The Sabres select at 39th overall in the second round of the NHL draft. Here are some of the best available players according to my draft board.

Eric Nilson, C, J20 Nationell: #13 on my board

Eric Nilson’s ranking may shock most of you. Truthfully, he sat in the next tier for the majority of the season, and he’s always been pegged as my ideal second-round pick. He is my ideal player, and a player who plays hockey exactly how I would want my kid to play. Cerebral in everything he does; Nilson is always two steps ahead of where the play is going and makes plays that have made me audibly gasp.

After the U18s, I couldn’t help but move him up to this spot as I thought he was the best forward not named Stenberg on the Swedish roster throughout the tournament. Great in transition, in the offensive zone, in the defensive zone, and makes all the little plays that separate good from great prospects. He’s slight in his frame and his offensive production in the J20 isn’t going to wow anyone, but the Michigan State commit has my vote as the player scouts look back on and say, “how did he fall out of the first round?”

Malcolm Spence, LW, OHL: #20 on my board

Spence is a shocking faller for me. He’s a power forward who has tactical skill and was an engine of transition for the Erie Otters in the OHL this past year. He’s a facilitator in the offensive zone who can move the puck around the perimeter of the ice and attack the inside with his frame and puck-protection skill.

I thought he would go in the same area as Bill Zonnon and Lynden Lakovic, but he has fallen out of the first round. Perhaps because he is a winger and the other two played predominantly down the middle during their draft-eligible season. He projects as a third-line forward as a secondary transition option or a passenger power forward in the top six as his ceiling. His lineup variability should make him an attractive target for Kevyn Adams.

Blake Fiddler, RHD, WHL: #26 on my board

Fiddler would be a redundant pick after taking Mrtka, as they profile pretty similarly. Fiddler is a defensive defenseman who specializes in shutting down transitions. He’s a better transition player than Mrtka currently, and he has a bit more puck skill as well. However, Fiddler is a very developed player who you can project to your bottom four and PK unit.

Shane Vansaghi, RW, NCAA (Michigan State): #27 on my board

Vansaghi played the least amount at even strength for any forward I tracked in North America, at just under 7.5 minutes a game. Even within such a limited amount of ice time, Vansaghi made a lasting impression. He plays a very physical, power forward type of hockey. While Brady Martin is getting the hype for best hitter in the draft, I wouldn’t sleep on Vansaghi to give him a run for his money when the dust settles.

I think the part of his game that sticks out is just how much Vansaghi was asked to play outside his comfort zone as he ran point for the fourth line for their transition game. At the NTDP, he was more of a passenger in transition, and at Michigan State, he was involved in 52% of their successful transitions. His passing metrics show that he would look to facilitate after the entry, and then he’d drive the net looking for a dangerous shot attempt through a pass, tip, or rebound.

He’s extremely defensively responsible for a winger and is a hard-hitting F1 forechecker. He threw some monster hits throughout the year and changed the course of more than a few games I watched (even against my Michigan team) with his physicality. Vansaghi is one of the reasons why I don’t think we’d need to chase Brady Martin in the first, because you can get the physicality and defensive responsibility with Vansaghi while taking someone with a higher offensive upside in the first.

Jakob Ihs-Wosniak, RW, J20 Nationell: #29 on my board

Ihs-Wozniak has all the skills to be a lot higher than this ranking on my board, but his inability to drive play at the J20 level always frustrated me. He is great in the offensive zone and was a menace on the power play, but I thought his even-strength ability and skillset never showed their true potential until the later viewings before my final rankings. He jumped up from the tier below to this tier due to the last 2 viewings I had of him.

Pound the Table Players for the Rest of the Draft for Me

It’s late on draft night, and I’ve already written an entire draft guide, but if you’re looking for players that I would be pounding the table for that are in the draft guide for each round, they are:

Round 2: Eric Nilson, C, J20 Nationell

Round 3: Sean Barnhill, RHD, USHL

Round 4: LJ Mooney, C, USNTDP

Round 4: Edison Engle, LHD, USHL

Round 5: Charlie Cerrato**, C, Penn State

Round 6: Richard Baran*, LHD, USHL

Round 7: Oliver Turner, RHD, U18 AAA

Round 7: Vincent Desjardins*, C, QMJHL

Round 7: Gavin Cornforth, RW, USHL