The Buffalo Sabres have one of the best prospect pools in the league. From a forward group that is made for scoring points, a defensive group that has grown more physical as of their last draft class, and a goalie group that continues to show regular improvement, they have a lot of futures to look forward to. With their standing in the NHL not being spectacular due to their long playoff drought, they have been able to stockpile a number of high-end prospects, and it has only strengthened the group as a whole.
As the team looks forward to the 2025-26 season, there are some prospects that will look to graduate from the “prospect” status to the full-time player status, similar to the likes of Jiri Kulich and Zach Benson in recent years, and some are right on the cusp of doing so. Other young players like Devon Levi, Ryan Johnson, and even Tyson Kozak have played some significant NHL time despite their regular positions with the Rochester Americans, so while they may fit the general description of “prospect” for the sake of this list, it is reserved for players who have played less than 20 NHL games. With that being said, these are the Sabres’ top prospects for the 2025-26 NHL season:
10. David Bedkowski, Defense
The Sabres selected the heavy-hitting 6-foot-5 defender David Bedkowski in the third round of the 2025 Draft, and he is easily one of their better options for their future blue line. He has surprising speed for his size, has good defending ability, and is the kind of player who will let a mean streak take hold of him. He is willing to play in the rough spots on the ice, and punish opposing players for going there with him. In his 35 games played last season, he managed to put up three goals and seven points, along with a whopping 73 penalty minutes.
While he is not necessarily an enforcer even in the modern NHL sense, he is an agitator, and he is poised to be a solid NHL defender when he arrives. The right-handed blue liner is destined to go back to the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) and play for the Owen Sound Attack once again, but once he comes of the right age, do not be shocked to see the Sabres sign him right to their minor league team.
9. Brodie Ziemer, Right Wing
Another one of the Sabres’ mid-round picks in recent drafts, Brodie Ziemer is a “do it all” type forward that has a motor that keeps on running. When the Sabres selected him in the third round of the 2024 NHL Draft, they knew they were getting a future leader and a kid who would eventually come in and be a part of positive culture change. He may not be the biggest player, standing at 5-foot-11 and 190 pounds, but he has a good frame to be the kind of player that can be used anywhere.
As the future “Swiss army knife” player gets sharpened at the University of Minnesota, his playmaking and two-way talents as a forward will continue to be important. In his first season there, he did fairly well, as he put up 12 goals and 23 points in 38 games, while also being a plus-6. He is still a ways off from joining either the Americans or the Sabres, but he will be a welcome addition when he does.
8. Maxim Strbak, Defense
Maxim Strbak is not the defender who will blow anyone’s mind with his statistics, but he is a player who does things consistently well. He defines the word steady in a lot of ways in how he plays the game, and yet he still has found a way to be dynamic and creative in his own right. He is not a stale defender by any means, but rather, he is a great analytical player with some great hockey IQ. The use of that IQ yielded him three goals and 19 points in 33 games last season. The 2023 second-round pick, and right-handed shooter, is still committed to play for Michigan State University for the time being, but as soon as that obligation is up, he will likely join the Americans for a short stint.
7. Nikita Novikov, Defense
The first player on this list who is directly on the Sabres’ farm team, defender Nikita Novikov is easily one of their best defensive prospects. The 6-foot-3, 196-pound Russian had been a beacon of prowess and consistency for the Rochester blue line for the last two seasons. As he saw more playing time and more responsibility, he just kept improving and learning to be even better than he was before.
While his stats are nothing to jump out of your seats over (six goals, 20 points, plus-28 in 68 games played), his ability to be in a play, or just “in the way” of opposing players is outstanding. He uses both his size and his strength to be positionally sound, and his skating to always be involved in the play. He flew under the radar a bit having been a sixth-round pick in 2021, but he deserves some recognition for his accomplishments these days and will be a likely call-up candidate this season.
6. Anton Wahlberg, Center
Anton Wahlberg is what I think of when I envision the ideal third-line center. While it may not be the highest spot in the lineup, the position is critical, and he has all the right tools to fill that spot one day. He has size in the fact that he stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 194 pounds, he is quick on his feet as a fast skater, and he uses his physicality intelligently. On top of all of that, he can still score and be a regular nuisance to the opposition. Yes, his defensive capabilities need some work, as his awareness is not spectacular, but he improved on that fairly well as the season progressed in Rochester.
With the Americans’ roster being mostly the same, he will likely assume the same role as the third line center as he continues to be molded into exactly what the Sabres will need from him, but that will not hinder his development. As an adaptable player, he will learn so many different parts of the game in the spot he is currently in, and it will see him get some opportunities with the big club in a year or two.
5. Prokhor Poltapov, Left Wing
Still one of the oldest unsigned players that the Sabres have the potentially bring in at some point, winger Prokhor Poltapov is tough to place. While he has a lot of talent and continues to improve season to season, he has not yet joined the Sabres in any major capacity. Looking solely at his player type and development though, Poltapov is a dynamic scoring winger who splits his offense between putting pucks in the net, and making great passes to teammates. He is a fairly balanced winger, and he has great hockey instincts.
Last season was his first full one in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) with CSKA Moskva, and he put up very good numbers with 17 goals and 40 points in 68 games as a 22-year-old. There is no doubt that Poltapov has the skill to make a minor league roster, but I think he would even have a shot at breaking into an NHL roster if given the chance. He has the speed to keep up, the shot to beat good goaltenders, and the vision to set up plays. All he needs now is the experience to get him up to the right speed. The only issue now is getting him signed and seeing where he would fit.
4. Radim Mrtka, Defense
The Sabres’ most recent first-round selection, picked in the 2025 Draft, Radim Mrtka is a towering 6-foot-6 defender who is deceptively skilled for his size. While he possesses a capacity for physicality and making good contact with the body, he really thrives in his skating and his playmaking abilities. In his first season in the Western Hockey League (WHL) with the Seattle Thunderbirds, he managed three goals and 35 points in 43 games, and that was enough to earn him his entry-level contract from the Sabres.
Mrtka is one of the Sabres’ biggest hopefuls in regards to their future blue line. As another large right-handed shooting defender, the hope is that he can step into a key role in just a few seasons, so he can begin getting NHL-ready and gaining chemistry with either captain Rasmus Dahlin or budding youngster Owen Power. Expectations are high for him, and he is the kind of player that can meet those expectations.
3. Noah Ostlund, Center
Noah Ostlund finally got his first taste of NHL action this past season, and while it was not a long stint, he got to see what it took to be a center in the NHL. The speedy center is third on this list for a number of reasons, but chief among them is his constant ability to go above what is expected of him. He continues to impress and improve, regardless of any expectations or pressures that may be on him. As one of the big pieces that came back to Buffalo as part of the famed Jack Eichel trade in 2021, fans have been watching him with a sharp eye, and while there has been some patience required, he is only getting better and better.
Ostlund is a dynamic smooth skating center with all the right playmaking tools. He has vision, hockey IQ, a deceptive shot, and a willingness to do whatever is needed to make a play work. He is unselfish in all the right ways, and he makes his teammates around him better. Having played 45 games last season in Rochester and managing 19 goals with 36 points as a rookie, he has shown that he can handle pressure very well. The next step is just making himself truly NHL-ready, and he will get his chances this season for sure.
2. Isak Rosen, Left Wing
Isak Rosen has been silently one of the better prospects the Sabres have had at their disposal in the last 10 years; at least production-wise. In Rochester, he has managed to be a high-end scoring machine, as in the 2023-24 season, he put up 20 goals and 50 points in 67 games, and then got even better with his 28 goals and 55 points in 62 games in 2024-25. Meanwhile, he has only seen 15 total games of NHL action, while averaging around nine minutes of ice time per night. It has been tough to see such high-end scoring out of him, and then not have it nourished or let loose at the NHL level.
Rosen gets to move up to the number two spot on this list as he clearly has some of their best offensive talent and is capable of being on the Sabres’ NHL roster, but he is held back only by the general manager’s poor choices at this point. He has outstanding shooting ability, good hockey sense, good skating ability, and playmaking skills that many other wingers wish they had. He deserves a real chance.
1. Konsta Helenius, Center
Retaining the number one spot from last season’s rankings is Finnish center Konsta Helenius. The 2024 14th overall pick is the perfect combination of everything that a great hockey player can be, and will be. He can drive plays himself, score goals, dish the puck anywhere at will, defend, win face-offs, and is a leader on top of all of it. Since being picked by the Sabres, he has been a complete package. As he played his first pro hockey season in North America with the Americans, he was one of the “go-to” guys being on their top special teams units, and was out on the ice for end-game pressure scenarios.
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He finished the season with 14 goals and 35 points in 65 games, and as the season went on, his growth looked exponential. He easily could have been on the Sabres roster and would have put up similar numbers in a third-line position, but where he was suited him perfectly. He is in line to be the future #1 center of this team, and between his vision, his playmaking, and his two-way ability, time cannot move fast enough to get him in a Sabres uniform. The same can be said for this entire list.
