Benson, Helenius listed in the Top 25
Benson, Helenius listed in the Top 25
The Buffalo Sabres are considered to have one of the best prospect groups in the NHL, and in their ranking of the Top 100 Prospects, The Athletic has four Sabres former first-round picks (winger Zach Benson, and centers Konsta Helenius, Jiri Kulich, and Noah Ostlund) are on the list.
Benson was ranked 20th on the list after a rookie season in which he had 30 points (11 goals, 19 assists) and saw him play more games than any player selected in the 2023 Draft class.
Helenius was 22nd on the list after scoring 36 points with Jukurit in the Finnish SM-Liiga last season and playing for Finland at the 2024 Under-18 World Junior, Under-20 World Junior, and the World Championships.
Kulich, the Sabres last first-round pick in 2022, was ranked #40 after a second straight impressive World Junior for Czechia and scoring over 20 goals for the second-straight season for AHL Rochester, while Ostlund (who was picked ahead of Kulich in 2022) was 76th on the list after an excellent WJC showing for Sweden and a 23-point season with Vaxjo of the SHL.
Former Sabre Matthew Savoie, traded to Edmonton earlier this month for center Ryan McLeod, was 42nd on the list after a 71-point season with Wenatchee/Moose Jaw of the WHL and reaching the Memorial Cup.
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