2026 Sabres Draft Guide: 6th 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 188th pick.

Dream Scenarios

1. Noa Ta’amu, LHD, WHL

DOB: 5/28/08

6’2, 227 lbs

25th percentile: AHL/ECHL physical defender

75th percentile: Bottom-four NHL LHD, Physical enforcer with functional transition skill, PK stalwart

A punishing defender who skates well, has good positioning, and is functional in transition

I don’t chase offensive defensemen in the late rounds of the draft; I like to try to chase my future Mattias Samuelsson’s in the late rounds. I think one of the harder things to do as a scout is to identify the defensive-defensemen who are going to be able to translate to the NHL in the mid-to-late rounds. The NHL has leaned on going after size, with the lynchpin being that if you’re >6’2, played in the CHL or a men’s league in Europe, and skate a little bit then you’re probably going to hear your name called at some point on the second day in the NHL draft. Of all players that fit that profile, the player I keep coming back to is Noa Ta’amu.

Ta’amu projects as a physically imposing, defensively reliable defenseman who brings a clear identity shift-to-shift. He stands out immediately for his ability to deliver heavy, impactful contact in all three zones, with a real knack for timing open-ice hits and finishing along the wall. Despite the physical edge, he is not a one-dimensional player, as he pairs that presence with good mobility and enough skating ability to stay connected in transition. His puck retrievals are efficient, and he generally handles pressure well, using simple, functional outlets and one-touch passes to move play forward without unnecessary risk. There is also enough structure to his defensive game to project him as a penalty kill regular, with a clear understanding of positioning and an ability to close space quickly.

The offensive ceiling is limited, however, and that is the main constraint on his projection. He does not bring a creative dimension with the puck and is unlikely to consistently generate offense beyond point shots and occasional activation into soft space for low-danger looks. While his passing is safe and functional, he is not a player who breaks structure or drives transition through playmaking. As a result, his impact will be heavily weighted toward defensive zone work, physical disruption, and puck retrieval rather than offensive contribution. The projection is a strong bottom-pairing, penalty kill oriented defenseman who can swing momentum through physical play, but will need to maximize every detail of his defensive game to hold a consistent NHL role.

2. Jordan Duguay, W, WHL

DOB: 2/16/08

5’10, 172 lbs

68gp, 22, 65pts

25th percentile: AHL/ECHL winger

75th percentile: middle-six winger, secondary transition, two-way facilitator

Does all of the little things right and one of my favorite players in the draft class, but can his skating improve to be effective in the NHL?

There are players in this class with better tools than Jordan Duguay, but I’m not sure there are many who consistently make better decisions. He’s constantly in the right spot, constantly available as a support option, and constantly finding little ways to impact the game that don’t always show up on the scoresheet. The small-area skill is excellent and he’s remarkably comfortable carrying pucks through traffic despite not being an explosive skater. I loved the way he facilitated offense, especially his ability to spot teammates arriving in dangerous areas and move pucks into those openings before they disappeared. What really sold me though was the defensive work. Duguay has one of the best sticks I’ve tracked among draft-eligible forwards and he’s relentless about getting involved defensively. Whether it’s disrupting a breakout, jumping into a passing lane, or supporting low in the zone, he’s engaged in every part of the game. The tracked data paints a very effective player. He’s one of the more efficient players in the class, completing 85% of his passes while still sending a healthy percentage into dangerous areas. His transition involvement isn’t particularly high, but when he does get involved he’s incredibly effective, posting strong efficiency numbers that match what shows up on film. There are players with flashier tools in this class, but not many wingers I trust more shift to shift.

The entire projection comes down to one question: can he get to an NHL-level pace? Once Duguay gets up to his top gear, I don’t have many concerns. The problem is getting there. His stop-start acceleration is below where it needs to be and there are too many situations where defenders recover because he can’t create separation immediately. That’s ultimately why his involvement numbers aren’t higher. Duguay is a supremely smart and efficient player, but the pace limits how often he gets touches and inserts himself into possession-driving sequences. I wasn’t overly concerned when some of the skill plays didn’t connect in later viewings because the ideas were still there, however, I thought he occasionally tried to make one extra move instead of taking the dangerous play that was available and that did cause a slight concern. The big thing to take away from all of my viewings: his skating is the swing skill here. If it improves, I think there’s a path to becoming the type of versatile middle-six winger that coaches love because he helps you win in so many different ways. If it doesn’t, he may struggle to translate all of those details and instincts against faster competition. Either way, he’s one of the smarter and more efficient players I’ve watched this year, and that makes him a very easy bet in the late-rounds for me.

Realistic Scenarios

1. Morgan Anderberg, LW/C, SHL

DOB: 10/27/07

5’11, 174 lbs

39gp, 2g, 3pts

25th percentile: SHL career

75th percentile: Bottom-six NHL forward, secondary transition, high-compete forechecker who grinds out offensive and suffocates defensively

Already demonstrates a bottom-six profile in the SHL, but can he provide enough offense to make it to the NHL?

Anderberg is one of the better high-compete, defensive forwards in this class, and his projection to the bottom-six is almost entirely built around that side of the puck. He plays with excellent pace, closes quickly on puck carriers, and seems to process the game a step ahead of everyone else defensively. Whether he’s leading the forecheck as the F1, tracking back through the neutral zone, or dropping low to support his defensemen, he’s consistently in the right spots. His skating is a major asset, allowing him to change directions effortlessly, pressure passing lanes, and recover quickly when plays break down. He isn’t afraid to engage physically either, despite lacking imposing size, and his anticipation makes him a disruptive presence in all three zones.

The offensive upside is where all the questions are. Anderberg keeps his game extremely simple in the SHL with the puck, rarely holding onto possession long enough to create something on his own. Under pressure, he’ll often opt for the safe chip or short outlet rather than using his skating to escape coverage or attack defenders. There are flashes of offensive awareness, particularly with his ability to arrive in the right areas and occasionally create a chance off quick puck movement, but those moments are infrequent. I think there’s enough here to justify a late-round selection because his skating and defensive intelligence give him a realistic path toward becoming a useful penalty killer and bottom-six forward. At the same time, the lack of offensive creativity and questions about whether his physical game will translate against stronger competition limit the ceiling. His games in the J20 he created a lot more but it was entirely built on his speed and vision, with his puck-handling and play creation not showcasing the dynamicism I would like to see to project offense in a league with that much space lack of defensive pressure. He feels like a safe bet to become a reliable pro in the SHL/AHL, but one whose NHL upside is likely capped in to a bottom-six player.

2. Brayden Klimpke, LHD, WHL

DOB: 10/8/07

6’0, 174 lbs

68gp, 4g, 46pts

25th percentile: Undrafted, Overseas career

75th percentile: Bottom four NHL LHD, Two-way mobile defender

Love the skating and flashes of offensive upside, but he needs to manage pucks and possession better if he’s ever going to play in the NHL

Klimpke is the type of late-round defenseman you bet on because the mobility gives him a chance. He fits into that Noah Laberge-esque type of pick the Sabres made last year: a bet that the offensive instincts take a leap and that he can be a modern two-way defenseman. His edgework is impressive, and there are flashes of offensive upside when he uses his feet to create separation or make quick-twitch moves to evade pressure. He is willing to activate, looks comfortable carrying pucks, and has enough confidence with the puck to attempt plays that many defensemen at his level would not. Defensively, there is at least a foundation of competitiveness to work with, and when his feet are moving he can close space effectively and stay involved in battles.

The problem is that the execution is all over the place right now. He fumbles pucks far too often, forces passes that are either low percentage or simply the wrong read altogether, and has a tendency to throw pucks away rather than maintain possession. Too many shifts end with a blind rim around the boards in the offensive zone or a hopeful pass into empty space through the neutral zone. The tracking data reflects that, painting the picture of a highly inefficient transition player who too often resorts to whacking pucks out of trouble rather than making controlled exits. Offensively, much of his shot volume comes from the point without creating much danger. There are enough skating tools and flashes of skill to justify a late-round swing, but he remains a long-term project who will need significant refinement in both his puck management and decision-making to have a chance of reaching his upside.

Wildcard

Luke Puchner, W, USHS-Prep

DOB: 1/2/08

5’10, 181 lbs

54gp, 21g, 85pts

25th percentile: 4-year college player

75th percentile: Bottom-six NHL winger, secondary transition, two-way player who can score and facilitate

Liked him in the Hlinka, produced and showed translatable offensive habits at Shattuck, and liked his 200 foot game in his 2 games in the USHL: a projection bet.

Every time I watched Puchner I came away thinking, “this guy is going to make a coach very happy.” He’s one of the more versatile forwards in the class, taking shifts at all three forward positions while contributing on both special teams. He isn’t the biggest player, but he competes hard in every area of the ice, closes quickly on puck carriers, and consistently makes the right read defensively. His intensity never really changes shift to shift, and while he can get outmuscled against bigger players, he never backs away from battles.

What I liked most was how efficient he was with the puck. He doesn’t overhandle or try to force plays that aren’t there. Every touch has a purpose, whether it’s moving the puck quickly, supporting a teammate, or making a subtle play to keep possession alive. There were flashes of offensive creativity with some nice changes of pace and the ability to create a little separation, but that’s probably never going to be the calling card. The upside is limited, and his lack of size combined with only a two-game sample in the USHL probably keeps him out of the draft for a lot of teams. Still, this feels like the type of player who carves out a long college career before eventually earning NHL games in a bottom-six role because he simply does too many little things well. He goes to the WHL next season before heading to UMD in the NCAA in 2027-28.

#13 with the assist in this clip.