The Buffalo Sabres are considered to have one of the best prospect pools in the NHL, not only because of their selecting high in recent drafts but also due to their eye for talent and their organizational choices of either leaving players to develop in their home countries or bringing them to North America. All are 25 years old or younger, whose rights are currently held by the Sabres or are on AHL or NHL deals and have played less than 40 NHL games.
16. LUKE OSBURN – D (Youngstown – USHL)
Osburn was the Sabres fourth-round pick at the 2024 NHL Draft in Las Vegas. The Plymouth, MI native is a product of the Compuware youth hockey system and played last season for Youngstown of the USHL. The 18-year-old models his game after Carolina defenseman Sean Walker and is committed to the University of Wisconsin, but said after being selected by the Sabres that the plan is to play one more year in the USHL before heading to the NCAA Badgers.
After scoring 23 points in 60 games with the Phantoms prior to being drafted, Osburn this season has 19 points (4 goals, 15 assists) in 30 USHL games.
The Elite Prospects Draft Guide says the left-handed Osburn “instantly joins the play at the right moments and uses stop-starts and heel-to-heel skating to pull in defenders before slipping down the boards” at the offensive end, and that “he pivots and surfs across to disrupt entries, boxes out opponents around the net, and closely with physicality” in his own zone.
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