The Buffalo Sabres have been considered to have one of the deepest prospect pools in the NHL, which is in part due to them selecting high in recent drafts because of their not qualifying for the playoffs. The Sabres have displayed an eye for talent, and the organization’s developmental model has begun to yield results, with 2023 first rounder Zach Benson making an impact in the playoffs, and 2024 top pick Konsta Helenius appearing as one of the AHL’s top prospects the last two seasons.
Leading up to the opening of training camp in mid-September, we will look at the club’s top 40 prospects. These players are all 25 years old or younger, whose rights are currently held by the Sabres or are on AHL or NHL deals, and have played less than 82 NHL games.
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16. Samuel Meloche – Goalie (Rouyn-Noranda – QMJHL)
The Sabres continued their practice of selecting goalies, but after taking Topias Leinonen in 2022, Scott Ratzlaff in 2023, and Ryerson Leenders in 2024, the club selected a pair of netminders at the 2025 NHL Draft. With their seventh round pick, they took Belarusian Yevgeni Prokhorov, who has a longer development window in the KHL, but with the second to two fourth-round picks, Buffalo selected QMJHL goalie Samuel Meloche.
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The 19-year-old broke into the Q with Rouyn-Noranda as a 16-year-old, and leading into his draft year played 51 games for the Huskies, posting an excellent 30-14-6 record. In the playoffs, he went 8-5-0, leading Rouyn-Noranda to the QMJHL semi-final, where they lost to Moncton in a four-game sweep.
Last season, he again reached the 50-game mark, going 33-13-3, with a 2.75 GAA and .897 save %, which earned him an invitation from Team Canada for the World Junior Summer Showcase in Windsor earlier this month.
Meloche is battling Lucas Beckman and William Lacelle as the backup to likely starter Jack Ivankovic, and will be heading back to the QMJHL to play for the Saint John Sea Dogs. Like many CHL prospects, he will be heading to the NCAA and is committed to play for Northeastern in 2027.
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