Sabres Sign Wahlberg To Entry-Level Contract, Murray Re-Signed

The Buffalo Sabres announced the signing of center Anton Wahlberg to a three-year, entry-level contract on Friday.

The new kid on the block 🔥

Can’t wait to see Anton Wahlberg in royal blue!#LetsGoBuffalo | @SenecaBuffalo pic.twitter.com/a6q04YsJyA

— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) June 29, 2023

The 18-year-old was selected 39th overall by the Sabres in the 2023 NHL Draft in Nashville last month, after splitting time between the Malmo Redhawks of the Swedish Hockey League and their junior-level club last season. The 6’3″, 194 lbs. forward played for Sweden at the Five Nations and Under-18 World Championships. He can play both center and wing and indicated that he will return to the SHL next season, where he has a year remaining on his contract before he decides on what to do in consultation with the Sabres.

Last week, Wahlberg was one of two Sabres prospects selected for the 2024 IIHF World Junior Summer Showcase in Plymouth, MI later this month, which is considered a strong indicator of consideration for Team Sweden for the 2024 World Junior in Gothenburg, SWE in December.

Opinions vary on Wahlberg’s NHL prospects. Elite Prospects indicates that he is a fast skater, strong on his skates, covers the puck well, and has the strength along the boards to maintain puck possession, while the Hockey Prospect Black Book has Wahlberg rated as a C+ prospect and describes him as “a big kid who moves really well on the ice. He was always a powerful skater. Over the course of the season, we saw some improvements in his agility and edgework. Now he can burn past players with his outside speed but also cut back inside effortlessly.”

Murray Returning

The Sabres also announced the signing of forward Brett Murray to a one-year, two-way deal on Friday. The big 24-year-old left winger was a mainstay for the AHL Rochester Americans last season, scoring 49 points (23 goals, 26 assists) in 71 games and added 10 points (4 goals, 6 assists) in 14 games during the Amerks run to the Calder Cup Eastern Conference Final.

Brett Murray seals it in OT and sends @AmerksHockey into the next round of the #CalderCup playoffs. https://t.co/WMnEwh9img pic.twitter.com/gXzzyC9OHF

— American Hockey League (@TheAHL) May 7, 2022

Murray’s signing lowers the number of unsigned restricted free agents to one, as forward Linus Weissbach remains without a contract after receiving a qualifying offer at the end of June.