The Buffalo Sabres have been considered to have one of the deepest prospect pools in the NHL, which is in part due to them selecting high in recent drafts because of their not qualifying for the playoffs. The Sabres have displayed an eye for talent, but the organization’s developmental model has not yielded enough results.
Leading up to the opening of training camp in mid-September, we will look at the club’s top 40 prospects. All are 25 years old or younger, whose rights are currently held by the Sabres or are on AHL or NHL deals, and have played less than 40 NHL games.
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#2 – Radim Mrtka – Defense (Seattle – WHL)
The Buffalo Sabres once again had a top 10 pick at the 2025 NHL Draft, and after lengthy speculation that they might trade the pick for immediate help with GM Kevyn Adams entering a do or die season, the Sabres kept the ninth overall pick and selected Seattle Thunderbirds defenseman Radim Mrtka.
Mrtka offers an intriguing physical package at 6’6”, 218 lb. with excellent skating ability. After getting limited playing time in various levels in Czechia last season and playing for his country in the Under-18s, the big right hander came to North America to play in the WHL and posted 35 points (3 goals, 32 assists) in 43 games with the Thunderbirds, where he was teammates with current Sabres prospect Scott Ratzlaff.
“Mrtka (offers a) very unique package to be able to move the way he does at 6’6″, (is) almost more agile with the puck, if that’s possible,” Sabres Asst GM Jerry Forton said before the draft. “A smart player at both ends. I was over in Czechia early in the year when he wasn’t getting a lot of playing time in the men’s league over there to see what he was willing to do to move to North America. He comes from a background where he has very little in the way of resources for hockey or anything outside hockey. He uprooted, high character kid, a huge ceiling.”
The big 18-year-old will play in the 2025 Prospects Challenge this weekend and may get into an exhibition game or two before being sent back to the WHL, and is all but a shoo-in to play for Czechia in the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championships.
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