Sabres Prospect Update - 2024 Draftees

The Buffalo Sabres 2024 Draft class could be the one that salvages the reputation of GM Kevyn Adams after his firing last December, as they appear to have selected four promising prospects with their top four picks. First rounder Konsta Helenius showed some impressive growth in his second pro season in North America. The 20-year-old scored nearly a point-per-game with AHL Rochester, stepped into the club’s playoff lineup, performed at a high level for Finland at the IIHF World Championships in Switzerland, and made the Sabres out of training camp.

Here are updates on the others selected at the top of the Sabres 2024 draft class:

Adam Kleber – D – 42nd overall

The Minnesota native was part of Team USA’s gold medal-winning squad at the WJC in 2025, and is one of a slew of young right-handed blueliners in the Sabres prospect pipeline. The 20-year-old scored five points (2 goals, 3 assists) in 33 games as a freshman with Minnesota-Duluth in 2024-25, and has had a slight uptick in his offensive numbers as a sophomore last season with the Bulldogs (3 goals, 9 assists in 40 games). Kleber has size (6’6”, 225 lb.), is an excellent skater and a solid two-way defender, but is not expected to be an offensive driver in the pros.  

This season, he has three points (1 goal, 2 assists) in four games. 

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Brodie Ziemer – RW – 71st overall

Except for possibly 2021 second-rounder Prokhor Poltalpov, Ziemer could be the most promising of the Sabres forward prospects not to have established themselves in the NHL. A product of the US National Development Program, the 20-year-old made his mark at the World Juniors in 2025, scoring seven points (3 goals, 4 assists) in seven games for the victorious US squad, and put up impressive numbers as a freshman at the University of Minnesota with 12 goals in 38 games. 

Ziemer once again was amongst Team USA’s leading scorers at the WJC squad (6 points in 5 games), but nearly doubled his goal total for the Golden Gophers with 36 points (23 goals, 13 assists) in 36 games. The Sabres were unable to get Ziemer signed to an entry-level deal, and he has returned to Minnesota for his junior season, where he is scoreless in two games. 

Luke Osburn – D – 108th overall

The 6’1”, 189 lb. blueliner was named the USHL’s Defenseman of the Year in 2025, and turned heads at the World Junior Summer Showcase in the summer of 2025, which in part helped him earn a spot on Team USA’s squad last December. Osburn had an impressive freshman year at the University of Wisconsin, with 21 points (6 goals,15 assists) in 33 games, and has started his sophomore season with the Badgers with two points (1 goal, 1 assist) in four games.   

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