First-year Amerks to watch in Sabres training camp

Heading into training camp, Sabres.com is previewing the most important players, lineup questions and storylines for the 2026-27 season. Up next: the prospects.

• Sabres' biggest storylines at forward this season
• How do Zellweger, Crevier fit on Sabres' blue line?
• Evaluating Sabres' goalie depth entering training camp

Homegrown talent has played a major role in the Sabres’ return to contention, with Buffalo draftees Zach Benson, Jack Quinn, Mattias Samuelsson, Owen Power and others reaching new heights last season. Young forwards Noah Ostlund, Konsta Helenius and Jiri Kulich have each had promising starts to their NHL careers, too.

And the organization still has a well-stocked talent pool. While many of the Sabres’ top prospects – like 2026 first-rounders Daxon Rudolph and Ilia Morozov, big defenseman Adam Kleber and competitive winger Brodie Ziemer – are playing college hockey for now, others are in Buffalo for the Prospects Showcase this weekend and training camp this month.

With camp about to get underway, here are some Rochester Americans who merit watching as they begin their first full professional seasons.

• Prospects Showcase | Roster, schedule and how to watch
• From Development Camp: Kleber “a monster” at Minnesota-Duluth
• Always a step ahead, Morozov has impressed at every stop

Radim Mrtka, RHD

The 2025 ninth-overall pick made his North American professional debut last season, playing four AHL games to start the year and seven to end it (three in the Calder Cup Playoffs). Mrtka totaled two assists in those 11 Amerks games; between pro stints, back in junior hockey with Seattle (WHL), he had 37 points in 48 games.

At June’s Development Camp, the 19-year-old reflected on his intro to the AHL.

“It’s a little different than juniors, a little heavier,” Mrtka said. “… Some guys were telling me it’s even harder than NHL, because everyone’s just fighting for a spot. So, I knew that. It’s a great league, but nothing I can’t handle.”

• From Development Camp: Mrtka discusses trade rumors, pro debut

Rochester coach Michael Leone wants the 6-foot-6 defenseman to keep improving his skating, strength and net-front presence. With progress in those areas, Mrtka would creep closer to an NHL opportunity. He also participated in last fall’s training camp, getting an extended (and encouraging) run of preseason action, so it's fair to expect a lot more of Mrtka in this month's exhibitions.

“I loved the time I could play there with guys like (Rasmus) Dahlin, who’s my idol,” he said. “… And I see how tough it is, so it gives me motivation to work even harder.”

Maxim Strbak, RHD

Strbak played the last three seasons at Michigan State, where he was plus-33 with 46 points in 102 total games. The Slovakian defenseman also participated in four IIHF World Junior Championships – averaging a point per game in 2024 and 2025 – and the 2026 World Championship.

With all that experience under his belt, and after some deliberation, the now-21-year-old Strbak decided this spring to sign his entry-level contract with the Sabres. He then made a two-game debut with the Amerks to end their regular season.

“It’s really a good league, the Big Ten, the Spartans. It’s such pro-level hockey,” he said. “So, you always have it in the back of your head like, ‘Oh, maybe another year wouldn’t be that bad.’ But I think, personally, I was ready to take the next step.”

Sabres director of player development Tim Kennedy described the 6-foot-2 blueliner, who blocked 38 shots for Michigan State last season, as a “hard-to-play-against, shutdown defender” with good physicality. Now, the 2023 second-round pick begins his first full season as a pro and looks to carve out a role on an Amerks roster deep in right-shot defensemen.

“I have to prove myself every day, every game, every practice, to really show everyone that I have what it takes,” Strbak said. “I think that’s my goal: just to take it day by day, give it my all, compete as hard as I can and earn everything.”

Gavin McCarthy, RHD

A Buffalo-area native and 2023 third-round pick, McCarthy is yet another righty defenseman who turned pro and debuted with the Amerks late last season, appearing in five games.

McCarthy, 21, just wrapped up a three-year career at Boston University, where in 2025-26 he served as captain, saw power-play time and collected 21 points (4+17) in 36 games. The key for him, Leone explained during Development Camp, is to prioritize the defensive side of his game.

“He’s got to get stronger,” said the Rochester coach. “A lot of it is the same for some of the young defensemen coming into the American League. It’s really important to round out those skills to be a really good defender, because that’s what everybody’s looking for [in] the next defenseman. Everybody’s trying to find a (number) five, six that can play reliable minutes.”

Added Strbak: “We’re all three kind of in the same position when it comes to me, [Mrtka] and Gavin. All right-handed defensemen. We’ll all have to earn it, all have to compete for a spot. I think that’s a good thing; we’re all going to get better because of that.”

Jake Richard, F

Rochester’s forward group has taken a hit over the last several months. Ostlund and Helenius have (likely) become full-time NHLers. Anton Wahlberg was traded to Anaheim. Josh Dunne, Jagger Joshua, Tyler Kopff, Jake Leschyshyn and others departed via free agency.

With those moves comes opportunity for a guy like Richard, who signed his entry-level contract in May after three years at UConn. The 22-year-old totaled 88 points (32+56) in 108 games for the Huskies, including 27 in 38 as a junior last season. A sixth-round pick in 2022, Richard has been a staple at Development Camp and always puts on a show at the annual 3-on-3 scrimmage.

“He’s relied on heavily offensively, and he’s really the leader of that team as an offensive catalyst,” Kennedy told Sabres.com in March, before Richard and UConn began the NCAA Tournament and lost to Strbak’s Spartans in the first round. “… Yes, he needs to produce for his team to have success, but his overall game, his 200-foot game, has improved whether it’s on the forecheck, the backcheck, his defensive-zone play.”

Offense will be harder to come by in the AHL for Richard, who’s yet to make his pro debut, but the situation in Rochester should give him plenty of runway to find his footing.