After signing him to an entry-level contract earlier this summer, the Buffalo Sabres are loaning 2023 draft selection Anton Wahlberg back to Sweden for the 2023-24 campaign, per a team announcement.
Despite the announcement’s wording making it seem like this is an optional choice for the Sabres, it isn’t. Since a recent update to the transfer agreement between the NHL and SHL, players drafted outside of the first round and are under the age of 24 must be loaned back to their Swedish team if they don’t crack the NHL roster – if their team wants them, that is. This is the same case we saw with netminder Dennis Hildeby of the Toronto Maple Leafs last season, who the team was forced to loan back to Färjestad instead of assigning him to the AHL. With Hildeby’s SHL contract expiring this offseason, he can now play in the AHL.
This means Wahlberg’s entry-level contract will not begin this season and will slide to the 2024-25 campaign. Wahlberg is only under contract with his SHL club, the Malmö Redhawks, for this season. If he doesn’t sign an extension with them, Buffalo could, in theory, assign him to play with the AHL’s Rochester Americans in 2024-25.
Wahlberg was a late riser on draft boards thanks to a strong performance with Sweden at the U18 World Juniors, where he recorded three goals and six points in seven games en route to a silver medal. His offensive production doesn’t jump off the page – he didn’t crack the point-per-game mark in the Swedish junior circuit, recording 27 points in 32 games last year with Malmö’s U20 team. However, he’s got pro-ready size at 6-foot-3 and 192 pounds and possesses a strong two-way acumen, both of which earned him a call-up for 17 SHL games with Malmö last year, where he scored twice and added two assists.
Buffalo was reportedly eyeing Wahlberg in the late first round and attempted to trade up to select him there, but they ended up not making a deal and selected him with the 39th overall pick in the early second round. Wahlberg also attended Sabres development camp earlier in the summer.