Sabres fans may be tired of hearing and reading about prospects, especially those who aren’t playing for the Rochester Americans.
A 13-year playoff drought with multiple rebuilds will have that impact, even in a city as passionate about hockey as Buffalo. Don’t let all the losing discourage you from watching the IIHF World Junior Championship, though. It’s one of the best hockey tournaments on the planet and features the best Under-20 players from around the globe.
The tournament will be held in Ottawa and runs from Thursday through Jan. 5. Games will be broadcast on NHL Network in the United States and TSN in Canada.
Each of the six Sabres prospects in the tournament are worth watching. Konsta Helenius is having an outstanding rookie season in Rochester. Brodie Ziemer is a freshman difference-maker for the University of Minnesota. Here’s a player-by-player look at Buffalo’s players in the tournament:
Brodie Ziemer, winger, United States: The Sabres traded up in the third round of the 2024 draft to select the captain of the USA Hockey National Team Development Program. A 5-foot-11 winger, Ziemer has an exceptional right-handed shot and impressed Buffalo’s scouts with the competitiveness that he showed throughout his draft-eligible season.
Ziemer has eight goals with 11 points in 20 games as a freshman at Minnesota. He’s also a plus-7 for the Golden Gophers, who are 15-3-2 this season. Ziemer captained the United States at the IIHF Under-18 World Championship, where he produced three goals with 12 points in seven games.
Adam Kleber, defenseman, United States: A second-round pick in June, Kleber is having a standout freshman season at University of Minnesota-Duluth. A shutdown defender and right-handed shot, Kleber previously represented the U.S. at the world junior summer showcase and Hlinka-Gretzky Cup.
Kleber spent the past two seasons with the United States Hockey League’s Lincoln Stars. He isn’t going to run a power play or put up many points, but Kleber was second in the USHL last season with 125 shots on goal. He was on the United States’ second defense pair with Washington Capitals second-round pick Cole Hutson in a pre-tournament game.
Konsta Helenius, center, Finland: The Sabres’ 2024 first-round draft pick is producing for the Rochester Americans as the youngest player in the American Hockey League this season. The 18-year-old had a four-game assist streak end Sunday, and he has six goals with 17 points in 28 games. He played for Finland at the Under-18 and world junior championships last season.
Helenius made his professional debut in Finland at 16 years old and played 84 games in the country’s top league before the Sabres drafted him with the 14th pick in June. He signed an entry-level contract with Buffalo in July and did not take long to show that he’s going to be one of the Amerks’ go-to players this season.
Max Strbak, defenseman, Slovakia: A rare four-time participant at world juniors, Strbak captained the country at the Under-18 championships in 2023 before the Sabres made him a second-round draft pick. He had one goal with seven points in six games at world juniors last season, and he’s emerged as one of Michigan State’s top players.
Strbak has one goal with nine points in 16 games for the Spartans. He also has a plus-4 rating, 17 blocked shots and 30 shots on goal as a sophomore. The 19-year-old played junior hockey in Finland and can speak five languages because he moved around Europe while his father, Martin, finished his career as a player.
Anton Wahlberg, winger, Sweden: The 6-3 power forward has five goals with 14 points in 34 games with the Amerks since last spring. Wahlberg has four goals with 10 points through 25 games this season and looks like a future NHL player. He had one goal with three points in seven games for Sweden at world juniors last December, six months after Buffalo drafted him in the second round.
Wahlberg wasn’t on Sweden’s radar for the national team until his exceptional season of junior hockey in 2022-23, which earned him a prominent role for Malmo in the Swedish Hockey League. He was one of the club’s top players as it staved off relegation in the spring of 2023. Wahlberg was reliable in a top-six role for Malmo last season before he decided to make the move to Rochester.
Norwin Panocha, defenseman, Germany: The 2023 seventh-round draft pick has played in three leagues over the past two seasons, most recently with Green Bay of the USHL. Panocha was not retained by his QMJHL team after last season, then did not hold onto his spot with the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders this fall.
Panocha has three assists and a minus-5 rating in 15 games with Green Bay. The 6-2 blue-liner also represented Germany at world juniors last year and he played for the country at the Under-18 world championships in 2023.
Here’s the schedule of games for world juniors:
Thursday
Sweden vs. Slovakia, TD Place, Noon
Germany vs. United States, Canadian Tire Centre, 2:30 p.m.
Switzerland vs. Czechia, TD Place, 5 p.m.
Canada vs. Finland, Canadian Tire Centre, 7:30 p.m.
Friday
Slovakia vs. Switzerland, TD Place, 1 p.m.
Finland vs. Germany, Canadian Tire Centre, 3:30 p.m.
Kazakhstan vs. Sweden, TD Place, 5 p.m.
Canada vs. Latvia, Canadian Tire Centre, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday
Czechia vs. Kazakhstan, TD Place, 1 p.m.
United States vs. Latvia, Canadian Tire Centre, 3:30 p.m.
Sunday
Sweden vs. Switzerland, TD Place, Noon
Finland vs. United States, Canadian Tire Centre, 2:30 p.m.
Slovakia vs. Czechia, TD Place, 5 p.m.
Germany vs. Canada, Canadian Tire Centre, 7:30 p.m.
Monday
Kazakhstan vs. Slovakia, TD Place, 1 p.m.
Latvia vs. Germany, Canadian Tire Centre, 3:30 p.m.
Tuesday
Switzerland vs. Kazakhstan, TD Place, Noon
Latvia vs. Finland, Canadian Tire Centre, 2:30 p.m.
Czechia vs. Sweden, TD Place, 5 p.m.
United States vs. Canada, Canadian Tire Centre, 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 1
Quarterfinal 1, Noon
Quarterfinal 2, 2:30 p.m.
Quarterfinal 3, 5:30 p.m.
Quarterfinal 4, 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 4
Semifinal 1, 3:30 p.m.
Semifinal 2, 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 5
Third-place game, 3:30 p.m.
Championship game, 7:30 p.m.
