Buffalo Sabres prospect Noah Ostlund has decided to play in Sweden for another year.
Ostlund, the 16th overall pick in 2022, will be spending the 2023-24 season with Swedish Hockey League’s Vaxjo Lakers, the team announced Monday.
The center played 11 games in the SHL in 2021-22 with his former team, Djurgardens, before it was relegated to HockeyAllsvenskan, a second-division league.
Ostlund, 19, joined the Rochester Americans for about two weeks last month to get a feel for the organization and the AHL. He was still recovering from a foot injury he suffered with Djurgardens, so he only practiced during the Calder Cup Playoffs.
The youngster signed his entry-level NHL contract last year.
The 5-foot-11, 163-pound Ostlund scored eight goals and 26 points in 37 games with Djurgardens in 2022-23. He registered zero points during his short run in the SHL.
