It happens every year or so. One of the Buffalo Sabres’ unheralded mid- or late-round draft picks quickly grabs some attention. Maybe a YouTube sizzle reel builds a little hype. Other times his exploits in training or development camp can raise expectations.
“Who the heck is this guy?” fans might ask.
Matej Pekar’s aggressive antics just days after the Sabres drafted him in 2018 – he hit Casey Mittelstadt, Buffalo’s top forward prospect at the time, in the head during a scrimmage, then pestered him so much they nearly fought – showcased his agitating, sandpaper style.
The Czech forward established himself as a prospect to watch. He earned his entry-level contract that fall and played in an exhibition game for the Sabres the next season before they sent him back to the Ontario Hockey League.
It sure felt like he would play real NHL contests someday.
But Pekar, a fourth-round pick, 99th overall, battled injuries – he underwent surgery on both shoulders in 2022 – and played sparingly after he joined the Rochester Americans in 2020-21. During his healthy stints, he struggled to find a role and adapt to the AHL, and the Sabres assigned him to the ECHL.
He mustered just four goals and 16 points in 86 games over three seasons with Rochester. After the Sabres did not give him a qualifying offer last year, he spent the season playing for the Hartford Wolf Pack and Cincinnati Cyclones, the New York Rangers’ ECHL affiliate, on an AHL contract.
In the upcoming season, Pekar, 24, will play at home for HC Litvinov in the Czech Extraliga, according to EliteProspects.com.
Ever wonder where some of those former Sabres prospects who caught your eye a few years ago are playing now? Some updates are below.
– Winger Filip Cederqvist, who spent a season and a half with the Amerks, has returned home to the Swedish Hockey League to play for Frolunda HC. He spent four seasons in the SHL before coming to North America in 2021.
The Sabres traded the 23-year-old to the Montreal Canadiens in January, and he finished the season playing for the Laval Rocket.
Cederqvist, who sometimes utilized his 6-foot-3 frame around the net to score with with Rochester, compiled 10 goals and 24 points in 74 games for the Amerks.
Buffalo’s previous regime drafted him in the fifth round in 2019, 143rd overall.
– Defenseman Oskari Laaksonen made an immediate impact in Rochester, recording a team-high 15 assists in 28 games as a rookie in 2020-21 and earning a spot on the AHL North Division All-Star Team.
But by the end of his second season, as he sat out most of Rochester’s run in the Calder Cup Playoffs as a healthy scratch, the Finn’s future in the organization looked iffy. He was too much of a one-dimensional offensive presence for the Sabres.
They traded Laaksonen, 25, to the Dallas Stars in 2022-23, and he spent last season playing for Lulea HF in the SHL.
Buffalo’s previous regime drafted him in the third round in 2017, 89th overall.
– For three years, it appeared it was only a matter of when, not if, defenseman Brendan Guhle joined Buffalo’s blue line for good.
After the Sabres drafted him in the second round in 2015, 51st overall – OK, he wasn’t a mid- or late-round pick – he nearly cracked the NHL out of training camp barely two months after his 18th birthday. When they needed help in 2016-17, they recalled their top defense prospect from junior for three games.
Guhle, however, made just 20 more appearance for the Sabres before they dealt him to the Anaheim Ducks in 2018-19. He battled injuries and spent most of the next three seasons in the minors before landing in Germany in 2022-23.
After playing just six games with the Berlin Polar Bears in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga, Guhle retired because of personal reasons at just 25.
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— Nick Sabato (@NickSabatoGNN) August 13, 2024