Luke Osburn

Drafted: 2024, BUF (108th overall), 4th round pick

Size: 6’1″, 189 lbs

Position: Defense (shoots left)

Born:  9/9/2006 (Age: 19) Plymouth, MI

2025-2026 stats: GP 32 G 6 A 15 PTS 21, University of Wisconsin

2025 T25U25 Ranking:  Unranked

The Sabres pipeline is filled with young defensemen, and in Luke Osburn they have another one that has offensive talent, work ethic and leadership in buckets. The Badgers showed last season that they were not afraid to put the rookie on ice in key game situations, and Osburn delivered and then some. Trailing 3-1 with 4:47 remaining in the third period of the NCAA regional final, the defenseman stepped up from the point and slammed a goal home from the left circle. Just over thirty seconds later he was on the ice for the game leveler, and then again in the first shift of overtime as they scored the game winner. Wisconsin would lose to the University of Denver in the NCAA championship game, but Osburn has already shown that even at just 19 he can be relied on in pressure situations.

Osburn scored 10 goals and 41 points in 55 games with the junior Youngstown Phantoms in 2024-25, going on to become the United States Hockey League Defenseman of the Year and on the All Star Team. He then picked up six goals and 21 points in 33 games as a freshman with the Badgers, getting names to the Big 10 All-Rookie Team.

Wisconsin coach Mike Hastings has been full of praise for the youngster:

“Some people talk about 200 feet, but he’s as comfortable behind our net as he is behind theirs. Those guys are hard to find. It’s hard to put a ceiling on him because of all the intangibles being in place.”

His coaches emphasize that he still has to work on his skating, though his lateral movement has improved a lot last season. As one of the leaders on the Badgers roster, this season will go a long way towards defining what kind of player he could eventually become for the Sabres.

Wisconsin assistant coach Nick Oliver called him a rink rat:

“He’s just wired differently. From the time he wakes up until the time he goes to bed, he’s trying to find any possible way to get better. He’s one of the first ones into the rink most days, he’s one of the last ones to leave most days, and I think as the years have progressed, you’ve just seen his all-around game continue to round out because of it.”

2026 Buffalo Sabres Top 25 Under 25

#25 Simon-Pier Brunet

#24 Topias Leinonen

#23 Gavin McCarthy

#22 Luke Osburn

Gavin McCarthy

Drafted: 2023, BUF (86th overall), 3rd round, 22nd pick

Position: Defense (shoots right)

Born:  6/2/2005 (Age: 21) Troy, New York (grew up in Clarence Center)

2025-2026 stats: GP 36 G 4 A 17 PTS 21, Boston University

2025 T25U25 Ranking:  Unranked

Here we go again with another young right-shot defenseman in the organization. This one is a local kid from Clarence Center and a former Buffalo Jr. Sabre, making his path to the team a little more interesting for Sabres fans.

Gavin McCarthy is a solid 21-year-old defender coming off three seasons at Boston University. Each year, he took another step offensively, steadily increasing his production. In 2025-26, he finished with four goals and 21 points in 36 games while serving as captain of the Terriers.

McCarthy is a physical, two-way defenseman who isn’t afraid to lay a big hit and make his presence felt. He has decent size at 6’2″ and 196 pounds. While his offensive skills are certainly respectable, his two-way label leaned more toward the defensive side of the game in college. He projects as the type of D-man who can be trusted to play a sound, physical game in his own end while providing some secondary offense when the opportunity presents itself.

His skating is strong and one of his best traits. It allows him to take risks and still get back into the play.

Gavin signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Sabres on March 17th. McCarthy will continue his development with the Rochester Americans, turning pro for his first full AHL season. He did get a brief taste of the pro game last year, appearing in five games with the Amerks late in the campaign.

The Sabres will keep watch on this quality player and see if he can eventually find a place in Buffalo a few years down the road. We all know just how crowded the field is when it comes to defensive prospects in the organization, with talented young blueliners up the wazoo. For now, McCarthy should be a strong addition to Rochester, bringing his physicality and leadership qualities to the Amerks. Only time will tell if he can take the next step and prove he is truly NHL material.

2026 Buffalo Sabres Top 25 Under 25

#25 Simon-Pier Brunet

#24 Topias Leinonen

#23 Gavin McCarthy

Your question for this week is – what was the best road trip you ever took?

Topias Leinonen

Drafted: 2022 – 2^nd Round (41^st Overall)

Position: Goalie

Born: January 25^th, 2004 – 22 Years Old

2025-2026 stats: AHL – 3-3-0, 3.48 GAA, .855 SV%. ECHL: 3-1-1, 3.24 GAA, .880 SV%.

2025 T25U25 Ranking: 24

Topias Leinonen was looking to build on a solid development year in 2024-2025 and use that momentum to spur the beginning of his North American career. With a crowded crease in Rochester, it was a struggle for him to find playing time in the AHL. A lower body injury sidelined him in early December that kept him out through January. He was assigned to the Jacksonville Icemen in February where he appeared in 5 games.

The 2024-2025 season is starting to look like the outlier when it comes to Leinonen’s health. He’s struggled to stay healthy in nearly every season since being the first goalie drafted in 2022. The lack of ice time has severely limited his career development. This lack of growth is reflected in our rankings as he once again takes the 24^th spot.

If, and that’s a massive “if”, he can stay healthy, Leinonen should have the opportunity for more consistent ice time this year. There is one less goalie prospect in the organization after the trade of Devon Levi. Hopefully Leinonen can seize the opportunity and put a full season of on ice development on his resume.

Simon-Pier Brunet

Drafted: 2024, BUF (123rd overall), 4th round, 26th pick

Position: Defense (shoots right)

Born: 10/24/2005 (Age: 20) Gatineau, Quebec, CAN

2025-2026 stats: GP 54 G 2 A 24 PTS 26, QMJHL Victoriaville Tigres

2025 T25U25 Ranking:  Unranked

A few late straggler votes were enough to nudge defenseman Simon-Pier Brunet into the Buffalo Sabres’ Top 25 Under 25 rankings. Unfortunately for 2026 sixth-round pick Dylan Dumont, that meant falling off the list and into the abyss—at least until next year.

Dumont still gets a mention here, though, mostly because I had already completed his profile before the late votes came in to change things. The tardy tallies caused a bit of a shuffle in the 21-25 range of the rankings, so here is the final updated version.

By the way DBTBers, there were only 92 votes for this!? We had 117 last summer. After the great season Buffalo just had, (and with many new members here now) I expected much more partcipation. I don’t speak for the whole staff here but I’m shaking my head at the low turn out, with a frowny-faced emoji thrown in too!

So, what should you know about Simon-Pier Brunet?

Let’s start with the basics. Brunet stands 6-foot-2, weighs 204 pounds, and is currently 20 years old. During the 2025-26 season, he recorded 26 points in 54 games with the Victoriaville Tigres of the QMJHL after being traded from the Drummondville Voltigeurs. (where he had posted 32 points in 60 games the previous year—the same club the Buffalo Sabres selected him from in the 2024 NHL Draft) His offensive production is respectable for a stay-at-home blueliner, but putting up points is not what defines his game.

Brunet’s best attributes are in his own zone, particularly his ability to guard the front of the net. You can’t go through him and he is difficult to get around. He can wall off the opposition from the high-danger areas with his brawn and determination. He is also a sound skater with a good motor to his game.

After playing two more seasons in the QMJHL after his draft year, Brunet has committed to Merrimack College for the 2026 -27 season. He will thankfully have time there to work on his game more. Buffalo has an abundance of young defensemen right now, especially those of the right shot variety. His pathway to the NHL will depend not only on his develpment but how the Sabres handle their other defensive prospects.

At this juncture, it almost feels like a few other young defenders will need to fail spectacularly or be traded elsewhere to open up a lane for Simon-Pier Brunet. Or he could forge his way onto the team eventually with his solid defense and physical style of play. It might take both for that to happen.

Meanwhile, he will be one to keep an eye on. Brunet is not a top defensive prospect in the Sabres’ deep system but he could be a top underdog.

2026 Buffalo Sabres Top 25 Under 25

#25 Simon-Pier Brunet

Thanks to all 92 people who responded to Die By The Blade’s annual voting for the Buffalo Sabres’ Top 25 Under 25 list. Before we get into the list, let’s take a moment for the honorable mentions – aka, the players who didn’t make the top 25.

There were 42 eligible players this year. Several players on last year’s top 25 list aged out while others are no longer with the organization.

Let’s kick things off with a few players who just missed the cut for making the top 25. The scoring in the lower ranks is very close, and in some cases flawed too since a number of voters only ranked their top 10-20 players, and left the remainder of the names in the alphabetical order they were originally placed in. This means by default a Simon-Pier Brunet got more voting points than a Vasily Zelenov, whether or not one is better than the other.

30. Scott Ratzlaff (G)

The goaltender will turn 21 in a month, and sees himself drop from 25th to 30th not because of waning performance, but more so the quality of prospects in the Sabres’ stable. Ratzlaff went 15GP, 3.10 GAA, .913 sv% and a 5-7-2 record for the Jacksonville Icemen in the ECHL, and 13GP, 3.44 GAA, .878 sv% and a 4-6-2 record for the Rochester Americans.

29. Jake Richard (RW/LW)

The forward was drafted 170th overall by the Sabres in 2022, but after a breakthrough second season for Connecticut with 43 points and 16 PIM in 34 games, his performance dipped with 10G and 17A in 38 games, while racking up 42 PIM. He was in the honorable mentions last summer too. UConn lost to the Spartans (and their two Sabres, see below) in the first round of the playoffs, with Richard accumulating eight shots out of his team’s 42 in the 2-1 loss.

28. Patrick Geary (D)

St. Francis grad Geary was drafted 172nd in 2024, and had a solid year at Michigan State University, where he wore the ‘A’ on his sweater. He had 2G and 9A in 35 games, with 70 PIM on the blue line leading MSU to the #3 seeding along with fellow Sabre blueliner prospect Maxim Strbak. Geary even scored in the regional final where they lost to Wisconsin, he’s definitely one to watch.

27. Dylan Dumont (RW)

The 2026 188th pick is an intriguing prospect, scoring 28G and 16A in 62 games in the QMJHL. A scoring winger who attacks the center of the ice, Dumont was his team’s leading goal scorer last year. Drummondville coach Sylvain Favreau spoke in glowing terms of the youngster who turns 18 in a couple of weeks, saying he scored many of those goals off the rush and in front of the net by utilizing his best assets, his skating and soft hands.

26. Zac Funk (LW/RW)

The Sabres acquired the forward in an ECHL trade this summer, sending Tyler Kopf to Washington for him. Funk, 22, scored 19 points (9+10) in 23 games last season with the ECHL’s South Carolina Stingrays. He also had two assists in 10 contests with Washington’s AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears. The 6-foot-0, 210-pound winger has split his two professional campaigns between the ECHL and AHL after signing with Washington as an undrafted free agent at the end of the 2023-24 season, having led the WHL with 67 goals that year in 68 games for the Prince George Cougars.

Stay tuned as we break into the top 25 in a couple of days!

A summer-y question for you this week – beach, mountains, or staying cool inside?

It may be the middle of summer but some of us think about hockey 24-7, 365 days a year. I’ve been hitting the tube of You lately and thought I’d share some good Buffalo Sabres related videos. You can check out the new Spider-Man movie later.

This first one is an outsider’s perspective on our top prospects. He may not be as knowledgeable as some in the inner circle of Sabrehood but he offers a solid perspective with good presentation.

I posted this next video in the Weekly Open Thread yesterday already but if you skipped it, this is your second chance. It’s a good look at Prokhor Poltapov and his chances of making the team next season right out of the KHL.

Next up we get the Locked on Sabres podcast talking about Jiri Kulich and his potential this season. Will he bounce back from his blood-clot and be a solid Center for this team? His goal scoring has been pretty good but his playmaking needs to improve.

Lastly, we have a movie length “Best Moments” video of the Sabres 2025-26 season. Pop your popcorn for this one and enjoy the highlights.

Reminder, we are just 62 days away from the Buffalo Sabres opening game on the road in Columbus.

I doubt GMJK is sitting on his hands at this point but it sure does feel like it. The fans never got that big trade that seemed to be looming before the draft. We are now in the slowest point of the NHL’s year but trades still go down occasionally. Sabres rumors have died down too, even though a few have the team linked to kicking the tires on Kirill Marchenko of the Blue Jackets. He would be a huge addition to the team and an instant Alex Tuch replacement. He would also be costly. I’m guessing at least three good assets, with one of the young trio of forwards being involved, surely.

The calendar is about to flip to August and we all know what that means, Blue and Gold fans. That’s right, the friggin’ rent or mortgage is almost due and the monthy bills follow soon after. Were you expecting a formal invite to the Buffalo Sabres’ team BBQ?

We are trying out a new voting platform so please drop us any feedback here on how this goes. We’ll keep this open for a week, so please go ahead and do this sooner than later.

CLICK HERE TO VOTE (Deadline – EOD Sunday 8/2)

Here is the full list of players under the age of 25 in the Buffalo Sabres system.