The Top 25 Under 25 is a collaboration by members of the Die By The Blade community. It was a combination of staff writers and over 200 readers that ranked Buffalo Sabres players under the age of 25 as of August 1, 2024. Each participant used their own metric of current ability and production to rank each player. Staff votes counted equally with reader votes.
Isak Rosén
Drafted: 2021 – 1st Round (14th Overall)
Position: Wing/Center
Born: March 15, 2003 (21 years old)
2023-24 Stats: Rochester Americans (AHL) – 20-30-50 in 67 GP; Buffalo Sabres (NHL) – 0-0-0 in 7 GP
2023 T25U25 Ranking: 15
2022 T25U25 Ranking: 19
Isak Rosén blossomed nicely in his sophomore AHL season, with an impressive offensive performance that saw him finish the year at the top of the team. Rosén’s 50 points tied with Mason Jobst for most on the squad, while his 30 assists were second only to Lukas Rousek’s 31.
He was also third on the team in goals, behind Jiri Kulich (27) and Jobst (22), and took the second-most shots of any player. Six of his 20 goals were game-winning tallies, and three were insurance markers. He shone particularly on the power play, with just three goals but a whopping 15 assists.
It came as little surprise when Rosén was recalled by the Sabres in late November. He appeared in seven games with the big club and got a taste of NHL action. It wasn’t mind-blowing; he didn’t register any points, but did have eight shots on goal and averaged 8:35 in ice time
After a mid-season slump, Rosén would finish the AHL regular season with points in 10 of his last 12 games, including seven points in the last four games. He was also an AHL All-Star. As the Amerks made it to the Calder Cup playoffs, Rosén had two goals – including a game-winner – in five games. Seth Appert called him “one of our most dependable, consistent, competitive players night in and night out all season long.”
It was a good season for Rosén in Rochester, but the question looming seems to be: when will he get another look in the NHL? It’ll only be a matter of time before he earns the call-up, and maybe this time he can stick around a little longer. Either way, he’ll be a treat to watch in the AHL and is certainly one of the Sabres’ promising young talents who could provide a sharp future for the NHL team ahead.
Here’s a great (if lengthy) video from EliteProspects about him:
2024 Buffalo Sabres Top 25 Under 25
#24: Tyson Kozak
#23: Maxim Štrbák
#22: Prokhor Poltapov
#21: Aleksandr Kisakov
#20: Viktor Neuchev
#19: Vsevolod Komarov
#18: Nikita Novikov
#17: Anton Wahlberg
