Prospect Pipeline: Sabres prospects vying for NCAA Title

Minnesota is back in the Frozen Four for the second-straight year and there are a pair of Sabres prospects looking to help the Golden Gophers capture their first National Championship since 2003.
Ryan Johnson and Aaron Huglen lead top-ranked Minnesota into the semifinals against Boston University on Thursday night at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida. The Golden Gophers beat Canisius 9-2 before defeating St. Cloud State 4-1 to advance to the Frozen Four from the Fargo region.

Johnson, a first-round pick by the Sabres in the 2019 NHL Draft, has scored 18 points (4+14) in 38 games for the Golden Gophers this season and leads the team with 62 blocked shots. The highly regarded defenseman recorded an assist in the Gophers 5-1 win over Michigan State in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals.
The Sabres drafted Huglen the fourth round of the 2019 NHL Draft. Huglen has scored 15 points (7+8) in 36 games this season. He's played two seasons at the NCAA level, scoring 30 points in 71 games. Huglen enjoyed a dominant season in the USHL in 2020-21, when he racked up 35 points, 15 goals, and 20 assists in 39 games.
Huglen, a sophomore, scored a goal in a 5-1 win over Michigan State in the Big Ten semifinals, but the Golden Gophers eventually fell to Michigan in the championship game 4-3. He followed up that performance in the conference tournament by scoring a goal in a 9-2 win over Canisius in the opening round of the NCAA tournament.

Minnesota's roster boasts a bevy of youth with several highly regarded NHL prospects. The Golden Gophers have 10 freshmen who have seen significant time this season. Logan Cooley and Jimmy Snuggerud are first-round draft picks with Arizona and St. Louis, respectively, shared the Big Ten soring title this season.
The Golden Gophers enter the tournament as the No. 1 seed. Minnesota boasts the second-best offense in the nation, the sixth-best defense, the fourth-best power play and the 12th-best penalty kill.
How to watch:
Men's Frozen Four, April 6-8 | Amalie Arena - Tampa, FL
Semifinals:
5 p.m. ET Thursday, April 6 | ESPN2: No. 1 Minnesota vs. Boston University
8:30 p.m. Thursday, April 6 | ESPN2: No. 2 Quinnipiac vs. No. 3 Michigan
National Championship:
8 p.m. ET Saturday, April 8 | ESPN2: TBD vs. TBD