The Buffalo Sabres announced this morning that they’ve signed 2017 third-round pick Oskari Laaksonen to a three-year entry-level contract. The 20-year-old defenseman played the last three years for Ilves of the Finnish pro-league Liiga.
Laaksonen is an intersting prospect for the Sabres blue line. He had a great 2018-19 season in Finland and was a key part of Team Finland winning a Gold Medal in the 2019 World Junior Championship. This past season, however, he took a step back. He battled injuries the entire year and struggled at times.
He needs to add some more size to his frame and could use some work on his game defensively.