Ostlund bids to continue growth spurt on path to Sabres roster spot

BUFFALO --It has been a year of growth for Noah Ostlund -- literally and figuratively. Now the center prospect looks to add more as he takes the next step toward a future with the Buffalo Sabres.

"I want to get bigger," he said last week at Sabres development camp. "That's the most important thing to me."

Ostlund, listed at 5-foot-11, 163 pounds, has grown an inch and put on weight since being selected by the Sabres with the No. 16 pick in the 2022 NHL Draft. That has been an area of focus for the 19-year-old, who played last season with Djurgardens of HockeyAllSvenskan, the second-highest level of pro hockey in Sweden.

And the results have been noticeable.

"He just looks older when you talk to him even than he did 12 months ago," Buffalo general manager Kevyn Adams said.

A year ago, Ostlund was coming off a season when he had 42 points (nine goals, 33 assists) in 32 games for Djurgardens' junior team and was held without a point in an 11-game stint with the senior team in the Swedish Hockey League.

That experience proved to be beneficial. Apart from his time playing for Sweden at the World Junior Championship, he played all of last season in the SHL with Djurgardens, and had 26 points (eight goals, 18 assists) in 37 games as a second-line center playing in all situations.

"There's a lot of pressure and as a young kid, he performed very well," Sabres development coach Tim Kennedy said. "He was an 18-year-old playing against men. … It was a great year for him growth-wise."

He'll look to continue that trend with Vaxjo of the SHL this season. Vaxjo was the top team in the league and won the Le Mat Trophy as playoff champions.

"The League is very high, the skill level is very high, and it's intense," Kennedy said. "So when you're playing in the Swedish [Hockey] League, that also comes with a lot of pressure. … They're going to have a target on their back every night and I think Noah will, too, which is good for him because he'll have to face that hard competition almost every night."

Buffalo is happy with Ostlund's progress thus far. A skilled and smooth-skating 200-foot player with high hockey sense, vision, competitiveness and a work ethic to match, he can reach the next level if he continues on this path.

"He thinks the game very smart, great skater, good shot," Kennedy said. "It's all about him ... just keep maturing, keep developing, and mainly just keep getting stronger. His game is going to keep developing at a rate that we like."

Ostlund got a feel for professional hockey life in North America in the spring when he spent a couple of weeks with Rochester of the American Hockey League during its Calder Cup Playoffs run. He was recovering from an injury and didn't skate, but getting to be around the tight-knit group and seeing firsthand the physicality of the game was valuable.

"I learned a lot," Ostlund said. "Met all of the staff and the players. I had a great time and learned how it is to play in the American [Hockey] League. It was a good experience."

The Sabres had spoken to him about potentially playing in North America this season and fully supported whichever route he chose. Ostlund considered it but ultimately felt the experience of playing at the highest level in Sweden would benefit him most toward his goal.

"It was a pretty tough decision to make," he said. "Both places are very good places to be, and I think Vaxjo is a very good experience to play in the SHL. I think that will make my make my path to the NHL quicker."