As usual, the Sabres didn’t do anything flashy at the Draft in Newark. Buffalo general manager Darcy Regier used both his first round picks on defensemen. However, he did make a smart move in the second round moving Andrej Sekera to the Hurricanes for Jamie McBain and a second round pick.  

With the eighth overall pick, he chose Finnish defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen. The 18-year old is listed at 6-3, 201 and brings a potent shot along with physicality. At the 2013 World Junior Championships, he posted two goals and four assists with 20 penalty minutes. Solid numbers that helped him finish fourth among European skaters trailing only Aleksander Barkov, Valeri Nichuskin and Elias Lindholm. The highest rated Euro blueliner should be a big part of revamping Buffalo’s back end in the future. In 52 games with TPS in Finland, Ristolainen registered three goals and 12 assists with 32 PIM. His favorite player is Milan Lucic. He’ll likely see a lot of him when the Sabres and Bruins get together. 

Eight picks later, Regier stuck with the theme selecting 6-5, 221-pound Russian defenseman Nikita Zadorov at number 16. Ironically, he wears No.16 honoring former Russian star Oleg Petrov. A strong rookie season in the Ontario Hockey League for the London Knights propelled him from 30th at midterm rankings to 22nd among North American skaters. His 25 points (6-19-25) were second among OHL rookie defensemen and his plus-33 rating paced all freshmen.A fan of Megan Fox, his favorite NHLer is Erik Karlsson. Not a bad role model. Zadorov tallied six points (2-4-6) and racked up 36 PIM as the Knights won the OHL championship. He also was part of Russia’s 2012 U17 gold medal roster posting three helpers. 

The Sabres already had two second round picks. Regier must’ve figured why not one more when he dealt Sekera to Carolina for McBain and the Canes’ No.35 and selected American forward J.T. Compher from the USA U-18 of the United States Hockey League. Though his final North American ranking dropped to 34th, he ranked second in scoring for Team USA with seven points (3-4-7) at the 2013 U-18 Championship. They took silver. In 49 games with USA U-18, the six foot, 165-pound left wing had 15 goals and 27 assists totaling 42 points plus 45 PIM. The previous year, he went 8-5-13 in 18 games after being called up from the U-17 with an identical stat line (15-27-42) in 40 GP. Compher is from Northbrook, Illinois and grew up a Chicago Blackhawks fan. His favorite player is Jonathan Toews. He must’ve been ecstatic after their Cup. Hopefully, he’ll provide a similar role in Western New York. He’ll attend the University Of Michigan this Fall.

Buffalo also grabbed a pair of forwards in center Connor Hurley (38th) and right wing Justin Bailey (52nd). Hurley was the youngest player selected in the Draft. He’s a 6-1, 172-pound center from Eagan Minnesota who doesn’t turn 17 until September 15. Bailey played three years of high-school in Minnesota including the last two with Edina High. In 25 games, he tallied 43 points (15-28-43). He also played 11 games for the Muskegon Lumberjacks (USHL) registering a goal and seven assists. His final ranking was 45th. Seven behind Bailey. But the Sabres must have valued the Notre Dame bound Hurley. 

In a bit of a homecoming, Bailey was taken by the team he idolized. Listed at 6-3, 186, the Williamsville New York native celebrated his 18th birthday today as a Sabre. The son of former Bills linebacker Carlton Bailey lived in the same condo as former Sabre favorites Mike Peca, Matthew Barnaby and Rob Ray. In his rookie season with the Kitchener Rangers (OHL), he registered 17 goals and 19 helpers along with 34 PIM. Bailey’s plus-22 ranked second best among rookies. His favorite players are Eric and Jordan Staal. The right wing sounds like he has power forward potential. He’ll get to play for his hometown team.