The Sabres drafted Karlsson in the sixth round of the 2022 NHL Draft
The Buffalo Sabres are considered one of the best deepest 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. Leading up to the opening of training camp in mid-September, we will look at the club’s top 40 prospects. 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.
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33. Gustav Karlsson - Center (Vimmerby HC– HockeyEttan - Sweden)
Karlsson was the second of the Sabres sixth-round picks at the 2022 NHL Draft in Montreal, where Buffalo chose three Swedish prospects with their last three picks. The 6’1”, 165 lb. center was
Selected out of the Orebro HK juniors after scoring 31 goals in 41 games.
The 20-year-old earned a couple of stints totaling 11 games at the SHL level but was not ready for the top level and after another solid season in juniors, he was assigned to the third-level pro league (HockeyEttan) in Sweden and posted five goals for Vimmerby. This season Karlsson is starting at the same level for Falu IF, with hopes of making his way to the SHL over the next couple of years.
Hockey Prospect’s Black Book says that Karlsson “doesn’t engage in puck battles hard enough and often goes in with the intent of letting someone else bring the physicality. He has to learn how to win puck battles and grind when things aren’t going his way. This could work just fine for him even in the SHL, but it will limit his chances of reaching the NHL.”
Elite Prospect’s Draft Guide said Karlsson “has an impressive and accurate shot….and is slick with the puck and can slide through a defense when he has the upper hand in speed.”
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