Coming out of the NHL Scouting Combine last weekend, the Buffalo Sabres got the lowdown on a number of prospects that could be their with the ninth selection at the 2025 Draft in Los Angeles later this month, but barring a trade up they will have to rely on the player they want slipping through the cracks.
The NY Islanders are likely to select defenseman Matthew Schaefer with the top overall pick, but there is no accurate read on how the remaining seven picks will break. That seems to be reflected in various mock drafts that have emerged since the combine. After Schaefer, names like Michael Misa, Caleb Desnoyers, and rising star Anton Frondell are likely to go in the top five, but at that point, any of a number of players could be there for the Sabres at #9.
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Seattle Thunderbirds defenseman Radim Mrtka is a possibility for the Sabres, based on the fact that the club is looking to address the right side of the blueline. According to the Hockey News Draft Preview, the 6’6” defenseman can skate and move the puck, which could make his path to the NHL a relatively short one.
“I want to be better offensively and get better in every (aspect) of the game,” Mrtka said on Saturday. “(Coming over to Seattle) helped me a lot. They gave me a lot of time and chances, and I think it went pretty good. It’s my dream to be in the NHL. So it’s kind of preparation for me to live here and stay here.”
Mrtka joined the WHL’s Thunderbirds after starting the season in the Czech League, and while he put up solid offensive numbers in the WHL, scouts aren’t expecting him to duplicate that in the NHL. There’s still a lot to like about the big 18-year-old as a future middle-pair blueliner, who models his game after Victor Hedman and Moritz Seider.
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