Sabres Day 2 Draft Recap

Meet the 6 new Sabres from day 2

The Sabres selected 6 more prospects last night to wrap up this years entry draft. The team held pick #'s 127, 139, 171, 188, 191 & 203. Let's introduce you to those selections:

 

127th Overall:

C Paul Cotter 6'0" 192lbs - London Knights (OHL)

 

Cotter started the year with Western Michigan in the NCAA but wasn't happy with his role or ice time through 8 games and opted for the CHL route, moving to the London Knights where he put together a decent season. He'll be joining the Chicago Wolves of the AHL next season and looks set to center the 3rd line.

GM notes: Cole Fonstad & Blade Jenkins were at the top of my list here, but my list got really small from the start of the 4th to my pick. Still happy with Cotter but he lacks the upside of the others I had ranked ahead.

 

139th Overall:

C/LW Arttu Ruotsalainen 5'8" 181lbs - Tempereen Ilves (Liiga)

 

Ruotsalainen was Ilves leading scorer last season and is prepared to make the trip over to North America next season. He's got a Euro clause in his contract, so he could end up back in Finland if he's not happy with his situation. Even though he's a small player, he doesn't shy away from contact and isn't afraid to go into the dirty areas. Should be able to handle bottom 6 minutes & PK time.

GM notes: I saw a bunch from my undrafted list start to go in the 4th round like Nico Sturm and decided now was the time to start going really off the board.

 

171st Overall:

C/LW Tye Felhaber 6'0" 190lbs - Ottawa 67's (OHL)

 

His 109 points last season would be really impressive if it wasn't his 5th junior year, players are expected to dominate at that age. He already got a look from Montreal last year when he suited up for 4 games in Laval but didn't earn a contract. He's had a scoring touch through his career capped by 59 goals last season and will look to prove himself in Texas this coming season.

GM notes: Had the Russian goalie Zagidulin at the top of my list here but was disappointed to see him go earlier.

 

188th Overall:

LW Josiah Slavin 6'3" 190lbs - Chicago Steel (USHL)

 

Does the name sound familiar? He's the younger brother of Carolina's Jaccob Slavin. There's even another younger brother coming up but he's not eligible until 2021. Anyway, Josiah will be attending Colorado College in the NCAA next year. It's a good program there but usually favors older players, so he'll have to be patient.

GM notes: We had Slavin as BPA here, so we were very happy he was still around for the pick.

 

191st Overall:

G Jacob Ingham 6'4" 193lbs - Mississauga Steelheads (OHL)

 

Ingham has had some poor playoff performances in Mississauga but the blame shouldn't be put squarely on his shoulders. He's been traded to Kitchener and looks poised to make a run with a good Rangers team. He's got great size, is fairly agile for a big guy, and is positionally sound. He needs to work on his post to post move and gain confidence moving forward.

GM notes: Goalies are so hard to project, Ingham was highly touted and finally adds a goaltending prospect to our ranks.

 

203rd Overall:

G Jake Kielly 6'2" 201lbs - Clarkson U Golden Knights (NCAA)

 

Kielly had a terrific 3 years at Clarkson where he was the #1 goalie since he arrived. With nothing left to prove in the NCAA, he signed a contract with the Canucks and is set to make his pro debut with Utica in the AHL next season. The crease in Utica could be crowded next year so don't be shocked to see him in the ECHL to get more starts.

GM notes: There were a lot of goalie prospects to choose from, top of my list here was Jordan Kooy who went shortly after Ingham.

 

Look for an updated prospect ranking to show up at some point this summer with all these new names.

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