Meet the Sabres' 2025 draft class

Following the selection of defenseman Radim Mrtka during Round 1 on Friday, the Buffalo Sabres added eight selections to their Class of 2025 during Day 2 of the NHL Draft.

Buffalo began the day with nine picks but traded their second-round selection (No. 39 overall) for an immediate boost to the NHL roster, acquiring right-shot defenseman Conor Timmins from Pittsburgh along with fellow defenseman Isaac Belliveau.

All told, the Class of 2025 comprised of nine players: four forwards, three defensemen and two goaltenders. Five of those players are listed at 6-foot-1 or taller, adding size to a prospect pool that already includes a litany of large defensemen in recent draft picks such as Nikitia Novikov, Maxim Strbak, and Adam Kleber, among others.

“I would not say we thought we lacked size or toughness or grit in our prospect pool, but also, at the same time, there’s a recency bias,” said Sabres assistant general manager Jerry Forton, who oversees the team’s amateur scouting.

“You watch the way the playoffs are played, you don’t expect that to go away any time soon. We obviously want to be a playoff team in the near future and for a long time here, so you’re trying to target playoff-type players, and I would say maybe we talked a little bit extra about that, whether consciously or subconsciously, that affected the placement of a few players on our list.”

Here's a breakdown of each selection made by the Sabres.

Round 1, Pick 9 | Radim Mrtka, RHD – Seattle (WHL)

6-foot-6, 218 pounds | 2024-25: 43 GP | 3 G | 32 A | 35 P

• Watch: Highlights | Read: Mrtka, Sabres happy to have each other

Mrtka was the fifth-ranked North American skater in the draft, according to NHL Central Scouting Services. He adds a right shot to the defensive pipeline, with the potential to one day line up alongside one of the Sabres’ left-shot defensemen in Rasmus Dahlin or Owen Power.

In a pre-draft conversation with Sabres.com, NHL.com draft analyst Mike G. Morreale referred to Mrtka – who did not begin training for a professional hockey career until age 14 – as having one of the highest upsides in the draft.

“He never went to a skills camp or a skating clinic prior to the age of 14,” Morreale said. “That’s why I think, of any prospect in this draft, the ceiling is the highest for him. He’s already a big guy at 6-6, but when he begins to learn the game even more, what he can do with that size frame, I think it’s gonna be pretty scary.”

Mrtka on what he’ll bring to the Sabres: “I will bring my heart. I will just leave everything for the team, to bring the team forward. I’m a two-way player who’s trying to help the team as much as I can and just leave my heart for the team.”

Sabres GM Kevyn Adams on the pick: “I think it's a package that's pretty rare – 6-foot-6 right-shot defenseman that plays a good two-way game, good with the puck. Good feet, mobile, plays hard. Really, really good kid. Just in my experience as general manager over the years, it's extremely challenging to get those type of players if you don't draft them so we just felt when that guy's on the board, that was the right pick to make.”

Round 3, Pick 71 | David Bedkowski, RHD – Owen Sound (OHL)

6-foot-4, 221 pounds | 2024-25: 35 GP | 3 G | 4 A | 7 P

The theme of adding large, right-shot defensemen – which includes the NHL-level trade acquisitions of Michael Kesselring and Conor Timmins – continues with the selection of Bedkowski, a 6-foot-4 blueliner with a reputation for physicality.

“Looking at myself with these colors, the blue and gold, it’s truly an out-of-body experience for me,” he said. “I’m super excited to be going to Buffalo.

"... I am what my playstyle is. I’m a heart and soul guy, loyal to the soil. Just compete is the name of the game for me. Sacrificing, blocking shots, whatever it is, whatever it takes."

Once a “soft” 15-year-old coming into the OHL, Bedkowski worked hard to develop the physical side of his game. He’s since become a feared hitter and takes immense pride in that ability.

“A big open-ice hit, it can change the course of a game, shift the momentum,” Bedkowski said. “Even those small hits, too, that might not make the highlight reels, that’s gonna wear down on players. When I’m on the ice, opposing forwards know, and it’s gonna change their routes.”

Round 4, Pick 103 | Matous Kucharcik, C – Slavia Jr. (Czech Jr.)

6-foot-4, 180 pounds | 2024-25: 25 GP | 6 G | 10 A | 16 P

The size trend continues, this time with an addition to the forward pipeline. Described as a two-way centerman, Kucharcik split last season between Czechia’s junior and second-tier pro league. He was teammates with Mrtka on Czechia’s national team at the U-18 World Championship.

Kucharcik’s father, Tomas, was a Toronto draft pick in 1991 who played professionally throughout Europe – including Czechia, Finland, Switzerland, Italy, and Germany. Matous was born in Vipiteno, Italy as a result.

"He comes from a very prominent hockey family in the Czech Republic," Forton said. "Good two-way player."

Round 4, Pick 116 (from MIN via ANA) | Samuel Meloche, G – Rouyn-Noranda (QMJHL)

6-foot-2, 190 pounds | 2024-25: 51 GP | .900 SV% | 2.90 GAA

Meloche ranked fifth in the QMJHL with 51 games played last season and tied for the league lead with five shutouts. He tied for second during the regular season with 30 wins and went 8-3-2 with a .911 save percentage in 13 playoff games.

Round 5, Pick 135 | Noah Laberge, LHD – Acadie Bathurst (QMJHL)

6-foot-0, 187 pounds | 2024-25: 63 GP | 12 G | 23 A | 35 P

Laberge ranked third in the QMJHL among draft-eligible defensemen – and 16th among all of the league’s draft-eligible players – with 35 points this past season. Elite Prospects describes him as “an intelligent and mobile blueliner who specializes in suppressing opposing rushes.”

Laberge on what he'll bring to the Sabres: "I'm more of a two-way D-man. I have a lot of great skating abilities, so I can skate with the puck and I can be offensive when the time is right, and defensively, I have a really good stick."

Round 6, Pick 167 | Ashton Schultz, C – Chicago (USHL)

5-foot-11, 180 pounds | 2024-25: 57 GP | 14 G | 25 A | 39 P

Schultz tied for the team lead in Chicago with 39 points this past season, his second in the USHL. He is committed to play collegiately at North Dakota.

"He has a very high skill set and excellent hockey sense," NHL Central Scouting's Pat Cullen told NHL.com.

Round 7, Pick 195 (from NSH) | Melvin Novotny, F – Leksands Jr. (Sweden – JR.)

6-foot-1, 185 pounds | 2024-25: 41 GP | 12 G | 26 A | 38 P

Novotny’s 38 points this past season ranked fifth on Leksands IF’s J20 team. Earlier this month, after signing with the USHL’s Muskegon Lumberjacks, the forward summarized his game:

"I'm an intense player,” Novotny said. “I try to be creative in the defensive zone and get my feet moving while mixing in some physicality. I think I am an all-around player who is going to help out at both ends of the ice."

The Taby, Sweden, native has represented his country at several international tournaments, including the most recent Under-18 World Junior Championship and Hlinka Gretzky Cup.

Round 7, Pick 199 | Yevgeni Prokhorov, G – Dinamo-Shinnik (MHL)

6-foot-3, 172 pounds | 2024-25: 28 GP | .903 SV% | 2.19 GAA

Prokhorov, a native of Belarus, is the second goalie added to the pipeline following the addition of Meloche. He spent last season in Russia’s junior league (MHL), where he had a .943 save percentage in six playoff games.

Forton said he believes it's a possibility that Prokhorov makes the jump to North American hockey in the near future.

Round 7, Pick 219 (from WSH via SJS) | Ryan Rucinski, RW – Youngstown (USHL)

5-foot-10, 176 pounds | 2024-25: 49 GP | 19 G | 23 A | 42 P

Rucinski ranked fourth on his team with 42 points last season. He is committed to play collegiately at Ohio State.