Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR 550) - With the 16th overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, the Buffalo Sabres selected center Noah Östlund from Djurgårdens IF of HockeyAllsvenskan in Sweden.
The Sabres acquired the 16th overall pick as part of the Jack Eichel trade with the Vegas Golden Knights on Nov. 4, 2021. As part of the deal, Buffalo also acquired forwards Alex Tuch and Peyton Krebs, as well as a 2023 second-round pick.
The 5-foot-11 center played 32 games this past season in the J20 Nationell junior league in Sweden with Djurgårdens IF. In those contests, Östlund tallied nine goals and 33 assists for a total of 42 points. Along with his time in the Swedish junior league, he played 15 international games for team Sweden at the U-18 level, recording 13 points (5+8).
In terms of accolades, the native of Nykvarn, Sweden won the bronze medal at the 2021 IIHF U18 World Championship, and followed that up with a gold medal win in the 2022 tournament over the United States.
Elite Prospects had this to say about Östlund's playmaking abilities:
"At his best, Östlund is a dynamic, shifty playmaker who takes full advantage of the width of the ice to build passing sequences. A dextrous distributor with the full array of reach- adjusted passes and the keen eye to find options through traffic, he was the most prolific setup-man in the entire Swedish junior circuit."
Östlund will likely return to Sweden next year and play in HockeyAllsvenskan, which is the second-tier professional league, for Djurgårdens IF.
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