Back on March 20, the Buffalo Sabres traded goalie Jonas Johansson to the Colorado Avalanche that netted the team a sixth round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft. That pick ended up being the 188th overall selection once the 2020-21 season came to a close.
With the 188th overall selection in the 2021 NHL Draft, the Sabres used the pick to take defenseman Nikita Novikov from MHK Dynamo Moskva of the MHL in Russia.
Novikov brings a good amount of size to the blue line, standing at 6-foot-4 and 207 pounds. The 18-year-old, as of Sunday, spent his entire 2020-21 campaign with MHK Dynamo Moskva, scoring four goals and adding 10 assists for 14 points in 52 games.
The left-handed shot defenseman was also a teammate of Aleksandr Kisakov, who was Buffalo's second round pick (53rd overall) in this year's draft.
Novikov also got a chance to represent Russia at the 2021 IIHF Under-18 World Championship this spring in Frisco, Texas, where he contributed with five assists in seven games played. He helped the Russians to a silver medal finish at the tournament, finishing just short of the gold medal to Canada.
The highest ranking Novikov received ahead of the 2021 NHL Draft was from TSN senior NHL Draft analyst Craig Button at 67th. Novikov was also ranked as the 137th international skater by NHL's Central Scouting.
The Sabres will wrap up its 2021 draft class with the 193rd overall selection to open the seventh round.
