Already have a defenseman from the USHL? Have another one then!
The Buffalo Sabres pick one of the youngest players in the 2024 draft, a puck-moving defenseman in Luke Osburn. While the youngster did not set the USHL alight in his rookie season, there’s some reasons to be positive here.
From The Hockey Writers –
However, there’s a lot more than meets the eye with Osburn. First of all, he’s one of the youngest players in the 2024 NHL Draft; had he been born six days later, he would have qualified for the 2025 Draft. That gives him a significant disadvantage in terms of strength and expression, so to see him keep pace with his team and even claim the USHL’s Defenceman of the Week honours in early March is a promising sign.
Then there’s Osburn’s skillset. What is initially obvious is his skating. He’s a strong, smooth skater, both forward and backward, and uses a long stride and great edgework to match forwards’ pace and quickly close gaps. Although he’s not an overly aggressive defender, he thrives on the attack, using his strong skating and smart stick placement to eliminate most options for those he’s facing. Few rookie defenders are as effective as Osburn when it comes to neutralizing incoming scoring threats and regaining possession, and much of that is thanks to his skating.
On top of his high agility, Osburn is also a highly intelligent defenceman. When defending against an opponent, he extends his stick and puts himself in a lower posture to cover as much area as possible. Then, when the attacker tries to make a move, he is poised to break up the play and dish the puck to an open teammate. He’s calm under pressure and is rarely fooled by a deke, which doesn’t give opponents a lot of options to get around him.
When moving the puck, Osburn remains mobile and demonstrates well-refined techniques rarely seen in a player his age, let alone a defenceman. He can catch pucks while picking up speed, enabling him to control the play. He is also a skilled puck handler, and combined with his agility, he can pull off moves that are rarely attempted by defenders. There’s a lot of deception and quickness in his puck movement, which has earned him some comparisons to Lane Hutson. He can be downright dangerous with the puck, and although he can over-handle it at times, few prospects in the USHL can do what he can.
Despite his lack of production, there are few negatives in Osburn’s game. One area that needs some improvement is his lack of strength, which limits his ability to effectively shut down opponents. He manages to hold his own most of the time, but he lacks the physical edge that could make him a dangerous two-way defenceman. He’s committed to the University of Wisconsin for 2026-27, so that shouldn’t be a major concern, but he’s definitely one of the bigger projects in the 2024 draft class.