Buffalo Sabres 2023 Draft pick Ethan Miedema has made significant improvements in his skating over the course of the offseason, and it is paying off.
At the 2023 NHL draft in Nashville, Ethan Miedema heard his name called in the 4th round, 109th overall by the Buffalo Sabres. The Sabres already had an impressive draft before they made this pick, which included selecting Zach Benson at 13th overall, much later than he was previously projected.
With Miedema, the Sabres are getting a heavy offensive winger, who plays with lots of fight and possesses a variety of offensive tools, fitting the power forward player type. They were also getting a work-in-progress.
Miedema struggled with consistency during his draft year, while his speed and stride were far from NHL-ready.
Last season, Miedema put up a total of 52 points in 68 games split between the Windsor Spitfires and the Kingston Frontenacs (31 points with Windsor, 21 points with Kingston). That trade, which saw the 18-year-old go back to the Frontenacs as the main piece in the Shane Wright trade, seemed to have a negative effect on Miedema..
When watching him in Kingston, there seemed to be a different version of Miedema in every game. In one game, he would have an offensive outburst and every shot would find the back of the net, but in another game, he would force shots from poor angles and get visibly frustrated.
These concerns put some uncertainty in the minds of scouts leading up to the draft, which may have been the reason why he wasn't selected until the fourth round.
As a 6-foot-4 and 203-pound power forward, size will always be there for Miedema. If he can figure out how to be more consistent and — more importantly — improve his stride, his ceiling will increases at the pro level.
We saw glimpses of that potential at the Sabres' training camp. Miedema's stride was much smoother and he was beginning to win foot races more frequently.
Already, Miedema looks like a different player than he did last season in the OHL. His improved stride has now made him an increasingly dangerous player offensively, and he was a handful for opposing defenders. In the Frontenacs season opener against the defending OHL Champion Peterborough Petes, Miedema scored a highlight-reel goal that displayed his improved speed to perfection, chipping the puck past a defender and then winning a foot race to regain possession.
Once Miedema gains a step on the defender, there is no looking back. Miedema began the OHL season with three goals and six points in his first three games.
Kingston is looking for a better record this season, as top talent Paul Ludwinski, Linus Hemstrom, Matthew Soto, and goaltender Mason Vaccari all have another year of development under their belts. Tyler Hopkins, who was the fourth-overall pick in the OHL Draft, is also looking to make his mark with a solid rookie season.
Last season, the Frontenacs finished just one point out of a playoff spot, but this season their playoff hopes look much higher with their abundance of young talent. And with Miedema taking another stride towards possibly reaching the NHL.