Underrated Buffalo Sabres prospect described as 'second-pairing eraser'

Buffalo Sabres prospect Adam Kleber, who's set to play his junior season at the University of Minnesota Duluth in 2026-27, is exactly the type of young player who tends to get overlooked: a defensive defenseman who's never going to produce gaudy point totals.

The 229-pound bruiser has recorded just five goals and 12 assists in 73 games across two years with the Bulldogs, but he's also established himself as one of college hockey's best net-front protectors.

Adam Herman of Bleacher Report gave Kleber his flowers while reviewing the Sabres' prospect pool, which was ranked as the NHL's fifth-best group by B/R.

"One lesser-known prospect to keep an eye on: 20-year-old Adam Kleber," Herman wrote. "The 6'5" defenseman isn't much of an offensive contributor, but he complements that size with really good skating and physical play. He could turn into a second-pairing eraser."

Along with his strong play at UMD, the 2024 second-round draft pick has also represented Team USA at the last two World Juniors, gaining 11 games of valuable experience in the high-profile international tournament.

There was some thought Kleber would sign his entry-level contract with the Sabres over the summer, but the decision was ultimately made for him to play another NCAA season.

Buffalo's front office, led by general manager Jarmo Kekalainen, will likely make a strong push to get the Minnesota native signed as soon as the Bulldogs' campaign wraps up. Letting him play out his senior year (2027-28) would make him eligible to become a free agent in June 2028.

Kleber projects mostly as a third-pair defenseman and penalty-killing contributor, though it's possible he does reach second-pair value at the peak of his career if his offensive game evolves a little bit.

Based on his current development timeline, he'll likely be ready for compete for a roster spot with the Sabres after one more college season and a year (or two) with the AHL's Rochester Americans.

Sabres' Daxon Rudolph called a 'reach' in the 2026 NHL Draft despite elite upside

Buffalo used the No. 4 selection in this year's draft, which was acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks in the blockbuster Bowen Byram trade, to select defenseman Daxon Rudolph.

A lot of draft analysts had Rudolph beyond the likes of Chase Reid, Carson Carels and Keaton Verhoeff in their positional rankings, but the Sabres made him the first defender off the board.

"Though Daxon Rudolph was a reach for me at fourth overall, his statistical profile matches the slotting, and I think he has enough upside to justify the selection," Herman wrote.

The 18-year-old Canadian is coming off a breakthrough year with the WHL's Prince Albert Raiders, scoring 78 points (28 goals and 50 assists) in 68 regular-season games and 27 more (nine goals and 18 helpers) in 19 playoff appearances.

Although he owns all the tools to eventually become Rasmus Dahlin's long-term partner on Buffalo's top pair, there's still quite a bit of development on the horizon, especially defensively.

How Rudolph performs during his freshman campaign at the University of Denver will tell a better story about whether he'll be able to match a quick jump to the NHL.

Both Denver and Minnesota Duluth are members of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC), which means Rudolph and Kleber are scheduled to face off when the Pioneers travel to the Land of 10,000 Lakes for a two-game series Jan. 22-23.

The Sabres will hope both players continue on their upward trajectories to climb an organizational depth chart currently featuring Dahlin, Mattias Samuelsson, Owen Power, Olen Zellweger, Conor Timmins and Louis Crevier at the NHL level.

If they do, along with fellow prospects like Radim Mrtka, Maxim Strbak and Gavin McCarthy, Buffalo will have some tough decisions to make on the blue line as the calendar inches toward 2030.