Buffalo Sabers 2024 Draft Target: Beckett Sennecke – The Hockey Writers – NHL Draft

The Buffalo Sabers have the unique opportunity to simply pick the best player available with 11^th overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft if they decide to keep him. Even though most eyes are on the top 10 in the draft, there are still plenty of interesting prospects to choose from.

Other names will be added for the 11th^th overall choice, but Beckett Sennecke might be one of the most intriguing. In 63 games with the Oshawa Generals of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), he had 27 goals and 68 points, but really upped his game by adding 22 points in 16 playoff games. In the last year alone, he has moved into the top half of the first round of the draft.

Evaluate Sennecke’s strengths

On paper, Sennecke is salivating. He already has good size at 6-foot-3 and 180 pounds. He has room to add size, which will only make him more difficult to play against every night. Add to that his stubborn “puck dog” mentality and he could become a real problem for the opposition.

Related: Buffalo Sabers 2024 NHL Draft Goals: Cole Eiserman

While his size is an obvious selling point, his offensive ability and creativity are remarkable. He has fantastic skills that allow him to control the puck in tight spaces, make bad passes, and find open teammates in tight spaces.

Even though he is a bigger winger, Sennecke is a very good skater. He has good straight line speed and good edge work, making it difficult to bring him down. He has a well-rounded skill set and the kind of upside that recruiters love when evaluating future prospects.

What can Sennecke work on?

Sennecke’s major hits are pretty much standard for players his age and stage of development. He has a good 6-foot-3 frame but needs to add bulk. He showed signs of wear and tear as the season went on, but that’s common for young players.

Due to his size and skill set, Sennecke too often becomes a bit selfish and tries to compete one-on-one. Making better use of his teammates and recognizing when to move the puck will prove invaluable to his game as he develops.

Finally, Sennecke’s defensive game needs a little work. This is also common for prospects at this stage. He works hard as a forechess player and could benefit from that kind of focus and energy in his own zone.

Where is Sennecke located?

Sennecke would be ideal at 11 years old^th overall for a multitude of reasons. The first thing to note is its size. He stands 6-foot-3 and has plenty of room to add to his 180-pound frame. The Sabers have a litany of smaller forwards, so the size is welcome.

As a young player in need of development, he could potentially be a top-six player. His size and skill set give him versatility that other prospects can’t match. He could start as an energetic player capable of providing tenacious forechecking to begin with, especially as he gets his feet wet at the NHL level.

At worst, he should be a middle-six winger who can move up and down the lineup as needed. Ideally, he would hit his ceiling and use that offensive creativity to become a top player. A promising prospect for Sennecke is that he can become valuable in a variety of ways, particularly given the needs of the Sabers organization.

Projecting Sennecke’s career in Buffalo

On paper, Sennecke represents everything the Sabers would like to add. He has huge size with room to grow, is a very good skater for his size and has the hands to be dangerous even in tight spaces. He also plays with a clear desire to disrupt opponents from the puck, something the Sabers have struggled with in recent years.

If the Sabers chose Sennecke, he would likely stay in junior for now and could even spend a year in Rochester. He needs to add size so he doesn’t wear out, but he could at least be a fantastic middle-six winger.

He has the kind of skills that could allow him to establish himself as a top winger, capable of hitting the 70-80 point range. His tenacity, size, skating and offensive creativity certainly make him one of the most intriguing prospects in the first round of this year’s draft.