2025 Sabres Draft Guide: 4th Round Options

Welcome to the 2025 xB Buffalo Sabres Draft Guide! The draft guide has been broken up into seven parts so that it can load on your mobile device and be consumed in multiple readings, without taking an hour to get through.

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)

– 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 players I think might be available, they could deviate from that structure.

– Realistic Scenarios are based on studying the Sabres’ 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.

– First-time draft-eligible players will have their names displayed in bold. Every asterisk after the players’ name will denote if they are D+1 or D+2 draft-eligible players. For instance, Richard Baran was eligible for the draft last year but was not drafted. He will appear in the draft guide as ‘Richard Baran*’.

Last 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.

The Sabres currently have two picks in the 4th round for the 2025 NHL Draft.

Dream Scenarios

1. Michal Svrcek, LW/C, J20 Nationell

DOB: 1/26/07

5’10, 176 lbs

30gp, 14g, 30pts

Svrcek is the type of player that, when people talk about size as an issue, I get angry about. I was a lot lower on Svrcek when just watching his J20 tape earlier in the year because I thought he was an interesting dart throw in the later rounds, but his game at the SHL level (especially in the SHL playoffs) was outstanding I find it hard to believe those that watched him play to end the year in the SHL and at the u18s wouldn’t think of him, at least, as a third round player.

The one aspect of his game that translated so well to the SHL was his motor. He’s a fast paced player, but his motor stood out in the SHL games I watched. He was a nightmare for opponents on the forecheck and involved himself and engaged everywhere on the ice. While I don’t think he has the greatest puck-handling skill, he more than makes up for it with his dogged approach to the game, plays at his highest gear all the time, and can make smart and accurate passes.

Players who play this hard and do all the little things right are players I’d want on my team, and definitely on the Sabres. I would take him as early as the third round, but I don’t think his stock is that high that I might wait until these two picks in the fourth round to go and get him (#17 in blue in clips).

2. Charlie Cerrato, C, NCAA (Penn State)**

DOB: 3/10/05

6’0, 190 lbs

38gp, 15g, 42pts

If there’s one player I’m going to be pounding the table for the Sabres to draft, it’s going to be Charlie Cerrato. College hockey is my favorite sport by far, and watching the progression of Cerrato over this past year has been one of the most fun parts of the scouting process for the 2025 draft.

Penn State started off losing eight of their first ten Big 10 games and then went on a run that led them to the Frozen Four. Part of the turnaround was the progression of Cerrato as he led the offensive attack on a line with DiMarsico and Wiesbuch that led to a two-headed monster when combined with Fink’s line.

Cerrato’s a cerebral, offensive-minded forward. At the beginning of the year, he played a more traditional center position playing with Aidan Fink, but as the year went out, he would still take draws, but they would try to spring him out in transition in a winger’s role in the defensive zone. He has a good-not-great pace, but his lateral agility and puck-handling led to him being a successful transitional engine for Penn State. His passing is sublime. From finding passing lanes to behind-the-back passes or between his legs, he was a playmaker through and through.

The double-overager won me over, and seeing him live in the Regionals just solidified him as my must-have mid-round selection for the Sabres (#15 in blue in clips).

3. Mason Moe, C, USHL

DOB: 3/26/07

6’1, 185

51gp, 17g, 43pts

Mason Moe was stapled to the Ryker Lee and Finn Brink line for the entire year on Madison in the USHL. He was the defensive center who played a passenger role to Brink and Lee in the offensive zone, where he would patrol the center of the ice, trying to find spots to take his heavy wrist shot.

A player in Moe’s archetype doesn’t usually end up in my rankings; however, I loved the way he played within the Madison system. He was great defensively and used his stick better than most forwards defensively to stick-lift, poke away, and defend passing lanes, creating turnovers that he could easily turn into offense going the other way.

I wish he had more puck-handling ability, as he struggled to gain zone entries, as he was dependent on beating defenders wide to gain access with the puck on his stick, and his shot is heavy and accurate, but it can take too long to wind up in my viewings.

He was an average player in my dataset in all things but defensive zone and defensive transition data, where he was the 5th-best defensive forward out of 73. To me, he’s an ideal third-line center if he’s able to develop a bit more with his puck-handling and grows into a more aggressive player in the offensive zone. He’s headed to the University of Minnesota next year and will most likely sit in a bottom-six role to start, but by his third year, I’d expect him to be a point-per-game player if he’s going to matriculate to the NHL (#19 in white in clips).

4. Brady Peddle, LHD, USHL

DOB: 5/23/07

6’3, 203 lbs

62gp, 3g, 10pts (15gp, 1g, 10pts in USHL playoffs)

In the mid-rounds is where I like to target my defensive-defensemen and not use a premium pick on a player that I think could be had if you do some digging into the games of the big, play killers in the draft. Brady Peddle fits the mold as my rounds 4-5 defenseman that I’m looking to target in that role. I watched a lot of Waterloo this past year in the USHL, and a player that kept coming out of the announcer’s mouth was Brady Peddle.

He’s not a sexy pick. There isn’t much to write home about with his offensive skills. He was the conservative defenseman who let Michael Phelan activate as much as he wanted. Peddle would activate in space if the opportunity presented itself, but he wasn’t looking to move up into the zone with the puck on his stick.

He is physical along the boards and clears the front of the net. He has a good first pass in transition and scans well in retrievals. The biggest issue will be his skating as he gives up a bit too much space when he gaps for my liking, but as a fourth-round project, I like his defensive toolkit and his developmental plan to stay at Waterloo for one more season before going to Michigan State in 2026.

Realistic Scenarios

1. Brandon Gorzynski, C/W, WHL

DOB: 5/12/07

6’2, 181 lbs

68gp, 17g, 42pts (11gp, 4g, 8pts)

Gorzynski played a very defensively responsible, centerman role for the Calgary Hitmen for the 2024/25 season. He has a motor on him that is always going. Gorzynski never takes a shift off when it comes to his effort level. He’s always in support of his teammates and always quick to move into an offensive/defensive transition. This lunch pail mentality is going to endear himself to NHL teams, and he was able to produce more than enough positive clips in viewings that I think he’s a mid-round pick.

I do worry about an offensive upside with Gorzynski. He’s not the engine in transition as he plays down low in the defensive structure, and his skill isn’t anything more than average for the draft class. He’s not afraid to go to the dirty areas, but he rarely gets there with the puck on his stick from his own volition and effort. Most of his dangerous shots are coming off rebounds or passes. He’s a great play facilitator, but does not drive his passing to the inside when he’s in the offensive zone.

As a potential bottom-six center who can play passenger on the wing if you wanted him to move up in the lineup, I think he’s a Kevyn Adams target (#38 in blue in clips).

2. Edison Engle, LHD, USHL

DOB: 2/15/07

6’2, 174 lbs

54gp, 2g, 17pts (7gp, 0g, 4pts in USHL playoffs)

If there is a player who has all the makings to be a bigger point producer in his D+1, given his skillset and current point totals, Edison Engle fits the mold. He is a plus-four-way skater who can dance around forecheckers with ease as well as walk the blue line better than most. He makes great first passes and is creative and aggressive in finding forwards on stretch passes. He showed very good offensive instincts while not being given the power-play time throughout the year to be able to rack up the points.

Defensively, he utilizes his feet and can match transitions with his feet and keeping opponents from the inside. He’s not a physical defender, but he plays such a tight gap and uses his stick to his advantage. He doesn’t move players from in front of the net, but ties up sticks and boxes out very well,l that it doesn’t hurt him.

Engle is going to Ohio State University in 2026. I think one more year in the USHL could see a similar projection to fellow Sabres prospect Luke Osburn, as he’s been given more of an opportunity to use his offensive skillset (#15 in red in clips).

3. Maxim Agafonov, RHD, MHL

DOB: 4/10/07

6’2, 198 lbs

35gp, 6g, 14pts

Agafonov continues the trend of finding length on the backend that has the potential to grow into an NHL-level role. Agavonov is a lengthy, RHD who skates well for his size and can make simple and effective passes exiting the zone and in the offensive zone. Is defensive game is proactive, but he does need to work on his backward skating as he tends to surf players in transition in an awkward stance, as he prefers to defend transitions.

His skating ability allows him to be manipulative in his retrievals at the MHL level, and he’s able to spring transition pretty well. He looks to move up into play to make plays, but his shot is pretty soft at the moment from distance, and he didn’t move up into the zone often to take shots in my three-game sample.

There are enough offensive skills to take a swing in the fourth round and hope that it develops in the VHL/KHL over the next 3-5 years that he’s a perfect draft-and-stash player coming out of Russia. I am a bit concerned that his offensive game may never take off, and his defensive game isn’t good enough to be a PK bottom pair defenseman, but in the fourth round, he’s as good a bet as any (#21 in green in clips)

4. Teddy Mutryn, C/RW, USHL

DOB: 2/16/07

6’1, 207 lbs

51gp, 18g, 32pts

Teddy Mutryn was a player who grinded his way into the draft guide. The 6’1 forward plays a very projectable, bottom-six role that has room to grow into something more. While I never came away from a viewing thinking he had top-six upside, he showed his ability to play passenger on a line where he can thrive with forechecking, finishing out front, or making plays to slot.

My only hesitancy with Mutryn comes with his skating. He has a short, choppy stride that doesn’t generate the power that a 6’1,207-poundd forward should in his north/south speed. This is probably why he wasn’t the focal point for the Steel’s transition game. However, his ability to chip and chase past defenders in the offensive zone entries and then win board battles to make plays is very impressive. He can make a play with defenders draped all over him, and he’s going to finish his hits.

He’s headed to powerhouse Boston College in 2026. I expect that his role will expand next year and that his development will hit its crescendo in his D+3 year as a sophomore (#10 in white in clips).

Wildcard Scenarios

1. Cooper Simpson, LW, USHS-Min

DOB: 2/5/07

6’1, 179 lbs

31gp, 49g, 83pts (9gp, 7g, 8pts in the USHL)

Cooper Simpson transitioned late in the year to the USHL after a storied career in the Minnesota high school hockey ranks. Simpson has above-average pace and puck skill, but the transition to the USHL led him to simplify his game a bit to be more linear in his approach to the offensive zone. In his high school season, the puck never seemed to be off his stick, but in the USHL, he was a lot more off-puck to get his shots and was rarely the engine of transition.

He has a nasty wrist shot that he can beat goalies from distance, and has above-average puck skill to be able to carry the puck himself into those areas as well. Some of his high school habits followed him to the USHL, though, specifically looking to score himself more than playing through his teammates. He’s going to have to play through his teammates as he develops to make it to the professional ranks, but the skill and skating are there.

He uses his hands to his advantage in his defensive game as well. He’s quick with this stick to poke away pucks and can win puck battles against bigger opponents through his excellent stick checking. He is not a physically engaging defender, nor in 50/50 battles, and that is going to be something that will have to develop if he’s going to succeed in the NCAA and have his game translate to the NHL.

Simpson heads to the University of North Dakota next year, where he’ll look to put UND back on the map with a host of other top recruits they’re bringing in. If he’s able to get more pro-habits at his even-strength offensive game, he could end up being a player in the mid-rounds who ends up being an NHL player with a long career (#21 in white in clips).

2. Émile Guité, LW, QMJHL

DOB: 5/31/07

6’2, 174 lbs

59gp, 16g, 30pts

I have no idea where Guité is going to go in this draft. He came into the 2025 draft season as a potential first-round talent, but his stock has taken a tumble throughout the season. He isn’t producing well for as talented as he is, he can go multiple shifts in a row without noticing he’s on the ice, and then out of nowhere, he can make a play that reminds you why he was so highly thought of.

He wasn’t on my draft board because he’s not hard on pucks offensively or defensively. He’s more apt to put a stick out and deflect a puck into the zone or just take a lazy swipe at an offensive opponent than step in and battle for possession. However, there are flashes of skill, and when he’s on, he can make plays that look like a top 64 talent.

He makes good, quick passes and has great hands. He has a good shot as well. I think in the fourth round he’s a wildcard of taking a player who has the talent but has not put it all together mentally or through his production in a draft-eligible year (#86 in blue in clips).

Dream Scenarios

1. Michal Svrcek, LW/C, J20 Nationell

2. Charlie Cerrato**, C, NCAA (Penn State)

3. Mason Moe, C, USHL

4. Brady Peddle, LHD, USHL

Realistic Scenarios

1. Brandon Gorzynski, C/W, WHL

2. Edison Engle, LHD, USHL

3. Maxim Agafonov, RHD, MHL

4. Teddy Mutryn, C/RW, USHL

Wildcard Scenarios

1. Cooper Simpson, LW, USHS-Min

2. Émile Guité, LW, QMJHL

2. Charlie Cerrato, C, NCAA (Penn State)**