Sabres prospects have history together dating back to minor hockey

BUFFALO -- Adam Kleber, Brodie Ziemer and Ashton Schultz have been friends since they were kids playing minor hockey together in Minnesota. But never could they have envisioned that one day, their hockey dreams would lead to all of them being drafted by the same NHL team.

Kleber, a defenseman, and Ziemer and Schultz, each a forward, are Buffalo Sabres prospects. Kleber was selected in the second round (No. 42) of the 2024 NHL Draft and Ziemer was drafted one round later at No. 71. Schultz joined his friends this summer when he was selected in the sixth round (No. 167) of the 2025 NHL Draft.

“It's honestly crazy,” Ziemer said. “If you told me a couple of years ago I'd be here with Adam Kleber and Ashton Schultz, two guys that I played on the same pee wee team growing up, I'd say you're crazy, but it's happening right now, and it's pretty cool.”

Kleber echoed that sentiment and recalled the surprise and excitement he felt when he found out the Sabres were drafting Ziemer shortly after him.

“That was really cool,” he said. “I remember being in the (Sabres) draft suite and the guys were like, ‘Oh, Ziemer's next on the list.’ I'm like, really? And then they picked him, and it was just kind of a crazy moment, kind of just a small world and how things happen.”

The friendship between Kleber and Ziemer, each 19 years old, dates back to when the two were in third grade. They hail from Chaska, Minnesota, about 30 miles southwest of Minneapolis, and first met when they played for the Machine Orange, a summer team.

Schultz, 18, is from the neighboring city of Victoria, seven miles north of Chaska, and joined them as the youngest player on their pee wee team.

“We were super close throughout the years,” Schultz said. “When I heard my name called by the Sabres, it was pretty special. I was just looking on my phone and getting a text from Ziemer right away, and he was fired up. So, it was a lot of fun coming to (development) camp knowing that these guys would be here.”

Their hockey careers have taken them down different paths in the years since. While Kleber played for his youth association in bantam, Ziemer went to Shattuck-St. Mary’s in ninth grade.

When he was 16, Kleber joined Lincoln of the United States Hockey League, playing two seasons there before heading to the University of Minnesota-Duluth last fall. He had five points (two goals, three assists) in 33 games as a freshman and an assist in six games with the United States’ gold medal-winning team at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship.

Ziemer was a part of the USA Hockey National Development Team Program after his time at Shattuck. He’s coming off his freshman season at the University of Minnesota, where he had 23 points (12 goals, 11 assists) in 38 games and seven points (three goals, four assists) in seven games at the World Juniors, including an assist on the golden goal in overtime.

Schultz went to the USHL after high school, most recently playing 57 games (39 points; 14 goals, 25 assists) with Chicago, where he’ll return this season. He’ll head to the University of North Dakota for the 2026-27 season.

“To accomplish what they have at this point, being all three of them being Division I commits and having been drafted to the NHL, it takes a pretty uncommon level of drive and focus and sacrifice,” said Nick Mattson, who coached them in pee wee. “Those three guys definitely exemplified that. They were just all-in on hockey and doing whatever they could to get better, and they were just extremely driven.”

Each brings a different personality and skill to the group. The towering Kleber (6-foot-6, 229 pounds) is quiet but poised and stoic, his confidence and dominance evident on the ice.

“Kleber’s a great player, hard to play against,” Schultz said. “He's a big defender, so it’s super fun to go against him.”

Ziemer (5-11, 192) is fiery, competitive, and likes to play with an edge, and boasts a high-end shot.

“He's really good at just pulling it in, getting it off,” Kleber said. “He's always a shooting threat, so he’s one of those guys that you're always kind of you're watching to make sure he doesn’t get the shot off.”

Schultz (5-11, 190) is witty, has a strong work ethic, and is a smooth skater and puck-handler.

“He's super chill, he's laid back, but he's really funny,” Ziemer said. “He likes to work hard. He's a good skater and he sees the ice well.”

Mattson has gotten to see how they’ve developed since guiding them as youngsters, with the three returning each summer to skate with him in the offseason.

“All three of them are just such amazing young men now and great teammates,” Mattson said. “And that hasn't changed. Even with all the success they've had, they've remained humble and hungry, so it's pretty darn cool to watch their growth. And, again, just with how good of people they've become, to see them be rewarded is awesome.”