After draft, Mrtka and Ratzlaff reunite in Buffalo

The Buffalo Sabres continued their 2025 development camp on Monday at LECOM Harborcenter, where fans got their first glimpse of ninth-overall pick Radim Mrtka on the ice.

• 2025 Development Camp | Schedule | Roster

Among those thrilled to see the Czech defenseman join his new organization was goalie prospect Scott Ratzlaff, a teammate of Mrtka’s with the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds this past season.

“It was awesome,” Ratzlaff said of the Sabres’ first-round decision. “I had a feeling; they asked me a lot of questions about him. Nothing but good things from him, and I’m really excited that we get to share a team together.”

Last November, when the 6-foot-6, then-17-year-old Mrtka arrived in North America after a stint of professional hockey in Czechia, he displayed a head-turning combination of ability and maturity.

“To see the size of his feet, I thought maybe this guy’s gonna be a little clumsy, but he was the complete opposite,” Ratzlaff said. “He’s a great skater, as you can see out there. He thinks the game well. Buffalo got a good pick, really.

“… A lot of guys can just take it easy or light and [go], ‘This doesn’t apply to me yet, I’m too young.’ But he knew that every rep, every workout counts. And I think I noticed that from the beginning. He just took his time, did his thing and was usually the last one in the gym.”

Mrtka finished the WHL season with 35 points (3+32) and a plus-10 rating in 43 games, while Ratzlaff, in 49 appearances, went 23-19-4 with a 3.16 goals-against average and .910 save percentage. Together, the Sabres prospects led an impressive turnaround for the Thunderbirds, who overcame a double-digit points deficit to qualify for the playoffs.

Following Seattle's six-game postseason, Ratzlaff was assigned to Rochester. Though he didn’t appear in a game for the Amerks, the 2023 fifth-round pick learned plenty from his first taste of AHL life.

“I think it was really important for him to come, (after) finishing up in Seattle, on our stretch run at the end of the year,” said Amerks head coach Michael Leone. “Just to see the day-to-day, how hard it is, the preparation. I think being around both our goalies in Rochester (Devon Levi and Felix Sandstrom) really helped him.”

Added Ratzlaff, who also appreciated the chance to meet Rochester and Buffalo’s staffs: “Being with those pro guys, day in and day out, you learn a lot of things about the position, a lot of things about what they do right that has gotten them to that point.”

It wasn’t his first time around “pro guys.” Last fall, Ratzlaff joined the Sabres for the preseason and looked unfazed during his few games in net. Looking back, he credits that action with boosting his confidence and setting the tone for a strong 2024-25 campaign.

“It was a surreal experience,” Ratzlaff said. “I remember playing against the Blue Jackets, and I looked on Twitter in the morning and they pretty much had their full entire lineup; it was the Buffalo Amerks versus the Blue Jackets. I just knew, going into it, I’ve got nothing to lose. I’m playing against an NHL team, I just want to show what I can do and have a little fun out there.”

Little is certain with Buffalo’s organizational depth chart in net; Devon Levi could begin the season with the Sabres or Amerks, and two new faces, Samuel Meloche and Yevgeni Prokhorov, entered the mix as 2025 draftees.

Whatever the competition, Ratzlaff, 20, made clear that he wants a spot on Amerks’ roster this fall, and development camp marks the first opportunity to begin earning it.

Here’s more from Monday at LECOM Harborcenter.

Starting strong

During an early skating drill, prospects synced their strides with a metronome playing over the speaker system.

But the pace had already been set during morning fitness tests with Brian Galivan, the Sabres’ new director of performance. Brought aboard to establish new organization-wide standards and practices for strength and conditioning, Galivan gave Development Camp attendees their first taste of his new program.

“I think he’s fantastic; he has a unique way about him, he has a presence to him,” said Leone, who worked with Galivan in his previous role with the USHL’s Green Bay Gamblers. “He’s pretty jacked, tattoos, rides a Harley. He’s pretty intense, too, but he has an unbelievable relationship with the players. He’s hard on them, but in a good way; it comes from a really good place.

“… He trains a lot of superior athletes and has for a long time. He’s really well respected, and he’s a culture driver.”

Amerks' absences

Only one player with any AHL experience – forward Tyler Kopff, who played six games with the Amerks this April – is participating in this year’s camp. Leone attributes this to the length of Rochester’s 2024-25 season, which ended May 25 with a Game 5 loss to Laval in the North Division Finals.

“It was a grind of a season,” Leone said. “When you look at even some of the younger guys – [Konsta Helenius, Anton Wahlberg] – that played World Juniors, you’re looking at close to 80-plus games. … They played valuable minutes for us, so I think just to have those guys stay back, train at home, especially in the crucial time of their development, is really important.”

Other notable prospects absent from development camp, at least to start, are defensemen Maxim Strbak and David Bedkowski. Strbak, a Michigan State Spartan, is absent due to personal reasons. Bedkowski, drafted in Saturday’s third round, hasn’t arrived yet due to illness.

Mrtka’s number

Prior to the draft, The Athletic’s Corey Pronman compared Mrtka’s potential to that of a young Tyler Myers.

Myers stands 6-foot-8, was drafted 12th overall by Buffalo in 2008 and has worn No. 57 throughout his 1,066-game NHL career.

Mrtka, a meager 6-foot-6, took the ice wearing No. 57 just three days after the Sabres selected him ninth overall.

“Tyler Myers has played 1,000 NHL games, and I think Mrtka definitely has the potential to be a long-time top-four defenseman who just plays reliable, steady minutes in all situations,” Pronman told Sabres.com.

• Read: Sabres, Mrtka happy to have each other

Up next

Sabres.com will have full coverage of the next three days of Development Camp, including Thursday's scrimmage. All on-ice sessions are open to the public.

And stay tuned Tuesday for updates on the Sabres' signings when NHL free agency opens at noon.