The Buffalo Sabres have signed forward Trevor Kuntar to a one-year, two-way contract worth $775,000, the team announced Wednesday. The deal is effective for the remainder of this season.
Kuntar, 24, has excelled with the Rochester Americans since joining the team on a one-year AHL contract this past summer. He has 13 points – including a team-leading nine goals – in 24 games this season while playing with a physical edge.
Kuntar is a Buffalo native whose father, Les, played goaltender for the Amerks in 1996-97. Trevor played for the Junior Sabres and grew up attending NHL games at KeyBank Center.
“Those years when I was a kid watching guys like (Ryan) Miller, (Danny) Briere, (Jason) Pominville were some of the best years,” he told Amerks.com after signing his AHL contract this past summer. “It was cool being able to go to games and watch those guys and idolize them.”
The Boston Bruins drafted Kuntar during the third round in 2020, just as he was about to begin a productive three-year career at Boston College. He went on to spend two professional seasons with the Bruins’ AHL affiliate in Providence.
He scored 12 points (3+9) in 54 games with Providence last season, staying positive through healthy scratches and limited ice time, and signed with Rochester eager for a fresh start.
“I’m just so thankful that (Amerks coach Michael Leone) trusted me and gave me an opportunity,” he said last month. “I always knew I had it in me, I just feel like I never really got that chance. So, it feels really good to kind of show that and help the team.”
