The Buffalo Sabres are considered one of the best deepest prospect pools in the NHL, not only because of their selecting high in recent drafts but also due to their eye for talent and their organizational choices of either leaving players to develop in their home countries or bringing them to North America. Leading up to the opening of training camp in mid-September, we will look at the club’s top 40 prospects. All are 25 years old or younger, whose rights are currently held by the Sabres or are on AHL or NHL deals and have played less than 40 NHL games.
READ ABOUT OTHER SABRES PROSPECTS
40. LINUS SJODIN
39. RILEY FIDDLER-SCHULTZ
38. SEAN KEOHANE
37. TYSON KOZAK
36. Joel Ratkovic-Berndtsson – Right Wing (Kristianstads IK – Sweden/ FPS Forssa - Finland)
Ratkovic-Berndtsson was selected 202nd overall at the 2022 NHL Draft in Montreal out of the Frolunda junior system after scoring over a point per game. After scoring 20 goals in 34 games at the same level in 2023 and seeing spot duty in the SHL and second-level Allsvenskan in 2023, the 20-year-old went to play in Finland last season and had 11 points (4 goals, 7 assists) in 22 games for FPS in the second-level Mestis, but returned home to play for Kristianstads IK of the Swedish third-tier HockeyEttan league and has 11 points (2 goals, 9 assists) in 16 games.
The 20-year-old has re-signed with Kristianstads this season. Buffalo has the advantage of a long-term development window with European prospects, but so far JRB has struggled to establish himself as a professional. He will have to show some progress this season and move up to the second level to stay on the Sabres radar.
