While Buffalo hosted the 2025 NHL Scouting Combine, the team remained focused on evaluating key prospects they believe could be available with the ninth overall pick, including defender Jackson Smith, per Rachel Lenzi of The Buffalo News.
Lenzi listed five prospects the Sabres will keep their eye on when the draft kicks off in a few weeks. Among them is Smith, a 6’3, 190-pound defender out of the WHL. The offensively gifted blueliner put up 11 goals and 54 points in 63 games for the Tri-City Americans, and excelled for Team Canada in the U18 World Championship, posting four goals and five points in seven games.
When asked what he could bring to the Sabres, Smith noted his size, skating, and two-way playing ability as his biggest strengths. “A big defenseman who skates really well, who has a lot of offensive upside, but can also play on the ’D’ side of the puck, can run a power play and can play PK (penalty kill) as well,” he said.
Lenzi, who notes that the Sabres will have their draft headquarters in Buffalo as this year’s draft will be decentralized, also lists defenders Kashawn Aitcheson and Radim Mrtka, as well as forwards Jack O’Brien and Anton Frondell, as options for the Sabres to consider. The biggest name on the list is arguably Frondell, who is listed as Elite Prospects’ fifth-ranked prospect ahead of the draft.
The 6’1″, 205-pound Swedish center put together a solid showing at the combine, finishing in the top five in several tests, including a first-place result in Aerobic Fitness: VO2max (ml/kg/min).
If Frondell does fall to the ninth pick, he said he would provide the Sabres with a high compete level. As he noted, “It doesn’t matter if it’s a game or practice. I always compete and I always think winning is really important.”
While Frondell and O’Brien did not disclose whether they met with the Sabres’ front office during the combine, Aitcheson, Mrtka, and Smith all confirmed they did. Smith noted that “four or five” front-office members were present, including general manager Kevyn Adams and senior advisor Jarmo Kekalainen.