Kris Baker of sabresprospects.com has spent years covering the CHL and other prospect circuits in hockey.
He has a depth of knowledge and a keen eye. That's why he's been a go-to guy on WGR when it comes to the Sabres prospects and the draft.
He has earned every minute of media time he gets and continues to earn more with each passing month.
You can here him on WGR this afternoon from 3-6 pm, along with host Kevin Sylvester, live from the F'N Center covering the draft for Sabresnation.
His 1st-round mock draft for Sabres.com can be found here and his comprehensive draft preview can be found here.
If you haven't been to either yet, you can spend the next couple of hours prepping yourself for today's draft.
That being said, while going through his preview and mocks, along with traipsing through TSN, the Hockey News, and other hockey sights and while tapping into both ISS and Central Scouting, I've managed to come up with some favorites for the first three rounds of the draft today.
The Sabres do not have a 4th round pick today, and even if they did, any picks from that round and below are way out of my range anyway.
Buffalo heads into the draft today with the 8th and 16th in the first round, the 38th and 52nd in the second and the 69th in the third.
So...here we go.
--1st-round, 8th overall
Bo Horvat, C--Most have center Elias Lindholm slotted here, but I think he'll be gone. And even if he was still available I still like Horvat better. Horvat has been plying his trade on a smaller American rink with some mean S.O.B.'s ready to take his head off as he positions himself around the net. Lindholm has been overseas with a larger rink and facing different, less aggressive competition. Speaking of positioning, Horvat has a strong lower-body and it seems as if he positions his body perfectly for every situation he's in. He's great on his skates, moves with a sense of purpose with or without the puck, and seems to be able to find that small opening in high traffic. And he can finish too. I see a lot of two-way, Chris Drury in him. And he's a winner. Fits owner Terry Pegula's dictate to a "t": "I want not only statistically good players, but winners, gritty players."
--1st-round, 16th overall
Adam Erne, LW--Most mocks have the Sabres taking at least one defenseman in the first round. Their organizational depth up-front needs much more attention that defense, even with the loss of Robyn Regehr, Jordan Leopold and TJ Brennan. They need forwards. They need big, strong forwards. They need attitude. The Sabres could go a multitude of ways at No. 16 and have a multitude of postions and styles to choose from. Erne has size, he can finish, he can hit, he can be aggressive. As a possible top-six winger, one could see any center loving the tenacity and cornerwork of Erne and Marcus Foligno.
--2nd round, 38th overall
Justin Bailey, RW--At 6'3" 185 lbs. Bailey has projectable powerforward size. He will be a bit of a project as he grows into his frame, but as of right now he can skate real well and seems to be quickly grasping the nuances of the game. As of right now he has incredible puck control, can really weave through traffic and can really finish. Baker continually stresses that scouting departments need to project two to three years out. If Bailey can puts in the work, that determination along with his skills will make for a helluva powerforward.
--2nd round, 52nd overall
Oliver Bjorkstrand, RW--I don't care if he's on the smallish side at 5'11" 165 lbs. I don't care if he's from Denmark either. What I do care about is his incredibly quick and accurate release. I care about how he looks/plays much bigger on the ice. I care about how he slickly moves through traffic, can bang along the boards and isn't affraid of hitting or being hit. Yes, the Sabres have some "smaller" players on the team and have the "smaller" Daniell Catenacci in the system. Bjorkstrand is in that vein, but he has mad skills, tenacity and a scoring touch. There's no reason why he can't spend the next few years slowly developing in the Sabres system.
--3rd round, 69th overall
Ryan Kujawinski, C--Bust out the pierogis and keilbasa. At 6'2", 205 lbs. Kujawinski certainly doesn't need to visit the Polish Villa. For a guy his size he's real strong on his skates, has some quickness and some speed. He's nimble enough to weave through traffic, has a nose for the net, likes it around the net, can find the puck at his feet in tight quarters and can finish. He has a quick, accurate release as well.
Much thanks to Baker for his work on the draft and for his videos as well.
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