Prospects Notebook | Ostlund looks to build upon defensive foundation

Forward Noah Ostlund is ready to build upon his brief 2024-25 NHL debut, which saw him finish the regular season with the Buffalo Sabres after injuries created an opening in the lineup.

Following that and the AHL’s Calder Cup Playoffs, he then returned home to Stockholm, Sweden, to train with a group of fellow countrymen for a second straight summer. What did the 21-year-old learn from his time on and off the ice with a group including Swedish stars William Nylander and Jesper Bratt?

“Just to be professional all day,” Ostlund told Sabres.com. “They are top players in the NHL, a spot where I want to be one day. So, just look at them as much as possible.”

The 2022 first-round pick aims to carve out that spot for himself in Buffalo’s lineup, and that work begins this week with rookie camp and the 2025 Prospects Challenge.

"To do my best, make a good impression on all the coaches and all the staff and play my best hockey," he said of his rookie-camp goals. "It’s gonna be tough days, but I want to make an impact on every day."

• Prospects Challenge | Sabres’ roster and how to watch

Though without a point in his eight NHL games, Ostlund posted strong on-ice possession numbers in a fourth-line role and earned the coaching staff’s trust with his reliable defensive presence.

“They were happy,” Ostlund said of the feedback he received from Lindy Ruff and Co. “I think I played good in a couple games, and I think I learned a lot.”

It marked an encouraging conclusion to a slow-starting season for Ostlund, who missed nearly two months due to an early-season injury with the Rochester Americans (AHL). Wrapped around that absence, he managed just one point in his first 12 games of 2024-25. From January-on, however, Ostlund was one of the Amerks’ most productive scorers, and he ultimately ranked third on the team with 0.80 points per game.

“It’s hard for a young player in the American League to do what he did during that stretch,” said Amerks head coach Michael Leone. “He really carried our team. Played as a No. 1 C as a 20-year-old, getting hard matchups on the road. Was over a point a game for a two-month stretch.

“And then I thought, when he went up there (to Buffalo), he did the things that he did. Wasn’t on the power play, didn’t PK, but I thought he was really responsible away from the puck. He’s a really good 200-foot center.”

Ostlund attributes that defensive ability to his professional experience back in Sweden. At age 18, he recorded a plus-10 rating and 26 points (8+18) in 37 games for Djurgardens, a contender in the second-tier Allsvenskan league.

“If you’re a young guy playing in the men’s league, you’ve got to be reliable to get ice time,” he said.

As the 5-foot-11, 180-pound forward continues to develop into an impactful NHL option, Leone feels, he’ll need to work on faceoffs – he won eight of 22 (36.4 percent) with Buffalo – and prioritize offense a bit more.

“I told him earlier in the year, I almost want him – never said this to a player – but cheat a little more for offense, because he’s always below the puck, and (on) breakouts he’s above the puck,” Leone said.

Realistically, if Ostlund earns more NHL opportunities this season, they’ll likely start in a bottom-six role. While that defensive foundation will make him a viable option, some scoring contributions could make him a dynamic one for Ruff and the Sabres.

“I didn’t come over here to play AHL; I want to be in the NHL one day,” Ostlund said.

Here’s more from the final practice before the Prospects Challenge.

• From Wednesday: Stronger and hungry for a job, Isak Rosen returns for 4th rookie camp

1. Each of the four rookie camp goalies – Scott Ratzlaff, Topias Leinonen, Ryerson Leenders and Samuel Meloche – will see ice time during the three-game Prospects Challenge schedule.

The order in which they play is yet to be determined by Leone, Amerks general manager Jason Karmanos and goaltending development coach Seamus Kotyk. Leone did share that two goalies will get a full game, and the other two will share the third game Monday versus Pittsburgh.

2. Leone offered his thoughts on forward Redmond Savage, who signed a two-year AHL contract with Rochester last month. Savage, 22, worked with Leone in the U.S. National Team Development Program before a four-year NCAA career, including as Michigan State's captain last season.

“I have a really good relationship with Red, and the one word that comes to mind is he’s a warrior,” Leone said. “He wore a letter at Michigan State, was a part of the culture change there and what that program has done, and he’s a selfless team player. … He’s really good on faceoffs, he’s a really good penalty killer, late-game situations.

“Red was one of my favorite players I’ve ever coached [at the NTDP].”

Savage, originally a fourth-round pick of Detroit’s in 2021, will join the Amerks this season for his AHL debut.