Noah Ostlund is part of the new wave of young talent in Western New York, and the Buffalo Sabres forward will be calling the region home for years to come following a strong 2025-26 campaign.

The 22-year-old signed an eight-year, $52.8 million contract extension Monday, the team announced. The deal carries a $6.6 million average annual value.

“He’s a coach’s dream, because those are the type of players you don’t really have to coach,” head coach Lindy Ruff said in April, per the official release. “He pretty well knows where he’s going almost every time. Very few times in the D zone does he get out of position.”

Originally selected 16th overall by the Sabres in the 2022 NHL Draft, Ostlund appeared in eight games in 2024-25 but failed to record a point. He was excellent with the American Hockey League’s Rochester Americans, though, scoring 19 goals and 36 points in 45 games.

The Nykvarn, Sweden native opened the 2025-26 campaign in Rochester and amassed 10 points in seven games before receiving the call-up. He was solid during his rookie season, scoring 27 points in 60 games while occupying a bottom-six role for most of the year.

It’s the longest contract Ostlund could sign before the Sept. 15 deadline, when the NHL’s new collective bargaining agreement takes effect and limits maximum contract lengths to seven years.

The pact will keep the youngster in Buffalo through the 2034-35 campaign, and the hope is that he will continue improving as he gets more National Hockey League games under his belt.

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Ostlund didn’t look out of place in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs, chipping in a goal and an assist over three games as the Sabres defeated the Boston Bruins in six games in Round 1.

He suffered a lower-body injury during Game 5 against the Bruins and missed the remainder of the playoff run, which concluded with a hard-fought seven-game loss to the Montreal Canadiens in the second round.

Ostlund said during locker cleanout that his recovery wouldn’t severely impact his offseason training, and he should be fully healthy when training camp gets underway.

He spent two seasons in Sweden’s professional leagues before crossing the pond to North America, scoring 23 points in 38 games with the SHL’s Vaxjo Lakers as a teenager.

Ostlund is now one of 10 Sabres signed through at least 2029-30, joining forwards Josh Norris, Zach Benson, Tage Thompson, Josh Doan, Peyton Krebs and Beck Malenstyn, along with defensemen Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power and Mattias Samuelsson.

The Sabres begin their 2026-27 campaign against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Oct. 1.