Dating back to last season, it was expected that winger Eduard Sale would play with OHL Barrie for the 2023-24 campaign. That is now confirmed to be the case as the Colts announced that the Kraken first-rounder has officially committed to the team.
The 18-year-old was the 20th overall selection back in June after a season that didn’t help his draft stock. Sale entered the year as a potential top-ten pick with some early rankings having him closer to the top five. He spent last season playing in the Czech Extraliga playing against pros and not surprisingly, his offensive numbers didn’t exactly stand out as he notched just seven goals and seven assists in 43 games.
However, against his own age level, Sale fared much better. He had six points in seven games at the World Juniors and then followed that up with six more in five contests at the World Under-18s in May, the final tournament before the draft.
Seattle has already signed Sale to his entry-level deal but assuming he doesn’t play in ten or more NHL games this coming season, his contract will slide a year. As a result, it will still have three years remaining heading into the 2024-25 campaign.