BUFFALO – The Sabres drafted Russian winger Prokhor Poltapov with the first pick of the second round, 33rd overall, this morning at the NHL Draft.
The 5-foot-11, 174-pound Poltapov, 18, recorded 25 goals and 52 points in 61 games last season with Krasnaya Armiya Moskva, a junior team in the MHL. Poltapov also registered two goals and seven points in seven contests for Team Russia at the World Under-18 Hockey Championship.
He also played one game for CSKA Moskva in the KHL, Russia’s top league.
Poltapov is the first Russian the Sabres have drafted since forward Vasily Glotov in the seventh round in 2016.
Update: The Sabres have drafted Russian winger Aleksandr Kisakov in the second round, 53rd overall.
The 5-foot-10, 150-pound Kisakov, 18, ranked seventh on NHL Central Scouting’s final list of 2021 European skaters. He scored 36 goals and 73 points in 61 games last season with MHK Dynamo Moskva, another MHL team. He added five goals and 10 points in 14 outings as Dynamo captured the championship.
Update: The Sabres have drafted another Russian, forward Stiven Sardarian, in the third round, 88th overall.
The 6-foot-1, 154-pound Sardarian, 18, compiled nine goals and 30 points in 50 games last season for Krasnaya Armiya Moskva, an MHL team. He plans to play college hockey at New Hampshire starting in 2022-23, according to eliteprospects.com.
Update: The Sabres have drafted winger Josh Bloom in the fourth round, 95th overall.
The 6-foot-2, 183-pound Bloom, who’s property of the Saginaw Spirit, did not play last season because the COVID-19 pandemic forced the Ontario Hockey League to cancel its season. Bloom compiled six goals and 14 points in 54 games in 2019-20.
Update: The Sabres have drafted winger Olivier Nadeau in the fourth round, 97th overall.
The 6-foot-2, 205-pound Nadeau scored 13 goals and 45 points in 34 games last season with the Shawinigan Cataractes in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
“I think I’m a power forward with a great hockey sense, work on both ways of the ice, I like to bring energy in the game,” Nadeau said on a Zoom call this afternoon. “I have good IQ, too.”
Update: The Sabres have drafted Finnish winger Viljami Marjala in the fifth round, 159th overall.
The 5-foot-11, 154-pound Marjala, 18, compiled five goals and 27 points in 30 games last season with the Quebec Remparts in the QMJHL.
Update: The Sabres have drafted Swedish winger William von Barnekow Lofberg in the fifth round, 161st overall.
The 6-foot-4, 190-pound von Barnekow Lofberg, 18, recorded nine goals and 22 points in 26 games last season with Tyringe SoSS, a third-tier Swedish team. He also played two games for the Malmo Redhawks in the Swedish Hockey League and registered seven goals and 21 points in 18 games for Malmo’s Under-20 junior team.
Update: The Sabres have drafted Russian defenseman Nikita Novikov in the sixth round, 188th overall.
The 6-foot-4, 207-pound Novikov, 17, compiled four goals and 14 points in 52 games last season with MHK Dynamo Moskva. He also recorded five assists in seven appearances for Team Russia at the World Under-18 Hockey Championship.
Update: With their final pick, the Sabres have drafted center Tyson Kozak in the seventh round, 193rd overall.
The 5-foot-11, 161-pound Kozak, 18, compiled three goals and 11 points in 18 games with the Portland Winterhawks, a Western Hockey League team.
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Shocked they still haven’t drafted a goalie and a big forward. Then again, they have more holes to fill than swiss cheese.
Small not the way to go here. Looks like Darcy all over again.