The Buffalo Sabres have been considered to have one of the deepest prospect pools in the NHL, which is in part due to them selecting high in recent drafts because of their not qualifying for the playoffs. The Sabres have displayed an eye for talent, but the organization’s developmental model has not yielded enough results.
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.
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#9 – Luke Osburn – Defense (Youngstown – USHL)
Osburn was the Sabres fourth-round pick at the 2024 NHL Draft in Las Vegas. The Plymouth, MI native is a product of the Compuware youth hockey system and played for Youngstown of the USHL in his draft year. After scoring 23 points for the Phantoms as a 17-year-old, the offensive-minded blueliner broke out last season, scoring 41 points (10 goals, 31 assists) in 55 games and was named the USHL’s Defenseman of the Year.
Elite Prospects says that Osburn’s “activation looks instinctive; he instantly joins the play at the right moments and stays inside passing lanes. From the point, he uses stop-starts and heel-to-heel skating to pull in defenders before slipping down the boards. In the rush, he manipulates defenders with crossovers, weight shifts, and fakes, then walks inside for a scoring chance.”
The 18-year-old impressed at the 2025 World Junior Summer Showcase for Team USA and is considered in the mix for a spot for the 2026 IIHF WJC in Minneapolis this December, but that will depend on how he performs as a freshman for the University of Wisconsin this fall.
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