Jun 27, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Radim Mrtka (second from left) poses with John Rzeznik (left) and Robby Takac (second from right) of the Goo Goo Dolls and NHL commissioner Gary Bettman (right) after being selected as the ninth overall pick to the Buffalo Sabres in the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft at Peacock Theater. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Sabres First-Round Pick Sent to AHL

Originally posted on Breakaway on SI | By Tyler Miller | Last updated Oct 4, 2025 10:17 AM ET

With NHL teams putting finshing touches on their rosters for opening night coming up soon, there are some hard decisions to make. And for Buffalo Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams, he had a very hard decision to make. Was he going to put his ninth overall pick on his NHL roster to begin the season and give him a nine-game trial or was he going to send him to the AHL to develop more?

Well, the answer is he is going to give Radim Mrtka some seasoning in the AHL with the Sabres affiliate the Rochester Americans. For Mrtka, it is not necessarily detrimental that he starts the season with the Americans rather than starting in the pros.

Sabres announce most of their final cuts today which includes Radim Mrtka being assigned to the Amerks.

Ryan Johnson remains with the Sabres
— Chad DeDominicis (@CMDeDominicis) October 4, 2025

Most top 10 picks are not going to see NHL action right away. Most teams believe that they need to get more time to develop rather than be thrown in the NHL right away and make a ton of mistakes right off the bat. And for Mrtka, he can play top pairing minutes for the Americans and really get a feel for hockey in the AHL where he can play future NHL talent and really show off his skill set.

Mrtka was drafted from the Seattle Thunderbirds of the WHL and played 43 games and tallied 3 goals and 32 assists, which is almost a point-per-game at 18 years old. Mrtka also stands at 6'6 218 pounds at his age, with his size, he is going to dominate the NHL when he finally gets a look and gets consistent playing time.

The Sabres also do not have to rush Mrtka up and rush his development as they already have guys like Owen Power, Rasmus Dahlin, Bowen Byram, Mattias Samuelsson already on their defensive roster. Mrtka will definitely add to that whenever the Sabres decide that he is definitely ready and can handle everyday NHL competition.

There seemingly is just no room for Mrtka at the moment to play on the blue line in Buffalo as he is blocked by some of the veterans that have played on the team for a while. His time will come and when he finally gets the call, he will not disappoint.

This article first appeared on Breakaway on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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