BUFFALO – After Noah Ostlund scored in his sixth straight game, an empty-net goal that sealed another win and the Rochester Americans’ spot in the Calder Cup Playoffs, coach Mike Leone stood in front of his team and told them the Sabres prospect would be going to the NHL.
Teammates hooted and hollered. Someone shouted, “It’s about time!”
“Everyone got excited,” Ostlund said of learning the Sabres would recall him for the first time. “And me too.”
The Swedish center, 21, can’t remember much about the special moment after Wednesday’s 4-2 victory over the Springfield Thunderbirds – he joked he blacked out – although said he felt “just happiness.”
“It was super cool,” Ostlund said following Friday’s practice in LECOM Harborcenter.
Ostlund, the 16th overall pick in 2022, is expected to make his NHL debut tonight against the Tampa Bay Lightning at KeyBank Center, the start of a three-game home stand.
He pivoted the fourth line between Beck Malenstyn and Sam Lafferty and also took reps on the second power-play unit in front of the net during Friday’s practice.
Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said he wants to keep his other combinations intact, so he put the newcomer on the fourth line. Ruff said he could be moved to a scoring trio if an opportunity materializes after a power play or penalty kill.
Having compiled nine goals and 14 points in 11 games last month, including his first hat trick, it felt like only a matter of time before Ostlund would earn his first trip to the NHL. The AHL recently named him its Player of the Week and Rookie of the Month.
With Sabres center Tyson Kozak sidelined week to week with a hip strain, according to Ruff, a spot opened up to officially recall him Friday.
“Nothing but good – the way he’s played, the way he’s defended, how well he’s operated with the puck,” Ruff said of the reports he has heard about Ostlund. “He’s put together a real good year down there.”
Ruff said Ostlund is “a player finding his path.”
“He feels comfortable down there, and it’s a hard league to play in,” he said. “He’s progressed and he’s push himself to where he’s become one of the top players down there.”
The 5-foot-11, 171-pound Ostlund has developed into arguably the Sabres’ top prospect.
Ruff said the youngster’s hockey IQ has caught his attention.
“If you’re going to be a young guy and play center, you’ve got to be able to figure the game out in your own end, and I think he’s got that, and that’s an important part,” he said.
Ostlund’s first full season in North America can be divided into two parts: pre- and post-hand injury. Following a standout training camp, he joined Rochester and recorded one point, a goal, in his first six games before getting injured Oct. 26 and undergoing surgery.
He struggled to score following a 21-game absence. Finally, on Jan. 10, in his seventh outing after returning to the lineup, he registered his first point, an assist. He has been on a tear since then, scoring 18 goals and 34 points in his last 32 games.
“I think I’ve just found my game a little bit more,” he said. “I think I’ve been playing more with the puck and creating more every shift.”
Naturally, Ostlund needed time to adapt to a different style of play in the AHL. He spent last season with the Swedish Hockey League’s Vaxjo HC, compiling 12 goals and 23 points in 38 contests. He joined Rochester late in the regular season, playing five total games and scoring his first goal in the playoffs.
Long before he heated up offensively, Leone lauded his all-around play and expressed confidence he would start scoring.
Ostlund, who was drafted with the first-rounder the Vegas Golden Knights sent in the Jack Eichel trade, has never enjoyed a scoring run quite like the last three months.
“No, I don’t think so,” he said. “Maybe when I was 12 years old.”
And one more thing… https://t.co/BB5vHJTdmR pic.twitter.com/U0XaPFhZz0
— X-Rochester Americans (@AmerksHockey) April 4, 2025