The Buffalo Sabres have been considered to have one of the best deepest prospect pools in the NHL, which is in part due to them selecting high in recent drafts because of their not qualifying for the playoffs. The Sabres have displayed an eye for talent, but the organization’s developmental model has not yielded enough results. Leading up to the opening of training camp in mid-September, we will look at the club's top 40 prospects. All are 25 years old or younger, whose rights are currently held by the Sabres or are on AHL or NHL deals and have played less than 40 NHL games.
#39 – Gustav Karlsson – Center (Falu IF – HockeyEttan – SWE)
Karlsson was the second of the Sabres sixth-round picks at the 2022 NHL Draft in Montreal, where Buffalo chose three Swedish prospects with their last three picks. The 6’1”, 165 lb. center was selected as a 19-year-old overager out of the Orebro HK juniors after scoring 31 goals in 41 games, but the following season his goal totals dropped to 14.
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The 21-year-old has earned a couple of stints totaling 11 games at the SHL level, but has not shown he is ready to play at the top level yet. After another season in juniors, Karlsson was assigned to the third-level pro league (HockeyEttan) and posted five goals for Vimmerby. Last season, he played at the same level for Falu IF, and only showed marginal improvement. According to Elite Prospects, he is slated to play for a third different club in as many years.
Hockey Prospect’s Black Book said in his draft year that Karlsson “doesn’t engage in puck battles hard enough and often goes in with the intent of letting someone else bring the physicality.” His inability to generate offense even at a lower level does not speak well of his future prospect of earning an NHL deal.
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