Sabres prospects head into training camp with ‘an edge’ after Prospects Showcase 

With how short a time the Buffalo Sabres’ prospects have shared the ice over the last few days, it was only fitting that the second and final game of the 2026 Prospects Showcase required extra hockey to decide a winner.  

In all, four goals from Boston first-rounder James Hagens proved to be too much for Buffalo to overcome, as the Bruins squeaked by the Sabres, 4-3 in overtime, at LECOM Harborcenter on Monday afternoon. But with just two formal practices and only a mere few days to nail down a system, Rochester Americans head coach Michael Leone and his squad are focused less on results and more on preparing for the main event – training camp – which begins Thursday. 

“Looking at the schedule, it is completely different than (past) training camps, you don't really have that much time,” Leone said. “Just being around everyone, I think there's a confidence and a swagger, which I think is really important in an organization. … We’re really excited to start camp.”

• From Sunday: Prospects Showcase Game 1 takeaways

Though the final score tipped in favor of the Bruins, the Sabres’ young guns came out with much more vigor for Monday’s matinee than they had Sunday evening. Buffalo jumped out to a 2-0 lead on goals from defensemen Gavin McCarthy and Maxim Strbak, and Liam Valente added a score in the third period to tie a bow on the 2026 Prospects Showcase. 

“Yeah, it’s awesome. It was a lot of fun,” Strbak said. “It was great honor to put the Sabres jersey on for the first time, and I think I think we competed really hard.” 

Here are some takeaways from Monday’s game.

Defense put to the test

It was easy to see the positives for the Sabres’ defense in how it showed up on the box score – four points from defensemen on Monday – but it’s even more impressive when you consider just how tricky a situation the group was thrust into. 

For Strbak, this weekend wasn’t just the first time he was playing alongside fellow draft pick Radim Mrtka – he had to do so playing on his off hand. 

"Obviously, it's a little tough sometimes, two righties. One of us has to play on the off side, off hand,” Strbak said. “But it's good. He’s a really good player. Good on the puck, strong, good kid. So it's been fun.”

Mrtka tallied an assist on Monday – his lone point of the short tournament – but stuck out in other ways, clogging shooting lanes by blocking shots and carrying the puck out of dangerous situations. He and Strbak got ample time on the penalty kill as well, an even loftier task for two righthanded defensemen. 

“I'm a big believer of lefty-righty, lefty-righty," Leone said. "… You think about the faceoff, when you get in the pocket and you have your backhand, and you've got to get to your forehand, and you've got to make a path – that split second at levels is really important." 

McCarthy also played on his off side, slotting in to the left of Vsevolod Komarov.  Of the seven defensemen rostered for the Sabres this weekend, six were right-shot defensemen. The right side will be loaded for this season's Amerks, too. 

“When you're at the NHL level and you have the likes of (Rasmus) Dahlin and (Mattias) Samuelsson – those guys have the ability to play anywhere,” Leone said. “But when you're talking about young defensemen, that makes a difference.”

Meloche gets the net

The last time 2025 fourth-rounder Samuel Meloche donned the Sabres’ crest, he wasn’t too happy about his play, allowing seven goals through 60 minutes of action at this event a year ago. 

“I was a bit nervous for the game, the first game wearing the Buffalo Sabres jersey,” he admitted. 

This time around, stopping 29 of 33 shots – and looking poised and confident while doing so – Meloche is walking away with a performance he’s proud of. 

“I thought he had a really solid game. You know, those are high-level shots (from Hagens),” Leone praised his netminder postgame. “He looked confident in the net. So, really good for a young goalie in that environment.” 

After spending the last three seasons with the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, Meloche will wrap up his QMJHL career with the Saint John Sea Dogs in 2026-27 before heading to Northeastern University in 2027-28. 

“I've got a couple practical things to get better at, and I thought today it was a lot better than it was last year,” Meloche said. “I felt good with the speed today, and I'm really happy about it.”

‘It’s a learning experience’

Boston’s prospects weren’t just any prospects – Leone made that clear after both games. 

“That was a good team we just played, and so I think it’s a learning experience,” Leone told the media on Sunday. 

While many of the Sabres prospects have yet to take the ice as professional hockey players, the Bruins touted Hagens and Dans Locmelis, both of whom have competed at the highest level. Hagens played in three NHL playoff games for Boston last year, while Locmelis has vast international experience with Team Latvia, none bigger than this past February when he represented his home nation at the Olympic Games in Milan. 

Buffalo did a good job containing Boston’s stars at 5-on-5, Leone said. It was on the power play, given time and space, where they can make you pay – Hagens’ hat trick in regulation was composed of all power-play goals, before he added a fourth at 3-on-3. 

All that said, playing against this type of competition can only make you better, especially with things kicking into high gear with training camp’s commencement Thursday. 

“Obviously, they're great players. … But I think it's good to get that experience,” said forward Matteo Costantini, who notched an assist on McCarthy’s opening tally. “They're really good players, and I think they can do a lot for us facing them. Kind of shut them down and use that to gain some confidence. 

“I'm glad I got to play in this again. I think it kind of gives you a little bit of an edge going into training camp now for Buffalo, kind of get that cardio up and those reps in."

Bonus: Leone ‘couldn’t be happier’ for Ostlund

Around the same time the Sabres’ prospects took the ice Monday, Noah Ostlund and Buffalo got a big piece of business done – the promising young forward was **rewarded with an eight-year contract extension** worth an average annual value of $6.6 million. 

Leone – who coached the now 22-year-old Ostlund for parts of three seasons while he bounced between Rochester and Buffalo – was just about to make his way to the bench when he heard the announcement and made sure to relay a couple of important messages to Ostlund before puck drop. 

“I told him he owes me dinner, breakfast, and lunch,” Leone said with a grin. “But I couldn't be happier. Unbelievable kid, and I think he's just scratching the surface. … Awesome day for the organization. Couldn’t be prouder of him, and he earned it.” 

Ostlund and Leone developed a close bond throughout Ostlund’s 54-game tenure in Rochester, where Leone had a front row seat to all the things the Swede did to become a better hockey player – and to, ultimately, earn a full-time spot in the NHL. 

“I'm sure if you ask some of the Sabres guys, they all love playing with him, because I think whoever plays with him, they're going to get the puck. … But he's just a winning hockey player,” Leone said. “He’s not the biggest guy, he’s not the best, but he's so smart. He's willing. There's one thing where players are shy, are hesitant at that size to get in battles, but he's willing. Does he always come up with pucks? No, no player does, but he's willing, and he's scratching the surface of the player that he can be.”

Postgame media