Sabres Top 40 Prospects - #11

Leading up to the opening of training camp in mid-September, we will look at the club's top 40 prospects. These players are all 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 82 NHL games.

The Sabres' failed acquisition of Michael Kesselring led Kekalainen to send the right-handed defenseman to the San Jose Sharks in a swap of their 27th overall pick to move up seven slots in the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft. After selecting blueliner Daxon Rudolph with the fourth overall pick, Buffalo chose center Ilia Morozov at #20.

The 18-year-old is a physical specimen at 6'3", 200 lb., and that size is likely a large part of what will make him an effective pro. The Moscow native came to North America at 15 years old to play youth hockey, played with Tri-City in the USHL at 16, where he scored 22 points (11 goals, 11 assists) in 59 games, and played in the NCAA with Miami (OH) at 17, where he scored 20 points (8 goals, 12 assists) in 36 games as a freshman.