The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey franchise located in Buffalo, New York. Founded on May 22, 1970, ahead of the 1970–71 season as an expansion team, they play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Hockey League (NHL). The NHL entry draft is held each off-season in June, allowing teams to select players who will have turned 18 years old by September 15 in the year the draft is held. The draft order is determined by the previous season's order of finish, with non-playoff teams drafting first, followed by the teams that made the playoffs, with the specific order determined by the number of points earned by each team. From 1995 to 2012, the winner of the draft lottery was allowed to move up a maximum of four positions in the entry draft. Since 2016, the NHL has held a weighted lottery for the 16 non-playoff teams, allowing the winner to move up to the first overall pick. The team with the fewest points has the best chance of winning the lottery, with each successive team given a lower chance of moving up in the draft. As of 2026, the Sabres have made 526 selections in 56 entry drafts.
The Sabres first participated in the 1970 NHL amateur draft, where they selected Gilbert Perreault at first overall for their first-ever selection. The Sabres have selected first overall in three other drafts with Pierre Turgeon in 1987, Rasmus Dahlin in 2018, and Owen Power in 2021. Perreault played his whole career with the Sabres and had his number retired in the franchise, while Turgeon played five years with the Sabres before being traded to the New York Islanders in exchange for Pat LaFontaine. Dahlin and Power currently play in the NHL for the Sabres. Three Sabres draft picks have been inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame: Phil Housley, Perreault, and Turgeon. Fourteen players selected by the Sabres went on to play 1,000 games in the NHL: Dave Andreychuk who ranks 10th in all-time games played with 1,639, Brian Campbell, Keith Carney, Housley, Calle Johansson, Brad May, Tyler Myers, Sean O'Donnell, Perreault, Jason Pominville, Craig Ramsay, Mike Ramsey, Turgeon, and Thomas Vanek.
Key Played at least one regular-season game with the Sabres. Spent their entire NHL career with the Sabres. NHL supplemental draft.
+ General terms Term Definition Draft The year that the player was selected Round The round of the draft in which the player was selected Pick The overall position in the draft at which the player was selected + Position abbreviations DefinitionG GoaltenderD DefenseLW Left wingC CenterRW Right wingF Forward
+ Abbreviations for statistical columns DefinitionPos PositionGP Games playedG GoalsA AssistsPts PointsPIM Penalties in minutesW WinsL LossesT TiesOT Overtime/shootout lossesGAA Goals against average— Does not apply
Draft picks Statistics are complete as of the 2025–26 NHL season and show each player's career regular season totals in the NHL. Wins, losses, ties, overtime losses, and goals against average apply to goaltenders and are used only for players at that position.
+ List of all players drafted by the Buffalo Sabres and their career statisticsDraftRoundPickPlayerNationalityPosGPGAPtsPIMWLTOTGAA197011*C 1191 512 814 1326 500 215LW 137 12 5 17 155 329D 443*C 100 8 10 18 10 557RW 671D 784G 897C 150 24 27 51 80 9107D 197115LW 685 384 317 701 477 219*LW 1070 252 420 672 201 333*D 854 42 202 244 433 447*C 3 0 0 0 0 561D 675RW 197215D 719 51 204 255 1132 225D 367 16 74 90 462 337D 453D 569G 47 0 0 0 15 13 18 9 4.03685C 954 363 450 813 179 1973112*LW 19 0 0 0 0 228D 344LW 460RW 576RW 692LW 7108D 8124D 1974111D 924 44 195 239 1318 229RW 827 354 331 685 1285 347LW 465*D 48 0 2 2 66 583D 219 6 57 63 167 6101RW 7119RW 8136LW 9153LW 70 2 8 10 71 10168LW 335 78 116 194 60 11183F 12196LW 1975117G 420 0 14 14 57 182 154 53 3.49235*D 68 1 13 14 49 344F 479 104 101 205 202 353RW 534 96 132 228 243 471RW 589G 459 0 14 14 42 208 155 72 3.326107LW 7125D 8143RW 9 0 0 0 8 9159RW 10174G 1976233*LW 22 0 5 5 13 469LW 587D 6105D 1977114RW 738 179 208 387 573 232C 4 0 0 0 0 468D 260 7 64 71 424 586G 6104*D 2 0 0 0 0 1978113D 688 26 94 120 1814 232LW 912 320 319 639 517 349C 224 38 63 101 126 466D 582*G 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6.02699LW 7116C 8133C 9150C 1979111D 1070 79 266 345 1012 232D 691 105 195 300 1264 353D 355G 255 0 7 7 51 82 102 24 3.64474LW 519 127 147 274 276 595C 524 189 211 400 425 6116G140002760 3.741980120F2504068108242241RW13415284341356RW4148280162181362C 483LW32529721013785104D 6123LW 7146G 8167C86618922541412809188C 10209LW 1981117RW 238*D2452510112666359D 360D10000480*RW10000483LW 5101C 6122D 7143D 8164*C98182644519185D 10206RW 198216D1495388894123282219LW470101140241623116C163964069813381125226C230D468*D1015613479C5100LW421051506111D1411619351636121G7142D8163*C1425729184RW10205G11226D198315G7770484843736927786183.24110RW3195362115196111C7081872164031077231C656177259436285234*LW50004474G42901818481791615403.04594D6114D18000477134C6211342984327148154D4731013559174D10194D91310135111214D7296921228166012234G12235LW1984118LW76195169264134239*LW20000360RW817357300657212481D256832408255102LW6123D7144G191066906775213.228165D9186D11577031838882510206C11226RW12247LW1985114D1109119416535519235LW863222321543877356F477D598C168273461636119D9022513916413267140D8161*RW100009182*F11022810203C11224C70109196312245LW6961341542242198615D255115162117226D944141886347C72097103200281356RW468D589D6110D7131LW39743357813888152*C100009173D10194C11215D1986S14LW28C621187363550898198711C12945158121327452222D82156321353LW484G585RW6106LW7127D8148D8153D9169LW10190D650557911211G300000205.9512232D1987S11RW26530548412726RW1988113*RW30110355LW1354812211476D101845183228904589RW9904735591032432597RW90041509132076106D6118LW7139RW8160LW9181G12003362756913.5111223C12244LW1988S214D1989114D6424197138907356RW63641034477*C111012598D38823801033386107G6119C8161C450961522481389183RW7352602450958410194*D75419239210203RW11224G12245F1989S219LW1990114LW10411271612882248482C597D644491461954155100G5103D7142*LW26381108166D9187C10208RW11229LW12250C1990S224C1991113D74894206300702235RW3668690176162357LW472*F1201105101G246022788010439132.676123D12243119822918096124C547931452383397145D34279248162D9189LW10211F11233RW12255D1991S219F1992111D30371024235LW10000359C480D90008483RW83411318730025625107G5108LW26364881521336131C8179C9203*C15011010227RW11251LW1993238D5115645364RW5116G6142D7168*LW1404408194C9220LW392681810246G11272C66256711279161994117C77469125194789243LW736129171300398369D692351375121D6147D7168G7173D5501655716337176RW321513185328199LW9225D114814227310251C11277D1995114D80221104125622116G5080667923019125272.61242LW368RW494RW565712285111D5119D5123LW7172F8198C9224F810122199617C5455276128305227D957211361571085233LW353LW354LW487F4106D5115D3011226142RW6161C9222G1997121G7110142332602.68248RW67828114142378369RW651158237395486375F4101D5128LW6156D1082874175042777184LW8212C28448109238D1998118D53936126162321234LW229437650247RW2924612250*RW60004377LW300005137LW6164RW5421361482843487191C812348218*RW100009249RW1999120LW100000235F503141726255D19031619154264C19721194089373LW4117F5138G79601212483912891882.645146D6178RW7206RW8235C9263RW2000115F248D4111G5149D7213C7220C727891422317788258*RW100009277C2001122C18920315166232C738189335524391250C8015381134968255RW10602934347271995155F8234D8247F9279D2002111D60438137175612120LW5828587172135376LW382D4108RW4121G6178C7208*D1400028241D815992883875039271D200315F1029373416789547265RW374LW5521331713043434106D627251101353174114D5150D6172D7202D167735421148235G9266RW2004113RW841196232428415243*RW90220372D842512022532125145G6176*RW3482727545427207RW4231013228241*D400009273LW2005113C248F387D783151836496D4071472861875142C43563881511966182G6191D7208D7227D2006124D246G15300025069162.84257D351944534374117C5147D243438421227207C2007231D53581329259D389RW149621271335139G5147C6179C521981102081397187G7209D2008112D1139100306406913126LW700144202346224244C9015112636381D4101RW4104D5134LW6164D2009113RW66192111203913366D885381531915674104LW9311481883369505134D6164*G201100013.147194RW2010123D5212876104162368D375C383D498C5143RW6173LW7203RW7208LW2011116RW653116116232222377C1200004107C5137D6167*G700001402.977197C2012112C24926507636114C844100114214270244D72340160200452373C5133C6163G3401671419199342.577193*D500047204C201318D82057261318399116D80453137190998235C658129173302235238C252RW14110132324369*RW477310205129G10601124644102.965130RW5143D6159C201127189C201412C839323357680183231LW307363874548244C249RW361G10500004336143.30374D5121C687310226151C7181RW44811812424250201512C690266432698211251D654101424492D3731865832275122D6152C7182D201618LW12625244930233C18918314922369C386D6309940499*LW26246255129D5130D6159LW4461612103712917189D7190C201718C50996182278118237C254*G190044169374182.96389D499D30464551607192LW201811*D586102332434454232*D290206484116494C4117D5125D7187D201917C444110162272281131*D4707718367G4102RW5143LW6160*RW171340202018*RW260598914859234C320921051971165131C7193D7216C202111*D3232711314086114RW5265110233LW253LW388RW395LW497RW5159LW6161C6188D7193*C6756114202219C8718203824116*C6811162716128*C7518112922241G374LW4106D5134D6170RW6187C7202RW7211C2023113*LW2113467101138239C245D386D4109LW5141G6173D7205D2024114*C91340242D371RW4108D4123D6172D7204RW7219G202519D371D4103C4116G5135D6167C7195LW7199G7219C202614D120C4124C5156C6188RW
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