Sabres Prospect Komarov Scores Memorial Cup-Clincher

Prospect defenseman Vsevolod Komarov forced the Buffalo Sabres to pay attention to him right up until the last game of his season.

Komarov scored on a two-on-one play with Anaheim Ducks 2022 Nathan Gaucher to score the Memorial Cup-clinching goal in the Quebec Ramparts 5-0 win against the Seattle Thunderbirds. Hall of Famer Patrick Roy coaches the Ramparts.

The Remparts open the scoring 🚨

Komarov makes it 1-0.#MemorialCup pic.twitter.com/wz54TbWt51

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) June 4, 2023

It was the first goal goal of the game. Komarov made the right decition to jump into the play and had a strong finish. He netted 12 goals during the regular-season.

The 6-foot-2 Russian was drafted in the fifth round (134th overall) of the 2022 draft. The Sabres have been impressed enough to give him a pro contract. The Sabres signed him to a three-year entry level deal on May 25, making him the fifth player from their 2022 draft class. The others: Matt Savoie, Noah Ostlund, Jiri Kulich , Viktor Neuchev and Komarov.

Developing Offensive Instincts

The Sabres originally drafted Komarov believing he would be a solid one-on-one defender. They have been pleasantly surprised by offensive development. He can still be beastly in front of the net.

Komarov improved significantly this season, particularly in his skating. He is ‘s now considered one of the Sabres’ top three defensive prospects.

He is also a right-shot defenseman. Like most NHL teams, the Sabres need right-shot D men. They will be looking for a veteran right-shot defenseman in the free agent market this summer.

Some websites list Komarov, 19, as 6-foot-3. He is clearly big enough to fit into Buffalo’s collection of larger defensemen. Owen Power is 6-foot-6. Rasmus Dahlin is 6-foot-3. Mattias Samuelsson is 6-foot-4.

The Sabres have another 6-foot-4 prospect defenseman, Nikita Novikov, playing for Moscow Dynamo in the Kontinental Hockey League. The Sabres drafted him 188th in 2021.