Buffalo Sabres select Daxon Rudolph with the fourth overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft

The Buffalo Sabres selected defenseman Daxon Rudolph with the fourth overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. The 18-year-old from Lacombe, Alberta, recorded 78 points in 68 games with the WHL's Prince Albert Raiders and led all WHL defensemen with 27 playoff points. Rudolph, the first defenseman taken in the draft, also won gold at the 2025 Under-18 World Championship and will attend the University of Denver in the fall.