
The Sabres stayed put with their three first-round selections at picks 9, 16, and 28, leaving the Bell Centre on Thursday with three new center prospects.
For much more in-depth analysis on the Matt Savoie, Noah Östlund, and Jiri Kulich picks, make sure you go read our full breakdown of round one.
Curtis dives deep into everything you need to know — from their NHL projection to their strengths, weaknesses and a final grade on each pick. It’s really good stuff.
In this piece, we reveal our prospect analysts’ instant reactions to each pick right after they unfolded last night:
#9 — Matthew Savoie | C, Winnipeg (OHL)
Joe - The board fell perfectly for Buffalo and they add a super-skilled center in Matthew Savoie. If Savoie was 6’2”, he probably would’ve been selected in the top 5. The Sabres are getting an electric forward who has many elite traits. Don’t be worried about his height here, Savoie is going to be a good one.
Austin G - Amazing pick. Fell right in line with value. Speedy center who can play the wing, super creative, produces a lot of high danger passes. Just needs to get to the middle of the ice more.
Walt - What a fun pick for the Sabres. He has all of tools you look for in a top prospect: shot, skating, transition play. His potential? It depends on how confident he is in using these tools at the next level, the talent is there but you always want to see just a little bit more from him.
Austin B- He’s an electrifying forward prospect who brings that “on the edge of your seat” element that the Sabres have been missing in their prospects. He’s a big swing on offensive upside: his high-end skating and puck skills allow him to create time and space for himself and his teammates. He has the potential to score at both 5v5 and on the powerplay. Buffalo got absolutely tremendous value at 9.
#16 — Noah Östlund | C, Djurgårdens J20 (J20 Nationell)
Curtis - It was a bit early for my liking to take Ostlund but it’s hard not to like what Ostlund brings to the table as far as vision and creativity go. As a player who doesn’t need to play at a fast pace to control the game, Ostlund is one of the best at disguising what he wants to do with the puck. This was a fun pick and given the fact Ostlund won’t be expected to land in a top 6 role makes him very valuable in the prospect pool.
Austin G - Love Ostlund. Super skilled, the engine for transition with Djurgarden. Fantastic playmaker. Plays a little small but with time has top-6 potential
Austin B - Ostlund has the ability to use his skating ability and puck skills to manipulate the defensive coverage and open up lanes to attack. He had a relentless motor on the forecheck, something he needs to use more often but that will likely come as he matures. I think he has great positional versatility and can play both C and the wing if needed. Love the pick, not too risky but a lot of upside if he develops.
Joe - Östlund is a little bit of a safer pick at 16. He might be a couple of spots off the board, but I’d say it’s a solid pick. The Sabres are adding a skilled 2-way centerman to their prospect pool.
#28 — Jiri Kulich | C, Energie Karlovy Vary (Czechia)
Austin B - Kulich has the versatility to play both center and the wing. His off-the-puck play is very strong using his skating and IQ to get open in the offensive zone so he can use his best weapon… his shot. He was an absolute beast for Czechia at the U18s and with his work ethic and shooting ability, I expect him to continue to grow and eventually blossom into a middle-six player who dominates the powerplay.
Walt - Hard skill, think of him as a Marco Kasper-lite. Above-average skater with an above-average shot and a relentless motor. Always in pursuit of the puck. Kulich is very aware in the defensive zone with a very projectable two-way game. He lacks some vision and touch in the offensive zone which may push down his ceiling, but he's a future NHLer in some capacity.
Joe - At pick 28, Jiri Kulich is a great swing for the Sabres. Kulich was the MVP of the World U18s where he showcased his high-end goal-scoring ability. His lethal shot makes him a potential candidate to replace Victor Olofsson a few years down the road.
Curtis - This was a strong pick by the Sabres as Kulich was a guy I had a few spots higher in my personal ranks. NHL-level shot and high-end compete level give Kulich a very good chance of making it to the NHL in a middle-6 role. Kulich has a fairly safe floor with the offensive skill to be very impactful in driving dangerous scoring chances.