Buffalo had eight picks in 2023, including three picks in the top 45
Here is a quick update on the players selected in 2023:
The Buffalo Sabres are considered to have one of the deepest prospect pools in the NHL. This is partially the benefit of selecting so high in recent drafts, but the club has also appeared to have a keen eye for talent and has promising youngsters that they’ve selected in the lower rounds.
Here is a quick update on the players selected in 2023:
Zach Benson – LW – 13th overall
Benson has exceeded all expectations after slipping to 13th overall but did benefit from the opportunity created by Matthew Savoie’s injury. The 18-year-old winger has 14 points (4 goals, 10 assists) in 38 games, and Sabres head coach Don Granato has stressed that he has been conscientious at both ends of the ice, but after scoring in consecutive road games against Colorado and Vegas in mid-December, the young winger has gone 17 games without a goal and 11 games without a point.
Anton Wahlberg – C – 39th overall
The big center split time between the junior level and SHL with Malmo last season, and this season the 18-year-old has seven points (3 goals, 4 assists) in 29 games. Wahlberg played for Sweden at the World Junior Championships in Gothenburg in December, playing on a line with fellow Sabres prospect Noah Ostlund at times, and had three points in seven WJC games.
Maxim Strbak – D – 45th overall
The big right-handed defenseman left his native Slovakia to play in the USHL leading into his draft year and has seven points (1 goal, 6 assists) with Michigan State as a freshman, but the 18-year-old was outstanding for his native country at the WJC, scoring the second-most points in the tournament (1 goal, 6 assists) in just five games.
Gavin McCarthy – D – 86th overall
A Western New York native who played three seasons for the Buffalo Jr. Sabres, McCarthy played two years for Muskegon before heading to Boston University. The 6’2”, 183 lb. McCarthy has one assist in 22 games for BU.
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