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The Buffalo Sabres have had limited success in the draft, short of their top overall picks in Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power, and 2022 first rounder Jiri Kulich. Isak Rosen and Noah Ostlund have had success in the AHL but have not been able to break through with the Sabres, Matthew Savoie was traded in the deal to obtain Ryan McLeod, Zach Benson is just beginning to emerge in his third NHL season, and 2024 and 2025 top picks Konsta Helenius and Radim Mrtka are early in their pro careers with Rochester. 

Other than seventh-round pick Tyson Kozak, no player selected after the first round since 2021 has played an NHL game. The Sabres have a number of promising prospects, but University of Connecticut junior Jake Richard is someone who is flying under the radar but cannot be underestimated as apro prospect. 

The Jacksonville, FL, native was drafted in the sixth round in 2021, and has made impressions at the prospect tournaments and summer development camps the last few seasons with his scoring prowess. In his freshman season with the Huskies, Richard had 18 points (7 goals, 11 assists) in 36 games, but as a sophomore he more than doubled his offensive output, averaging over a point per game (15 goals, 28 assists) in 34 games.

Richard was ranked #85 in the Hockey News Top 100 NCAA players to watch and has three assists in four games this season. If he has another good year with the Huskies, the Sabres will need to get the young forward under contract, otherwise they risk him becoming an unrestricted free agent after his senior season.  

Here are how the rest of the 2022 Draft class is doing:

Gustav Karlsson – C – 187th overall

Selected in the sixth round in 2022, Karlsson split time between the junior level and SHL in 2023, but last season played in the third-tier HockeyEttan pro league for Vimmerby HC and had 13 points (5 goals, 8 assists) in 31 games.

The Sabres do not have any clock ticking on signing a European prospect like Karlsson, but would like to see some signs of progress over the next couple years. Last season, with another HockeyEttan club (Falu IF), the 21-year-old started out slow, but finished with 14 points (7 goals, 7 assists) in 32 games and three points in the qualification round. This season with Lindlovens IF, he has a goal and two assists in five games. 

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Joel Ratkovic Berndtsson – LW – 202nd overall

A late-round overager out of Sweden, the 22-year-old has shifted from the second-level Finnish Mestis league and back to the third-level HockeyEttan league in Sweden the last two seasons. Last season, with another HockeyEttan club (Vasterviks IF), JRB has 29 points (16 goals, 13 assists) in 28 games, and was loaned to the second-level Tingsryds AIF club, where he has one assist in 14 regular season and relegation games.

This season he has returned to HockeyEttan with Karlskrona HK, and has one assist in seven games. 

Linus Sjodin – RW – 211st overall

Sjodin was selected as an overager after playing most of 2022 in the SHL. and has played the last two seasons with Rogle, and in 103 games has just 13 points (4 goals, 9 assists), but this season has started out with four points in eight SHL games. 

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