TOP TAKEAWAYS FROM DAY ONE OF 2022 NHL DRAFT

Jul 8, 2022

By Jourdon LaBarber for Sabres.com

Kevyn Adams said all along he would feel confident making the Buffalo Sabres' three selections in the first round at ninth, 16th, and 28th overall. 

Following a hectic day of conversations - including at least one close call with the Senators - the Sabres general manager did just that. Three trips to the Bell Center stage resulted in three skilled forwards joining the organizational depth chart, all of whom have experience playing center. 

The picks: Matthew Savoie at No. 9, Noah Ostlund at 16, and Jiri Kulich at 28. 

"It was a really good day for our organization," Adams said. "I feel really strongly that we got players that we believe in. They all have different attributes, but very, very competitive players. … Guys that we think are Sabres, and they're going to help us."

Meet Matt Savoie

The group joins an already talented stable of forward prospects, highlighted by Rochester standouts Jack Quinn and JJ Peterka. Quinn and Peterka were the first two picks Adams made as general manager in 2020 and have since developed into players who expect to challenge for NHL roster spots in the fall.

Buffalo added three more forwards during the first two rounds in 2021, selecting Isak Rosen in the first followed by Prokhor Poltapov and Aleksandr Kisakov in the second. Rosen and Kisakov have already signed entry-level deals. (Kisakov was on hand Thursday at Bell Centre, watching the draft from the Sabres' suite.)

Tage Thompson, Casey Mittelstadt, Dylan Cozens, and Peyton Krebs - all first rounders in their own draft classes - are all under the age of 25. 

"I just think, really the top NHL teams, they have good centermen," Adams said. "And we feel that we added some good talent to our lineup. And we'll be patient. … We're not gonna be in a spot where we're gonna rush anyone. We're gonna let these guys develop."

Savoie, Ostlund, and Kulik are alike in stature (all in the neighborhood of 5-foot-10) and in the fact that they play at a high pace and possess eye-catching skill sets. 

They have one more crucial quality in common in the eyes of the Sabres: a competitiveness that aligned with Adams' organizational vision.

"I mean, high compete," Adams said. "Guys that, everything matters to them. When you look at what translates in the NHL in my opinion, especially up front, guys that can make plays in small areas, make plays at top speed shift after shift, they're competing, I think that's really critical."

Inside Savoie selection

The Sabres will enter Day 2 of the draft with eight more selections: one in each of the second, third, fourth, and fifth rounds and two in each of the sixth and seventh rounds.

Some of those picks could go toward adding organizational depth on defense. Adams pointed to the ages of Buffalo's current NHL defense corps, with Rasmus Dahlin, Henri Jokiharju, Owen Power, and Mattias Samuelsson all under 23, as a positive on that front. 

But on Day 1, the Sabres stuck to their list and to their patient approach. They liked what they had to show for it. 

"Most importantly, we got good hockey players," Adams said. "That's what we were looking for."

Here are more takeaways from Day 1 in Montreal.

Savoie's Sabres connections

Savoie spoke Wednesday about his prior history with Krebs, his former teammate with the WHL's Winnipeg ICE. Savoie was an underage 15-year-old when Krebs was a veteran on the team, and the pair roomed together at times on the road. 

Adams leaned on that history while doing his due diligence on Savoie, placing a recent phone call to Krebs to inquire about his former roommate. He also called Winnipeg coach and former Sabres defenseman James Patrick, whom he worked with as assistants on Lindy Ruff's staff in Buffalo in 2011-12.

"I believe in that," Adams said. "When someone's in a locker room with someone and they know them every day in practice and they're on the road with them, that goes a long way."

Savoie led WHL rookies this past season with 90 points. NHL.com's Mike Morreale told Sabres.com that scouts have compared his style to Tampa Bay Lightning forward Brayden Point.

Adams also sees a fierce competitor. 

"Highly, highly competitive," Adams said. "High motor. For me, that's a big deal, guys that just never stop, they just keep going and going. That's what we saw when we were scouting him."

Ostlund's self-assessment

Ostlund was a high riser during his draft year, jumping from 25th on NHL Central Scouting Services' midterm list of European skaters to 18th on the final list. He spent the season primarily with the Djurgarden J20 team, tallying 42 points (9+33) in 32 games.

Ostlund was asked to describe his strengths on the ice.

"I play with great hockey IQ and my skating is one of my best assets, too," he said. "So, I would describe myself as a smart two-way centerman."

Sabres get their man in Kulich

Adams was thrilled to see Kulich available for the 28th pick, referring to his shot as one of the best his staff had seen in an 18-year-old in some time.

"Where we got him isn't where we had him ranked," Adams said. "I'll just leave it at that."

Kulich was another riser in the rankings, jumping from 22nd at midterms to 13th on NHL CSS' final list. He delivered an eye-opening performance in May at the U-18 World Championship, where he scored a tournament-high 10 goals for Czechia and was named MVP.

TSN director of scouting Craig Button was among those who felt Kulich deserved to be selected higher in the first round, comparing him to longtime NHL forward Patrik Elias in a conversation with Sabres.com last month.

"Patrk Elias, all he did was help teams win," Button said. "He did it in multiple ways. Tell me what Patrick Elias couldn't do in a game - that would be nothing. He made teams better. Whoever he played with, he made better. That's what I see in Jiri Kulich."

The deals that never happened

Adams said the Sabres spoke with teams about moving up in the first round, though a deal never materialized. 

"We talked to every team and had gone through different scenarios," he said. "But you realize that it's very rare when teams move top picks. It doesn't happen that often."

WATCH: KEVYN ADAMS FOLLOWING DAY ONE

One trade came particularly close early in the day. Sportsnet reported the Sabres and Senators agreed to a deal that would send goaltender Matt Murray to Buffalo along with a pick swap that would move the Sabres from ninth to seventh. 

The report stated that Murray exercised his no-trade clause to stop the deal. 

"I don't want to get too much into specifics," Adams said. "The reality is we worked hard on a deal, but players have the ability when it's in their contract to make those decisions. And we want players who want to be here. That's the way we believe, so we move on."