One of the Buffalo Sabres' top-scoring prospects this past season is officially under contract.
The Sabres announced on Tuesday the signing of forward Linus Weissbach to his two-year entry-level contract.
The 22-year-old just wrapped up his senior season at the University of Wisconsin, where he finished third in the nation in scoring with 41 points (12+29) in 31 games played. The Badgers' 2020-21 season was ended in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on March 26 in a 6-3 loss to Bemidji State.
In his four-year career with the Badgers, Weissbach managed to score 34 goals and rack up 80 assists for 114 points in 134 games.
With his NHL draft rights set to expire with the Sabres this summer, Weissbach had the option to explore the free agent market as an unrestricted free agent after a stellar senior campaign at Wisconsin. However, the Sabres were able to get the play-making forward under contract before getting to that point.
The native of Gothenburg, Sweden became a key piece to the Wisconsin offense as his time in Madison progressed. While he did deal with injury issues, at times, he managed to stay healthy during his entire senior season, and nearly doubled his stat total from his junior year, where he scored just four goals and amassed 18 assists for 22 points in 35 games.
Weissbach was a seventh round pick (192nd overall) of the Sabres in the 2017 NHL Draft when former general manager Jason Botterill selected him out of the Tri-City Storm in the United States Hockey League. That season saw Weissbach score 19 goals and add 28 assists for 47 points in 49 games in his first season playing junior hockey in North America.
According to John Vogl of The Athletic, Weissbach's contract with the Sabres starts with the 2021-22 season. This would allow Weissbach the chance to sign an amateur tryout with the Rochester Americans in the American Hockey League and get some playing time leading up to next season.
Sabres prospect Will Borgen took a similar path when he signed his three-year entry-level contract with the team back in 2018 after completing his third season of collegiate hockey at St. Cloud State University.
Weissbach spent his entire four-year career playing under head coach Tony Granato at Wisconsin, the older brother of Sabres interim head coach Don Granato.
***Photo: Micheline Michaelina - Rochester Americans