Noah Ostlund’s NHL dream began at 9 years old with an invitation to Detroit.
Ostlund and his family traveled from Sweden to visit a close friend of his father’s, Mikael Samuelsson, who was in the final stages of a 13-year career that included a Stanley Cup with the Red Wings in 2008.
Samuelsson showed the Ostlunds around Joe Louis Arena. They walked through the dressing room, saw elite players Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg, and even stepped onto the ice.
“It was very cool,” Ostlund recalled.
Ostlund began playing hockey at 5 years old, but a career in North America wasn’t a thought until he toured the building and heard the roar of the crowd at a Red Wings game. Across the nine years that followed, he worked tirelessly to develop into a high-end junior hockey player and reached the Swedish Hockey League last season.
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Ostlund, now 18, moved one step closer to that dream July 7 when he was drafted by the Sabres in the first round, 16th overall, in Montreal. The playmaking two-way center then captivated the crowd at development camp in LECOM Harborcenter with his vision with the puck and quick hands. He scored a highlight-reel goal during the 3-on-3 tournament and assisted on another.
The Sabres signed Ostlund to a three-year, entry-level contract to ensure they hold his NHL rights. However, he plans to spend at least one season – he suggested two would be ideal – in Sweden with Djurgardens IF, which was relegated to the country’s second-tier league.
“Noah, his ability to move around the ice and the strength on the puck is incredible,” said Rochester assistant coach Michael Peca, a two-time Selke trophy winner during his 14-year NHL career as a center.
Ostlund’s instincts, on-ice vision, reliable defensive game and competitiveness made him the Sabres’ selection with their second of three first-round draft picks. He outperformed his peers in Sweden’s Under-20 league last season with nine goals and 42 points in 32 regular-season games before averaging more than a point-per-game in the postseason.
Like most teenage prospects in Sweden, Ostlund received very little ice time during his short stint in the Swedish Hockey League. He averaged just 6:59 in his 11 appearances with Djurgardens and totaled zero points. But the experience of playing against men prepared Ostlund for the IIHF Under-18 World Championship in May, when he ranked third on Sweden, and fifth overall at the tournament, with 10 points in six games to help the country win gold.
The Sabres used all three first-round draft choices on centers, selecting Matt Savoie and Jiri Kulich at 9 and 28, respectively, overall. However, the club’s depth in the NHL – Tage Thompson, Dylan Cozens, Peyton Krebs and Casey Mittelstadt – likely will lead Savoie and Kulich to move, eventually, to wing. Ostlund, on the other hand, is positioned to remain down the middle. His speed, intelligence and competitiveness convinced the Sabres that he’ll stick at center, even at 5-foot-11.
Devon Levi sat in the Sabres’ suite in TD Garden as his friend and Olympic teammate, Owen Power, competed in the first of two games at the Frozen Four in April and, a few weeks later, watched from the stands as coach Don Granato ran a morning skate in Boston ahead of a matchup against the Bruins.
“I will tell you Ostlund, for sure, has every single quality you would want in an NHL center other than size, and I just talked about the other attributes that I think will easily offset the size,” said Jerry Forton, the Sabres’ amateur scouting director. “When he went up to the SHL this year – in very limited minutes, I get that – they play him at center. He went to the under-18s, he played a couple games 25-plus minutes at center at the Under-18s on the gold-medal team, and I don’t know that we ever saw a drop off in his play.”
Potential on defense
Vsevolod Komarov, a 6-1 right-shot defenseman, was home in Chelyabinsk, Russia, when he learned the Sabres drafted him in the fifth round. He beamed when recalling the outpouring of support from his teammates with the Quebec Remparts and the joy of his parents during the family’s celebration.
Buffalo Sabres player Vseolod Komarov (76) during development camp at LECOM Harborcenter on Thursday, July 14, 2022. (Harry Scull Jr./Buffalo News)
Komarov, the lone Russian prospect at development camp, is still learning the English language and admitted the communication barrier was challenging during his first season in North America. But his confidence was still apparent during our conversation. Komarov explained that he made the move to the Quebec Junior Hockey League because it was the best place for him to prepare for an NHL career. He wanted to adjust to the speed and physicality on a smaller sheet of ice.
Komarov loves watching the puck-moving skill of NHL defensemen Erik Karlsson and Cale Makar, but doesn’t model his game after anyone.
“I want to play my hockey,” he said. “I try playing good in the offensive zone. I want to be good all over the ice.”
Komarov, 18, was a force in one-on-one battle drills during practice, outmuscling older players for the puck. He’ll have to improve his skating, but his offensive instincts and shot are strengths.
First impression
Peca admitted Friday that he didn’t know anything about Aaron Huglen before development camp. Huglen, a center drafted in the fourth round in 2019, didn’t reach the University of Minnesota until he was 20 years old because of a serious back injury that required surgery and kept him off the ice for the 2019-20 season.
Huglen, though, showcased his mature, two-way game while in Buffalo last week. He’s poised to take another step as a sophomore with the Golden Gophers after a strong finish to his freshman season in the spring. He didn’t participate in the 3-on-3 tournament.
“Aaron Huglen, I had no idea who he was coming to this camp,” Peca said. “And to be honest, when I saw him on day one, the way he represents himself on the ice, his skill set on the ice, his habits on the ice, I would have thought he was 27 years old. He's the kind of guy that if you're on his team, you want to play with him, because he's just a solid hockey player. He doesn't make mistakes.”
Buffalo Sabres goaltender Topias Leinonen during its annual development camp at LECOM Harborcenter on Wednesday, July 13, 2022. (Harry Scull Jr./Buffalo News)
Other notes
• Goalie Topias Leinonen missed all but one practice last week because of an undisclosed injury. The 2022 second-round draft choice is slated to play for JYP of Finland’s Liiga in the fall.
• No decision yet on where Kulich will play next season. The Czech center was selected by Cape Breton (QMJHL) in the CHL import draft. Sabres management will make the call if he moves to North America to play junior hockey, returns to Czech Republic’s pro league or joins the Amerks.
• Matej Pekar continues to rehab the shoulder injury that ended his season in March. He has yet to resume skating, but hopes to be ready for training camp.
