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Welcome to the September 2024 edition of the DobberProspects 32-in-32 Series. This month, we are diving into the depth of each organization, looking at their recent graduates, risers, fallers, and top-20 prospects.

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Amid sweeping changes to the Buffalo Sabres’ NHL personnel and a current renewal of uncertainty, the steady progress made by the team’s top prospects has remained a consistent and frequent source of optimism. The 2023-24 campaign saw star forward Noah Ostlund, as well as defenders Vsevolod Komarov and Nikita Novikov among others take significant steps forward in their development. All three players are expected to represent the Rochester Americans next season with Novikov having already blossomed as an AHL rookie this past year.

Jiri Kulich, additionally, repeated his performance from the year before with the Americans, reaffirming his place as one of the organization’s most exciting young goal-scorers. While fans await the emergence of these players at the NHL level, the biggest immediate impact for the Sabres was felt with the stellar play of Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen who, long expected to take the reins in net, finally performed to his full star potential.

Graduating Players

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, G

After injuries and inconsistency hurt his previous campaigns, Luukkonen experienced a breakthrough season, establishing himself as the Sabres’ main starter in 2023-24. His performance across 51 starts included a save percentage of .910, a goals-against average of 2.57, and five shutouts. The organization, therefore, negotiated a five-year, $23.75 million-dollar contract with him on July 24, 2024. He is confidently the Sabres’ consensus number-one goaltender as of the start of the 2024-25 campaign.

Brodie Ziemer, RW

Serving last season as the USNTDP’s U18 captain, Ziemer’s tenacity and work ethic paid dividends throughout the course of the year. With strong board work and finishing ability, the 2024 third-round pick scored 27 goals and 70 points in 61 games. His high-tempo, line-driving style complemented linemate James Hagens, who will play next year at Boston University while Ziemer departs for the University of Minnesota.

Vsevolod Komarov, D

With his QMJHL career behind him, Komarov is slated to join the Rochester Americans for the 2024-25 season. The offensive defenseman split his time between the Quebec Remparts and Drummondville Voltigeurs. With the latter, he scored 11 goals and 50 points in 38 games to finish the regular season. In the playoffs, he added 15 points in 19 games, helping the Voltigeurs sweep the QMJHL Finals and advance to the Memorial Cup. He led all QMJHL defensemen in regular-season scoring with 69 total points in 60 games. He also logged 105 penalty minutes, most among defenders in the league.

Adam Kleber, D

Kleber played for the Lincoln Stars of the USHL during the last two seasons and is heading to the University of Minnesota-Duluth for the 2024-25 campaign. The 6-foot-5 shutdown defender, selected 42nd overall in 2024 by the Sabres, is rangy and can track opponents fairly well. In recent games, his offensive skill set has seen some improvements, although he is still average on the attacking side of the puck. If he can continue to build his two-way capabilities and show some versatility, there may be a path to Rochester once his NCAA career is over.

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Risers

Viktor Neuchev, LW

After scoring just four goals and 12 points in 57 KHL games in 2022-23, Neuchev joined the Rochester Americans in 2023-24 and found periods of prolific offensive production interrrupted by scoreless streaks. After beginning his most recent season with five points in 21 games, he scored 11 points in his next eight. Between March and April, the AHL rookie scored nine points in 10 games. Despite tallying a total of 11 goals and 28 points in 57 games, Neuchev at times elevated his game to new heights, demonstrating that he can be a major producer in the minors. Greater consistency and a breakout year are expected of the soon-to-be-21-year-old in the upcoming campaign.

Noah Ostlund, C

His performance this season in the SHL and at the 2024 IIHF World Juniors highlighted the progress that Ostlund has made. After spending the entire 2022-23 season in the HockeyAllsvenskan, he played 2023-24 with Vaxjo in the SHL, scoring 12 goals and 23 points in 38 games. During the first half of the year, Ostlund found himself keeping pace with the SHL’s other top scorers with eight goals and 17 points in the first 24 games of the season before eventually fading. He also finished tied for Team Sweden’s points lead at the World Juniors with teammate and World Juniors MVP Jonathan Lekkerimaki. Ostlund finished the campaign with a brief, five-game stint in Rochester and is expected to play his first full North American season this season.

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Fallers

Olivier Nadeau, RW

2023-24 was a fairly disappointing campaign for Nadeau. The former Gatineau Olympiques captain and QMJHL champion did not play a single game until November 1, 2023, and then only found himself in a handful of games until late December. By that time, he had logged one goal in five AHL games. He was then assigned to the ECHL’s Jacksonville Icemen on December 29, with whom he scored two goals and an assist in his debut. He began his time there with a stretch of seven points in five games before cooling. He finished his ECHL season with 12 goals and 24 points in 41 games.

Prokhor Poltapov, LW

The 21-year-old and former 33rd-overall selection is looking decreasingly likely to fulfill the expectations associated with his draft position. Poltapov’s offensive production with CSKA Moscow in the KHL has plateaued over the past two seasons with tallies of 10 and 13 points in 56 games, respectively. In both campaigns, he scored just five goals. He possesses a dynamic skill set but lacks a sense of timing and anticipation. His propensity to hold on to the puck for too long and to force unavailable plays remains a concern. With one more year on his current KHL contract, there may be a sense of uncertainty about his future with the Sabres if his quality of play does not improve substantially.

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Organizational Depth Chart

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Top 20 Fantasy Prospects

1. Zach Benson
2. Jiri Kulich
3. Noah Ostlund
4. Ryan Johnson
5. Isak Rosen
6. Konsta Helenius
7. Devon Levi
8. Vsevolod Komarov
9. Anton Wahlberg
10. Viktor Neuchev
11. Maxim Strbak
12. Nikita Novikov
13. Brodie Ziemer
14. Luke Osburn
15. Ryerson Leenders
16. Adam Kleber
17. Lukas Rousek
18. Jack Rathbone
19. Alexander Kisakov
20. Aaron Huglen

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This concludes our look at the Buffalo Sabres organization in 2024. Our previous August 32-in-32 article examines the team’s 2024 draftees, off-season acquisitions and numerous other topics.

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Kevin is @CambieKev on Twitter. He is a scout, writer, video editor and hockey historian who has published visual and written material for DobberProspects, Canucks Army (The Nation Network), Pass It To Bulis, Nucks Misconduct (SBNation/Vox), and Last Word on Sports, among other organizations. His content has also been featured in such publications as The Athletic. He is a Future Considerations (FCHockey) alumnus and has been with the DobberHockey team since March 2020 as both a scout and columnist.

Kevin is also the creator of The Lost Shifts video series, numerous story-based montages, and the 85-minute highlight film, Pavel Bure: A Rocket Through Time.