2026 Sabres Draft Guide: 4th Round

Welcome to the 2026 xB Buffalo Sabres Draft Guide! The draft guide has been broken down into four parts so that it can be loaded on your mobile device and consumed in multiple readings, allowing you to prepare for the 2026 NHL draft through a week-long deep dive into 23 players that the Sabres could select.

Each player has a BlueSky link with three clips that summarize their projection.

If this is the first time you’ve read my draft guide, let me break down how each section will go:

– Each draft pick the Sabres have will be given five players, which I think are reasonable selections for the Sabres. They are broken down as Dream Scenarios (two given for each draft pick), Realistic Selections (two given for each draft pick), and a Wildcard Selection (one given for each draft pick). The first round pick, I will expand to 3 Dream Scenarios, 3 Realistic players, and 2 Wildcards.

– Dream Scenarios are based on my evaluation of the player, and where I believe they are most likely going to go in the draft. They are based on my draft philosophies and don’t take into account the Sabres’ past draft philosophies. They will usually consist of one forward and one defenseman, but depending on the round or the players who might be available, they could deviate from that structure.

– Realistic Scenarios are based on studying the Sabres’ and Kekalainen’s previous draft philosophies, current prospect pool depth, needs, and players that I think the organization may go with the draft pick, and not necessarily who I would pick.

– The Wildcard Scenario is a draft pick that doesn’t fall directly into the two categories above and is a player that I think would go slightly later than the current selection (or undrafted in the later rounds), but I believe would make an interesting selection for the Sabres.

Last year I struck out in the later rounds and only Radim Mrtka was guessed right. The previous year this draft guide included Luke Osburn in a Dream Scenario, Adam Kleber in the Realistic Scenarios, and Konsta Helenius in a Wildcard Scenario. Hopefully, this guide will get lucky again and provide insight for some of the players the Sabres draft. If not, then I encourage you to go to my draft rankings article to see if I had any notes about the player in that article before the recap article I will write.

As for Kekalainen’s draft philosophy, my belief is that he will rely heavily on the work of the Sabres scouting staff to build the board and that staff has remained unchanged from the Kevyn Adams regime. However, if you look Kekalainen’s previous drafts before he was let go in Columbus, his draft selections follow a lot of my own philosophies. His selections of Denton Mateychuk, Gavin Brindley(!!), Luca Pinelli, Luca Marrelli, and William Whitelaw are all players that I was big fans in 2023 and 2024.

The Sabres currently have the 124th pick in the fourth round.

Dream Scenarios

1. Vertti Svensk, LHD, U20 SM-sarja

DOB: 11/7/07

6’1, 168 lbs

33gp, 3g, 31pts

25th percentile: Bottom-four LHD, carry out transition and able to play against pace, Possible PP2 upside

75th percentile: Top-four LHD upside, all situations defender who drives the beginning parts of rushes and who activates constantly in the offensive zone, PP quarterback

If the decision making catches up to the hands and skating then you just got the steal of the draft, but if his defensive game doesn’t take a leap he may never earn a contract.

Vertti Svensk is one of the more interesting players in this class. The skating is legitimately high-end and drives almost everything he does. He’s constantly involved in transition, closing gaps early, retrieving pucks, carrying them out of trouble, and jumping into the rush whenever an opportunity presents itself. There are times where the passing can get a little ambitious and lead to turnovers, but I’d much rather rein in an aggressive mindset than try to teach a defenseman to create offense. When the puck is on his stick, there’s confidence there. He can walk the blue line, make plays through traffic, and use his mobility to manipulate defenders and open passing lanes.

The defensive game remains a work in progress, particularly on rushes where his reads can get exposed at times, but the foundation is strong because of how well he moves. He plays tight gaps, recovers quickly when beaten, and rarely looks overwhelmed by pace. What keeps bringing me back to Svensk is how many projectable NHL traits already exist. The skating is excellent, the puck skill is good, and he impacts transition in a meaningful way. He’s going to need to add strength and clean up some decision-making, but for a player likely available in the later rounds, there are few defensemen with this combination of mobility, puck-moving ability, and upside. He’s been one of my favorite late-round targets all season.

2. Evan Jardine, W, USHL

DOB: 10/23/07

6’0, 179 lbs

53gp, 27g, 61pts

25th percentile: bottom-six passenger winger who can play on the PP2

75th percentile: middle-six secondary transition winger who fluctuates PP2/PP1

Great mental processor of the game who improved with each viewing throughout the year

Evan Jardine was a player I came around on as the year progressed because the processing speed and offensive efficiency really started to pop once the confidence and volume picked up. He’s not a burner and he’s not going to wow you with dynamic puck handling through transition, but he’s extremely smart with the puck and consistently makes quick plays in tight areas. The thing I kept coming back to was how efficient all of his offense felt. He found dangerous ice constantly, got his shots off from quality areas, and made a lot of subtle offensive reads that led to chances without needing to dominate possession. The tracking data absolutely loved him too. Extremely efficient as a shooter, passer, and transition player, and by the end of the year the volume started catching up to the efficiency to the point where he looked like a borderline first-round caliber prospect in some viewings. I also thought the defensive effort improved throughout the season. He became much more active disrupting plays at the blue line, reading passing lanes, and using anticipation instead of pace to kill possessions.

The concern is that there are still some noticeable athletic limitations. Jardine constantly flying the zone can create issues defensively and there were viewings early in the year where he was genuinely poor as the F3, struggling to engage puck carriers or create turnovers once possession changed hands. The skating is fine, but there’s not a separation gear and he’s not the type of player who is going to carry transition himself through pure pace or handling ability. That means so much of the projection relies on the brain continuing to outpace the physical tools. Thankfully, I think it probably does. He processes the game quickly, consistently arrives in the right areas offensively, and there’s real touch around scoring areas that I buy his game translating to the NCAA and later to the pros. He grew on me a lot over the season and feels like a really solid early day two target who could absolutely outperform where he gets drafted.

Realistic Scenarios

1. Beckham Edwards, C, OHL

DOB: 1/6/08

6’1, 181 lbs

64gp, 19g, 45pts

25th Percentile: 4-year college player who signs to an AHL/ECHL deal

75th percentile: Bottom-six center, faceoff specialist who can pot goals while playing a responsible 200 foot game

The guy who does all the little things but needs to do more of the big things to make it into the NHL

Beckham Edwards is the type of player that coaches trust in every situation. The compete level is consistently high, he plays a responsible 200-foot game, and there aren’t many shortcuts in his approach. I liked him more at center than I expected and the faceoff results certainly help the case. He’s a strong north/south skater who gets where he needs to be on time, supports defensively, and does a lot of the little things that don’t always show up on the scoresheet. The shot is probably his best offensive weapon. When plays are built for him as the finisher, he can get it off with some authority and there are enough flashes there to suggest he can chip in offense at higher levels. The overall profile just feels very safe. You know what you’re getting shift to shift and there is value in that.

The question is how much offense there actually is. Edwards spends a lot of time around the play but not nearly enough time driving it. He rarely has the puck on his stick through transition, doesn’t create much for teammates, and most of his offensive touches come as the last player in a sequence rather than the player creating it. There isn’t much manipulation, deception, or playmaking in his game and I struggled to find many examples of him impacting possession offensively outside of shooting opportunities. That’s what ultimately caps the projection for me. I think he’s a good hockey player and one I’d be comfortable taking in the late rounds because the floor is fairly high, but I don’t see much evidence of top-six upside. If he makes it, it’ll be because he wins draws, skates well enough, plays hard every night, and carves out a role through reliability rather than offensive creation.

2. Vsevolod Matveyev, RHD, MHL

DOB: 12/28/07

6’2, 190 lbs

25th percentile: KHL bottom-four

75th percentile: NHL bottom-four RHD, two-way modern defender, able to carry pucks through transition though no PP potential

One of the best skating defensemen in this draft, but the processing and puck skills have to catch up

Matveyev’s skating jumps off the screen almost immediately. For a defender with his size, the way he moves is exceptional. He covers ground effortlessly, closes gaps in transition, and can turn retrievals into clean exits simply because he gets to loose pucks before anyone else. He’s an aggressive player who isn’t afraid to activate into open space, and while he isn’t a natural puck mover, he’s more composed under pressure than his production would suggest. He scans well, protects pucks on retrievals, and has shown more playmaking flashes as the season has progressed.

The decision making still needs work, and that’s what ultimately keeps him from going much higher in this draft. There are too many unforced turnovers, rushed decisions, and defensive sequences where his reads lag behind his skating ability. On the rush he’s excellent because his feet allow him to erase space quickly, but once plays become more structured in-zone, he can lose track of developing threats. Even so, the foundation is very intriguing. NHL-calibre skating is difficult to teach, and Matveyev already has the size, mobility, and defensive tools to project as a bottom-pairing shutdown defenseman if the processing catches up. He’s one of the more interesting mid-round bets in the class because the physical tools are already at a professional level.

https://bsky.app/profile/austin716.bsky.social/post/3moyopvd5rk2u

Wildcard scenario

Wiggo Sorensson, F, Division 2 (Sweden)

DOB: 4/15/08

5’11, 181 lbs

29gp, 20g, 38pts

25th percentile: SHL middle-six

75th percentile: NHL middle-six winger, secondary transition, offensive dual threat with PP2 potential

An offensive force, but against weak competition most of the year, but has the tools and processing as demonstrated at the u18s to project to an offensive role in the NHL

It’s not often that a player playing outside the men’s leagues or the J20 in Sweden garners NHL attention, but Wiggo Sorensson has managed to do so in 2026. Every viewing seemed to feature another sequence where he attacked defenders with speed, got inside the dots, and created something dangerous. His skating is a real weapon, especially off the rush, where he uses strong edgework to cut inside and open passing lanes or take the puck to the net himself. He was one of Sweden’s most dangerous forwards throughout the u18 World Juniors and consistently played with more urgency than some of the higher-profile names around him which has cemented him as a potential mid-round player to target.

What I liked most was how often he looked to make plays into dangerous areas instead of settling for facilitating around the perimeter. He has the hands to beat defenders in tight, the vision to find teammates cutting into dangerous areas, and the confidence to attack downhill and thrived on the power play as both a shooter and passer. He protects pucks and is multiple in the way he attacks defenders, while his work rate extends to the defensive side where he angles well on the forecheck and creates turnovers with an active stick. There are still questions about how much offense he’ll produce against stronger competition given the level he played at this season, but the combination of speed, skill, and competitiveness makes him an easy player to bet on in the middle rounds. I think there’s more upside here than his draft stock suggests.