BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — The Buffalo Sabres had a busy weekend at the 2021 NHL Draft which included two first round picks, nine picks on day two, and two significant trades.
Prior to the first round of the NHL Draft on Friday, the Sabres traded defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen to the Philadelphia Flyers for defenseman Robert Hagg, the 14th overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, and a 2023 second round pick.
The Sabres had the first pick of the draft and selected 6'6" Canadian defenseman Owen Power from the University of Michigan.
Power is mulling over returning to Michigan for another season.
With their second pick of the first round of the draft which they acquired from the Flyers, the Sabres selected Swedish forward Isak Rosen.
Right after the first round ended Friday night, the Sabres traded forward Sam Reinhart to the Florida Panthers for a 2022 first round pick, and goalie prospect Devon Levi.
That first round pick becomes a first round pick in 2023 if the Florida Panthers end up picking in the top 10 in 2022.
On day two of the draft, the Sabres got to work selecting Russian forwards Prokhor Poltapov and Aleksandr Kisakov in the second round.
Kisakov was taken with the draft pick the Sabres acquired in the trade that sent Taylor Hall to Boston.
The Sabres held two third round picks in the draft, selecting Russian forward Stiven Sardarian and Canadian forward Josh Bloom.
The Sabres acquired the pick to take Sardarian when the team traded Brandon Montour to Florida, and acquired the pick to take Bloom in the trade that sent Eric Staal to Montreal.
The Sabres drafted another Canadian forward, this time selecting Olivier Nadeau in the fourth round, two picks after taking Bloom.
In the fifth round, the Sabres selected Finnish forward Viljami Marjala with the pick they acquired in the Eric Staal trade.
At the top of the sixth round, the Sabres selected Swedish forward William von Barnekow-Løfberg.
Later in the sixth round, the Sabres drafted Russian defenseman Nikita Novikov with the pick the team acquired in the trade that sent Jonas Johansson to Colorado.
With their seventh round pick, the Sabres selected Canadian forward Tyson Kozak.
With the team's 11 picks, the Sabres selected nine forwards and two defensemen.
Here's a breakdown of the nationalities of the Sabres draft picks
- Canada: 4
- Russia: 4
- Sweden: 2
- Finland: 1
