The New York Islanders took Tim Connolly, an American-born Center with the Fifth Overall Pick, in 1999.  Two years later, at the 2001 Draft, he was traded within the state to Buffalo for Michael Peca, and like the person he was traded for, injuries would come to define his career.

One of the best values of the 1997 Draft was Brian Campbell, a Defenseman who the Buffalo Sabres took in the Sixth Round.

A pair of Second Round picks brought Germany’s Jordan Hecht to the Buffalo Sabres, and for ten seasons (2002-03 to 2012-13), he provided clean and solid two-way hockey.

Drew Stafford was a star at the University of North Dakota, and he left early to join the Buffalo Sabres, the team that took him 13^th Overall in 2004.