Buffalo Sabres 2015 Draft Class Better Than Expected?

Buffalo Sabres 2015 Draft Class Better Than Expected?

The Buffalo Sabres came out of the 2015 NHL Draft as a winner after they selected Jack Eichel with the 2nd overall pick that night. His rookie season has been satisfying for Sabres fans who sat through the last two seasons of crap hockey. 

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The moves made the day after the first round; however, have been paying off at the moment. The investments of Brendan Guhle, Will Borgen, and Giorgio Estephan are looking like they could help the NHL team in the future. The group’s point production and continuing maturity are very encouraging.

Beginning with the player taken with the team’s immediate pick after Eichel, Brendan Guhle started his case as a steal in the draft during this year’s preseason. Guhle was spending most of his time with Mark Pysyk and Jake McCabe and making his presence felt.

Many thought he was in contention for a regular season tryout due to multiple injuries on the blueline for the Sabres. That is until Guhle was injured himself after he was leveled with an open-ice hit by Leafs defenseman Dion Phaneuf. After he recovered from his injury, Guhle was returned to his WHL team, the Prince Albert Raiders.

In the week he returned to junior hockey he played on another level. He recorded four assists in his first two games back and made very smart plays at the point as well as in his own zone.

Since then he has toned down quite a bit, but he fluid skating and stride have not taken a hit whatsoever. Creating rushes into the offensive zone, chasing pucks and the opposition back in his own end, and neutral zone transitions all look so simple and easy for him. Guhle’s skating is miles ahead of most opponents and many WHL broadcasters have been quick to point out how close he is to reaching the NHL level.

Out of all Sabres prospects selected in 2015, Guhle has the closest chance making the NHL roster. That does not mean he has been the most valuable player for his junior or collegiate team among Buffalo ’15 draftees.

The Lethbridge Hurricanes are in first place in the Western Hockey League as of this moment. Brayden Burke leads the league in scoring with 75 points. They have 4 players in the top fifteen in league scoring, one of whom is a rookie in Egor Babenko (58 points). Their starting goaltender Stuart Skinner, is tied for first in the league in save percentage and is fourth in goals-against average.

Flying under the radar in all of this is Buffalo Sabres 2015 6th round draft pick Giorgio Estephan. Estephan did not have as strong of a development camp as Brendan Guhle, but he has been cloud nine since returning to Lethbridge for his third season with the team.

Estephan is 8th in league scoring with 27 goals and 36 assists in 50 games played. He has put together a couple of mighty fine streaks during this great season. He amassed 6 game goal streak and just recently snapped his 14 point streak.

His dynamic style of play makes for a very fun game to watch when he is on the ice. After multiple viewings, his performance in the offensive zone is rather impressive. He makes space for himself and pulls off plays that one would not think he could make.

Estephan’s frame is decent but is skating can get a lot better. His lack of flash during development camp was also a concern. Many players have been known to put together incredible point-producing seasons, then fall to the depths of the ECHL and never make it out. A recent name that immediately comes to mind is former Spokane Chief, Mitch Holmberg. Holmberg had an 118 point season during the 2013-2014 term. He went undrafted then spent most of his time with the Sabres ECHL affiliate, Elmira Jackels. Holmberg is now playing in MOL Liga in Hungary.

Estephan can score all the points he wants to, but his two-way play and skating needs to get much better before he can make a real impact. One or two seasons in the AHL will be a gauge for his future.

Guhle and Estephan have made great strides in junior, but the one 2015 draftee that has made an impression on a national level. Will Borgen logged heavy minutes in the 2016 World Junior Championship and left Sabres fans wanting more.

Borgen was a fourth-round pick last year but played like a solid second round selection this past December and January in Finland.

Borgen showcased his strong defensive play at the World Juniors and has been playing with that same impact at St. Cloud State this year. He recorded three assists in 7 games played and his passing through the neutral zone was decent. Borgen’s skating was surprisingly well when comparing the pace of play of college and international play too.

Borgen started off the year hot at St. Cloud with nine assists in 18 games but has not recorded a point in the past 6 games. However, his defensive play still remains very good and his physical play is noteworthy. The next three years at St. Cloud State will be used to get more aggressive, work on his zone coverage, and work on his offensive zone play as well.

Devante Stephens of the Kelowna Rockets in the WHL was taken in between Borgen and Estephan at the 2015 draft. At the time, Stephens was a prospect that was well liked by scouts and showed some potential in his draft year. His current season hasn’t exactly worked out for him; however,  the Sabres could have felt one would miss so they selected multiple defensemen in the draft.

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It is obvious that it is unknown if any of these players will pan out or even make it close to seeing NHL ice. The seasons they are having now are very promising and look well for the future, but anything could happen. At least Eichel is crushing it in the NHL right now.