NHL clubs had until 5 pm on Sunday to sign prospects drafted from the OHL, WHL, or QMJHL at the 2023 NHL Draft or players selected from European leagues (other than the KHL) in 2021 or they would lose their exclusive rights to them. The Buffalo Sabres had three players that met that criteria and failed to sign forwards Ethan Miedema, Viljami Marjala, and William Von Barnekow. Miedema was selected 109th overall at the NHL Draft in Nashville. The 20-year-old scored 41 points in 2024 with the OHL’s Kingston Frontenac, and this season averaged nearly a point per game (23 goals, 34 assists in 66 games). The 6’4”, 212 lb. winger might have a chance at getting redrafted, since the league is shifting towards bigger players if they can keep up with the pace of the NHL. Other Sabres Stories Is Peterka In Prime Position For Big Payday? [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/buffalo-sabres/latest-news/is-peterka-in-prime-position-for-big-payday] Sabres Summer Dilemmas - Bowen Byram [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/buffalo-sabres/latest-news/sabres-summer-dilemmas-bowen-byram] Sabres Facing An Off-Season Of Change [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/buffalo-sabres/latest-news/sabres-facing-an-off-season-of-change] Marjala was selected in the fifth round in 2021 after playing for the QMJHL’s Quebec Remparts. After another season in Quebec, he returned to his native Finland and scored 40 points (17 goals, 23 assists) in 60 games in 2023-24 for TPS Turku. The 22-year-old had another good offensive year in Liiga and tied for his club’s scoring lead with 52 points (8 goals, 44 assists) in 54 games, but there was clearly not a great deal of interest from the Sabres or from Marjala in him coming to North America. Von Barnekow came out of the SHL’s Malmö Redhawks junior system and averaged over a point per game in his draft year and the following year at the junior level, but the 6’3”, 190 lb. center has not generated any significant offensive production in three SHL seasons (14 goals, 14 assists in 137 games). Follow Michael on X, Instagram, and Bluesky @MikeInBuffalo
