Breaking down the 2018 development camp roster

It's that time of year again, when the people of Buffalo trade sunshine for slap shots, hot weather for hot chocolate, iced tea for … well, ice. For a few days each summer, the eyes of the Sabres faithful turn toward Harborcenter, hoping to catch a glimpse of the future.
The glimpse one might catch at this year's development camp, which begins Wednesday, could be bright enough to make one forget about the sunhine. First and foremost, it will be the first chance for fans to see Rasmus Dahlin, the No. 1 overall pick, take the ice in a Sabres uniform.

But the list doesn't end with Dahlin. There will be players with NHL experience already under their belt, prospects who are ready to turn the page and begin their pro careers, newcomers to the organization. And yes, there will be Vasily Glotov.
The full list of prospects who will be participating in this year's camp is available here, as is the complete schedule. Here's a look at some of the names you'll want to keep an eye on.

The No. 1 pick

OK, this one is obvious. But the list starts with Dahlin, who will begin his transition to the North American game and become acquainted with Buffalo's coaching and development staffs. Jason Botterill spoke yesterdayabout the adjustments Dahlin will encounter as he transitions from the Swedish Hockey League.

So, what can you expect to see from Dahlin? Here's what Dan Marr, director of NHL Central Scouting Services, told Brian Duff at the combine:
"Everything that's required on the ice, off the ice, character-wise, skills, assets, attributes, he brings them all together. He is a natural born leader, people tend to gravitate towards him.
"When the situation calls on the ice for someone to step up on a play, whether it's to lay out the other team's forwards and send a message to settle things down or whether it's to lead a charge offensively to set up scoring chances, he has a really good read on the game."
If you slept through the weekend, we have plenty more on Dahlin here.

The first-rounders

The last time Casey Mittelstadt and Alexander Nylander shared the ice, they were playing NHL games for the Sabres. Buffalo's last two first-round picks scored their first NHL goals in the same game, in Tampa on April 6, and both were in the lineup when the Sabres concluded their season the following night.

Both players will be pros next season, it's simply a matter of where. Following a stellar freshman campaign at the University of Minnesota, Mittelstadt joined the Sabres and seemed to position himself well for a shot to make the NHL club next season, scoring five points in six games.
Nylander, meanwhile, got off to a late start in his second pro season and ended with 27 points in 51 games with Rochester. That said, he's only 19, having spent the past two years playing in the AHL at a time when most prospects are still playing junior hockey.
Sabres assistant general manager Randy Sexton emphasized the importance of this summer in Nylander's development following the draft.
"Probably the most important offseason of training in his young life, really," Sexton said. "It's critical for him. He's going to be a third-year pro, and I think everybody gets wound up because Alex may or may not have delivered at the same offensive output that people may have expected or anticipated. But I think we have to recognize his age.
"If he was playing in Mississauga in the OHL, he might have had 140 points. People would be saying eureka, what an offensive gem we have. Everything needs to be held in perspective. The American League is a very good league and it's a very difficult league for young players. It's not unusual for them to struggle a little bit, and Alex is no different. He's in Buffalo now and he's been doing some training for a little bit, so big summer for him but we still continue to have high expectations for Alex."

The new guys

Since the end of last season, Buffalo has added a trio of players who will turn pro this fall. The Sabres signed forward Andrew Oglevie as an undrafted free agent out of Notre Dame and defenseman Lawrence Pilut as a free agent out of Sweden, then acquired defenseman Brandon Hickey in a trade with Arizona.
Oglevie, 23, scored 39 points last season as a junior at Notre Dame. Hickey, 22, also took the college route, having scored 14 points from the backend last season as a senior at Boston University, where he served as captain and was once teammates with Jack Eichel, Danny O'Regan and Evan Rodrigues.
Pilut, 22, comes with pro experience already under his belt. He scored 38 points (8+32) in 52 games last season for HV71 of the SHL, winning Defenseman of the Year honors in Sweden's top pro league. Sexton said he expects Pilut to start off in Rochester but can see his transition to North America being a quick one.
"Lawrence Pilut fits the mold that we have," Sexton said. "He's a mobile, puck-moving defenseman. He's not necessarily the biggest guy, but you don't need to be big to play anymore, particularly on the backend.
"You need to be smart, you need to have vision and read the play well and you need to be able to identify your options quickly and execute with precision. And that's what he does."

The other Swedes

Dahlin and Pilut will be joined by Rasmus Asplund and Victor Olofsson, another pair of Swedes who are taking their talents to North America this season. Asplund and Olofsson are both expected to start the season in Rochester, but either player could make a push to be in Buffalo before long.
Asplund, 20, was taken by Buffalo with the third pick of the second round in 2016. The center was a standout at camp last summer, winning the Craig Ramsay Award as the camp's hardest worker, then scored 28 points in 50 games for Färjestad BK of the SHL.

Olofsson, 22, has shown off his deadly shot at development camps since being selected by Buffalo in the seventh-round back in 2014. He used that shot to score a league-high 27 goals this past season for Frölunda of the SHL, where he was teammates with Dahlin.

The rest of the Class of 2018

Including Dahlin, the Sabres made six picks at the 2018 NHL Draft this past weekend. All six of them will be present at development camp, a list that includes Mattias Samuelsson (second round, 32nd overall), Matej Pekar (fourth round, 94th overall), Linus Lindstrand Cronholm (fourth round, 117th overall), Miska Kukkonen (fifth round, 125th overall) and William Worge Kreü (seventh round, 187th overall).
You can read more about the Class of 2018 here, or check out this interview with Sexton from WGR 550 in which he broke down each member of the class.

Bonus round

Brendan Guhle (second round, 2015) took a step toward becoming a full-time NHLer last season, scoring five assists in 18 games with the Sabres. He's a perennial standout at these camps and should stand out even more given his veteran status this time around.
Cliff Pu (second round, 2016) scored 84 points last season in 65 regular-season games between London and Kingston of the Ontario Hockey League, then added another 17 points in 15 playoff games. After appearing in a couple of preseason games last year, he's expected to turn pro this season.
Marcus Davidsson (second round, 2017) is another Swede with pro experience under his belt, having scored 21 points in 39 SHL games for Djurgårdens last season. The forward also scored three points in seven games at the World Junior Championship in Buffalo, where he was teammates with Dahlin and Nylander.
Lastly, goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (second round, 2017) stood out at last year's camp both for his orange pads and his hulking 6-foot-4, 198-pound frame. Luukkonen posted a .909 save percentage in 24 games for Leki of Finland's second division, and the Sabres liked his progress enough to award him a three-year, entry-level contract earlier this month.