ORCHARD PARK – The Buffalo Sabres this afternoon selected right-shot defenseman David Bedkowski in the third round, 71st overall, in the NHL Draft.
“Looking at myself with these colors, the Blue and Gold, it’s truly an out-of-body experience for me,” Bedkowski, proudly sporting a Sabres jersey, said on a Zoom call from Los Angeles. I’m super excited to be going to Buffalo
The 6-foot-5, 221-pound Bedkowski compiled three goals, seven points and 73 penalty minutes in 35 games last season with the Ontario Hockey League’s Owen Sound Attack.
He said he’s a “heart and soul guy, loyal to the soil.”
“Just compete is the name of the game for me,” he said. “Sacrificing, blocking shots, whatever it is, whatever it takes. That’s what I am: a big, physical, hard defenseman. Shutting down the opposition, opposing teams’ top forwards. Trying to get back on pucks, transport pucks efficiently.
“And any offense for me is really just a bonus.”
Bedkowski, 18, began the season with the Oshawa Generals, going pointless in two outings.
NHL Central Scouting ranked him 62nd among North American skaters.
Update: The Sabres have selected center Matous Kucharcik in the fourth round, 103rd overall.
Central Scouting ranked the 6-foot-4, 180-pound Kucharcik 15th among European skaters.
The Czech, 18, scored one goal and four points in 20 games last season for HC Slavia Praha, a pro team. He also registered six goals and 16 points in 25 games for Praha’s junior team.
Kucharcik, who was born in Italy, represented Czechia at the World Junior Championship last season.
Update: The Sabres have selected goalie Samuel Meloche in the fourth round, 116th overall.
Central Scouting ranked the 6-foot-2, 190-pound seventh among North American goalies.
Meloche, 17, compiled a 30-14-6 record with a 2.90 goals-against average, a .900 save percentage and five shutouts in 51 games last season for the Quebec Maritime Junior Hockey League’s Rouyn-Noranda Huskies.
Update: The Sabres have selected left-shot defenseman Noah Laberge in the fifth round, 135th overall.
“I’m more of a two-way D-man,” Laberge said on a Zoom call from Los Angeles. “I have a lot of great skating abilities, so I can skate with the puck and I can be offensive when the time is right. And defensively, I have a really good stick.”
Central Scouting ranked the 6-foot, 187-pound Laberge 85th among North American skaters.
Laberge, 18, compiled 12 goals, 35 points and 50 penalty minutes in 63 games last season with the QMJHL’s Acadie-Bathurst Titan.
Update: The Sabres have selected center Ashton Schultz in the sixth round, 167th overall.
Central Scouting ranked the 5-foot-11, 180-pound Schultz 83rd among North American skaters.
Schultz, 18, compiled 14 goals, 39 points and 10 penalty minutes last season for the junior United States Hockey League’s Chicago Steel.
Update: The Sabres have selected winger Melvin Novotny in the seventh round, 195th overall.
Central Scouting ranked the 6-foot-1, 187-pound Swede 41st among European skaters.
Novotny, 18, spent most of last season with Leksands IF’s junior team, recording 12 goals, 38 points and 37 penalty minutes in 41 games.
He also played on Team Sweden’s World Junior Championship squad.
Update: The Sabres have taken goalie Yevgeni Prokhorov in the seventh round, 199th overall.
The 6-foot-3, 192-pound Belarusian wasn’t ranked by Central Scouting.
Prokhorov, 18, compiled a 16-7-3 record with a 2.19 goals-against average, a .903 save percentage and four shutouts in 28 games for the junior MHL’s Dinamo-Shinnik Bobruysk last season.
Update: The Sabres have selected forward Ryan Rucinski in the seventh round, 219t overall.
The 5-foot-10, 176-pound Rucinski ranked 204th among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting.
Rucinski registered 19 goals, 42 points and 48 penalty minutes in 49 games for the USHL’s Youngstown Phantoms last season.
Check back for updates all day!