Story and Photo By Warren Kozireski
Buffalo did not have a second or third round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft trading them in earlier trades with Winnipeg and the New York Rangers but added three new prospects on Day Two.
In the fourth round 124th overall, the Sabres selected Latvian center Olivers Murnieks, who has played the last two seasons in North American with Sioux City in the USHL and Saint John in the QMJHL.
6’1” and 192 lb. Murnieks also was part of Team Latvia at the World Juniors this past December-January. He scored seven goals with 13 assists in 31 games last season, missing almost two months with a concussion.
“Any organization that drafted me was getting a good player so I’m very proud to be drafted by the Buffalo Sabres because the fans and the city seems amazing the last couple of days here so I can’t wait to play here,” Murnieks said in his post draft press conference.
“I would say I’m a two-way player who can do everything and a reliable player the coaches can trust me in any situation.
As to why he chose to come overseas to play two years ago, “For my development I thought coming here would be better and also get more exposure for this moment, but since coming ere I’ve made a lot of improvements in my game.”
Murnieks said in his press conference that he is unsure where he will play in 2026-27 but is committed to Boston College in 2027. Assistant General Manager Jerry Forton said he is supposed to join Boston College this fall, so something to keep tabs on.
In the fifth round the Sabres took their third center of the draft in Hungarian Doman Szongoth, who has played his junior hockey in Finland and competed four times for Team Hungary in international competition.
He becomes just the fourth player in NHL Draft history from Hungary to be selected and he will attempt to become the first to play in an NHL game.
This past season he accumulated 28 points in 44 games playing with KooKoo U-20 while adding 31 points over 44 international contests.
“Very competitive player (and) another player who has a good two-way game, we think he needs to work on his skating a little bit, we’ll have a long path with him obviously but there are some intangibles there that we really like and he gets to the inside of the game and gets to the net and still takes care of his own end,” Forton said.
With their final selection in the sixth-round Buffalo selected 6’0”, 167 lb. right wing Dyan Dumont. He played last with Drummondville in the QMJHL where he scored 23 fewer points in 20 more games than the season prior while skating with Saint-Hyacinthe albeit in a higher league.
“During the course of the year progressed in Drummondville; very much a player who gets to the inside of the game almost a mini-power forward approach to his style of play,” Forton said. “Until two years ago was 140-145 pounds and up to 170-plus pounds right now and apparently in the last few months has put on another ten or twelve pounds.
“Very young for the draft with an August birthday so we’re betting on some more physical development upside and the ability just to inside already at his size will only get better and he gets bigger and stronger.”