The Buffalo Sabres made a trade early on the second day of the NHL Draft, sending the 38th and 100th picks to the San Jose Sharks so they could move up and grab German forward J-J Peterka 34th overall.
The Sabres don’t have another pick today until the fifth round, 131st overall.
The 5-foot-11, 192-pound Peterka spent last season playing against men for Red Bull Munich in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL), scoring seven goals and 11 points in 42 games in Germany’s top pro circuit. He also scored four goals and six points in seven outings for Team Germany at the World Junior Championship.
Peterka, 18, moved to Salzburg EC in the Austrian League this season. So far, he has compiled two goals and three points in two outings.
“I’m a creative, offensive player who likes to make plays and also score goals, like kind of both playmaker and scorer,” Peterka said on a Zoom call this afternoon. “I think from my first pro season I got a lot of experience. especially defensive zone and also battles and playing against older men. I think I learned a lot in that season.”
Three Germans forwards – Peterka, Tim Stutzle (third overall, Ottawa Senators) and Lukas Reichel (17th, Chicago Blackhawks) – have been drafted so far this year.
Two Germans had never been selected in the first round before.
“With the draft as we see with the three Germans now, German hockey is getting better,” Peterka said.
Peterka ranked seventh among draft-eligible European skaters by NHL Central Scouting.
Update: In the fifth round, 131st overall, the Sabres have selected Matteo Costantini, a center from nearby St. Catharines, Ontario.
The 6-foot, 174-pound Costantini, 18, knows Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams well, having spent two years with the Buffalo Jr. Sabres, an organization Adams used to run.
The Ontario Junior Hockey League named Costantini its top prospect last season, when he scored 36 goals and 68 points in 50 games for the Jr. Sabres.
Costantini will play this season for the British Columbia Hockey League’s Penticton Vees before joining North Dakota in 2021-22, according to EliteProspects.com.
Update: The Sabres have re-signed goalie Jonas Johansson to a one-year contract worth $700,000.
Johansson, 25, was a restricted free agent.
The Swede played his first six NHL games last season, compiling a 1-3-1 record with a 2.94 goals-against average and an .894 save percentage.
Johansson enjoyed a terrific 2019-20 campaign with the Rochester Americans, posting a 14-4-3 mark with a 2.28 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage. He was also selected for the AHL All-Star Classic.
Update: In the seventh round, 193rd overall, the Sabres have selected Swedish defenseman Albert Lyckasen.
The 5-foot-11, 187-pound Lyckasen, 19, spent last season with the Linköping HC under-20 club, scoring 14 goals and 36 points in 43 games.
Update: In the seventh round, 216th overall, the Sabres have selected Czech forward Jakub Konecny.
The 5-foot-10, 152-pound Konecny, 18, scored 11 goals and 25 points in 32 games last season with the HC Sparta Praha under-20 team. Konecny has scored four goals and 13 points in nine outings for HC Sparta Praha this season.
Update: With the final pick of the draft, 217th overall, the Tampa Bay Lightning have selected Lake View’s Declan McDonnell, a winger with the Kitchener Rangers.
McDonnell, 18, also played for the Jr. Sabres.
Read more about McDonnell here.
Keep checking back for updates!
