With only five selections in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, the Buffalo Sabres added young prospects that they hope will be building blocks towards a successful future. Let’s take a look at the team’s first round selection.
With the eighth overall selection, the Buffalo Sabres took forward Jack Quinn from the Ottawa 67’s of the Ontario Hockey League. This came as a surprise to many people, who were hoping that the Sabres would choose centerman Marco Rossi. Jack Quinn, however, is a scoring winger, and in just knowing that, is what the Sabres are looking for.
During Quinn’s most recent year in Ottawa, the forward tallied 52 goals along with 37 assists for 89 points. He did this through 62 games. Whether or not he will be ready for the NHL this year remains to be seen, but in all likelihood, he will be sent back down to junior for more development with the 67’s. This will also allow him to play top line minutes and be able to play in all different situations.
In the second round of the draft, the Sabres selected John-Jason Peterka, a German left-winger from Munchen, Germany. The Sabres were able to make a trade with San Jose, allowing them to move up and select Peterka in exchange for their 38th and 100th overall picks respectively. Peterka is a strong winger who, by some experts, was a first round talent who fell to the Sabres.
During his most recent season, Peterka recorded seven goals along with 11 points in the German men’s league. He did so as a 17-year-old, which is respectable for a young kid in a men’s league.
The next pick for the Buffalo Sabres wasn’t until the fifth round, where they selected Matteo Costantini. A nice hometown pick for the Sabres as he racked up 36 goals last season for 68 points in 50 games played. This was with the OJHL’s Jr. Sabres.
Costantini is slated to attend the University of North Dakota to compete with the Fighting Hawks. This will give him the chance to play tough hockey in college, which should help to further build the centre man’s strength. It will also allow him to play top minutes.
In the seventh round of the draft, the Sabres had two selections, taking Albert Lyckasen and Czech centreman Jakub Konecny. Lyckasen played 43 games last season, scoring 14 goals which made for 36 points. He did so for the under-20 Swedish junior team and will likely remain in Sweden for a couple of seasons.
This will allow the defensemen to work on his game with the opportunity to play in North America and start in the AHL. Konecny will likely stay overseas as he was loaned by HC Sparta Praha U20 to HB Banik Sololov. This is likely the same course Albert Lyckasen will be taking due to COVID-19.
The Buffalo Sabres addressed some needs in this draft, but will be looking to add more to their roster through the start of free agency and also through trades. Another top-six scoring forward is needed to take some of the load off of team captain, Jack Eichel. We’ll see want happens.