The Buffalo Sabres have been considered to have one of the deepest prospect pools in the NHL, which is in part due to them selecting high in recent drafts because of their not qualifying for the playoffs. The Sabres have displayed an eye for talent, but the organization’s developmental model has not yielded enough results.
Leading up to the opening of training camp in mid-September, we will look at the club's top 40 prospects. All are 25 years old or younger, whose rights are currently held by the Sabres or are on AHL or NHL deals, and have played less than 40 NHL games.
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#28 - Ryerson Leenders - G (Brantford - OHL)
Leenders was the Sabres final selection at the 2024 NHL Draft in Las Vegas in the seventh round (219th overall). A slightly above-average goalie at 6’2”, 179 lb., the 19-year-old has played two seasons with the Mississauga Steelheads, splitting duties in 2022-23 as a 16-year-old and serving as the primary starter last season, going 24-17-4, with a 3.12 GAA, and .909 save % in his draft year. Last season, Leenders became the primary starter for the franchise which moved to Brantford and finished the regular season with a 31-14-3 record, 3.11 GAA, and .910 save %, and playing eight of their 11 games in the OHL playoffs.
Hockey Prospect’s Black Book said “Leenders presents a wider set stance and butterfly to the ice, which makes him considerably bigger looking than (Kings prospect Carter) George at times, despite them having similarly listed heights. He has better kicking reflexes than George, and we think he’s actually just as good, if not better, at reactionary positional saves in tight to the net.”
Buffalo will have to make a decision to sign Leenders before next June on whether to offer him a pro contract, but the Sabres have young goaltenders at the NHL level in Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Alex Lyon, both Devon Levi and Scott Ratzlaff in Rochester, Topias Leinonen in Sweden, and a pair of 2025 draft picks in Samuel Meloche and Yevgeni Prokhorov, so the path looks to be crowded.
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