BUFFALO – University of Wisconsin coach Mike Hastings said he sometimes tells Sabres defense prospect Luke Osburn to take a break and stay off the ice.
While Osburn’s strong work ethic is one of greatest strengths – “The standard he sets for himself is at an elite level,” Hastings told the Times Herald – he occasionally needs to take a step back.
“He’s a very good self-evaluator,” Hastings said. “He’s one of those few players, those unicorns as hockey players, that you sometimes got to tell him, ‘Hey, slow down here a little bit.’ It’s OK when mistakes are made because he’s a little bit of a perfectionist looking at his own game.”
His desire to be the best and what Hastings called a “fearless” style helped Osburn morph from a freshman trying to get his feet underneath him in college hockey last season into a youngster the coaching staff utilized in any situation.
To wit: with Wisconsin trailing 3-1 and 4:47 remaining in the third period of the NCAA regional final, Osburn’s goal ignited a stunning comeback against Michigan State.
“One of the coolest games I’ve ever played,” Osburn, a fourth-round pick by the Sabres in 2024, 108th overall, said earlier this month following a session of development camp in LECOM Harborcenter.
He was also on the ice 32 seconds later when the Badgers tied the game and again when they scored on the first shift in overtime to punch their ticket to the Frozen Four.
In pressure-packed situations, Hastings kept turning to one of his youngest players.
“We recruited him to come in and make an impact in our program immediately, and he took advantage of every opportunity that he had,” said Hastings, whose Badgers lost to the University of Denver in the championship game.
In tying that memorable game, Osburn showcased his aggressive style, leaving his point position and scoring from the bottom of the left circle.
“He likes having the puck on his stick, and so he doesn’t shy away from big moments, early in a game, late in a game, up one, down one,” Hastings said. “You see the Michigan State game where he scores the goal to get us within one, and he’s five and a half feet from the net on the back side.”
The 6-foot-1, 181-pound Osburn possesses intriguing offensive talent.
He registered 10 goals and 41 points in 55 games with the junior Youngstown Phantoms in 2024-25, winning United States Hockey League Defenseman of the Year honors. He compiled six goals and 21 points in 33 outings as a freshman, earning a spot on the Big 10 All-Rookie Team.
As the season progressed, Osburn, who missed time battling mononucleosis, started earning action on the power-play.
Hastings said the Michigan native is “comfortable in any portion of the ice.”
“Some people talk about 200 feet, but he’s as comfortable behind our net as he is behind theirs,” he said. “Those guys are hard to find.”
What could Osburn, one of several high-end defense prospects the Sabres have drafted in the last two years, evolve into someday?
“It’s hard to put a ceiling on him because of all the intangibles being in place,” Hastings said.
Hastings said Osburn must focus on improving his skating. Over the past year, he has developed better lateral movement.
“I think you’re just starting to see him really come into his own,” he said.