‘A package that’s pretty rare’ | Sabres and Mrtka happy to have each other

Radim Mrtka’s hockey journey has taken him all over during the last several months. Last fall, he began his season with HC Ocelari Trinek in his native Czechia. After a handful of games there, he signed with the Seattle Thunderbirds and moved to North America, vaulting up draft boards with a breakout season in the Western Hockey League.

Now, the 6-foot-6 defenseman will be on his way to Buffalo. On Friday, the Sabres selected Mrtka with the ninth-overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.

“It’s one of your dreams to be drafted, and especially that high,” said Mrtka, who received the news alongside his parents and brother at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. “So, it’s an amazing feeling, and I’m so excited to move to a new city, new team.”

Many speculated that Buffalo would trade the No. 9 pick – and general manager Kevyn Adams explored doing so – but Mrtka represented too intriguing a prospect to pass up.

“I think it's a package that's pretty rare – 6-foot-6 right-shot defenseman that plays a good two-way game, good with the puck,” Adams said following the first round. “Good feet, mobile, plays hard. Really, really good kid.

“Just in my experience as general manager over the years, it's extremely challenging to get those type of players if you don't draft them, so we just felt when that guy's on the board, that was the right pick to make.”

The NHL will undoubtedly require more adjustments and present more challenges for the 18-year-old Mrtka, but if the past year is any indication, he’ll handle them in stride and continue developing into a top-notch NHL blueliner.

Mrtka learned English back in Czechia and felt confident in his skills. Upon arriving in Seattle in November, though, he struggled to understand – or be understood by – his teammates. And despite already having experience on North American-sized ice, Mrtka was surprised by the pace and physicality of his new league.

“Sometimes have to take a hit to make a play,” he learned. His English improved, too, which was clear as he addressed the media at the NHL Scouting Combine and Friday following the pick.

The Sabres have monitored Mrtka closely since Adams scouted him in person at last August’s Hlinka Gretzky Cup in Edmonton, a five-game performance that made quite the impression on Buffalo’s front office. Mrtka’s continued growth in the 10 months since further convinced the Sabres of his strong potential.

“Going from the Czech league – you’re not getting as much ice time as a young guy – and all of a sudden playing junior in the Western Hockey League, that’s a big life transition,” Adams said. “… So, there’s more than just the hockey player there; it’s a pretty impressive kid.”

In short time, Mrtka became a do-it-all force for the Thunderbirds as he played substantial minutes, killed penalties and generated offense from the blue line. He finished the WHL regular season with 35 points (3+32) in 43 games, with those 0.81 points per game ranking third among the league’s rookie defensemen.

“What most helped me was the trust the coach put in me,” Mrtka said of his development in Seattle. “I played a lot of minutes, and I tried to do everything for the team and for the coaches.”

Mrtka admittedly hasn’t watched a ton of NHL hockey over the years, due to obvious time zone and broadcast limitations. He’s recently begun focusing more on the league, though, and one defenseman who’s caught his eye is his future teammate and captain Rasmus Dahlin.

“I’m trying to look up and play like him, so it’s gonna be great to learn from him and play with him,” Mrtka said. “… I like his calmness and his two-way game, that he’s able to do everything for the team. I mean, he’s just good. He’s just so good.”

It remains to be seen how soon Mrtka will join his “idol” Dahlin on the KeyBank Center ice. Adams made it clear that the Sabres won’t rush their newest first-round pick’s development, tempting as it’d be to incorporate his skillset into the Sabres’ lineup.

“If it’s a year, two years, three years, you just don't know,” Adams said. “But there's a good player there, and we project him as a top-four right-shot defenseman. Whenever that time comes, we’ll see, but (we’re) excited.”

Whenever Mrtka does become a regular in the NHL lineup, he’ll bring just the attitude and talent Buffalo needs to continue building a contender.

“I will just leave everything for the team, to bring the team forward,” he said. “I’m a two-way player who’s trying to help the team as much as I can and just leave my heart for the team.”

Here are some more notes from Adams’ Friday-night press conference.

Trade discussions surrounding No. 9 pick

Adams tested the market and received trade offers for the ninth-overall pick, but with a clear plan: either acquire established NHL talent or select a high-upside prospect. The former didn’t materialize, so he committed to the latter.

“It’s just tough this time of year, the way it goes, to get an impact player off of a team right now for a draft pick,” Adams said. “We were having conversations right up till close to when the pick was made, but just there weren’t the deals that I felt would’ve made our team better – and that’s what I set out to do. If we were going to trade pick nine, it was going to help the Buffalo Sabres right now be a better team, and that just didn’t present itself.”

Thursday’s acquisition of Kesselring and Doan

Thursday’s trade with the Utah Mammoth brought in defenseman Michael Kesselring and forward Josh Doan in exchange for JJ Peterka. Adams shared his thoughts in his first media availability since the deal.

On Kesselring: “We identified a 6-foot-5 right-shot defenseman that we think has big upside, still. Competitive, plays hard, skates well. For me, that was a critical piece that we needed to fill. We’ve been working on it for a long time. Hadn’t found the right fit, and he is.”

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On Doan: “He’s such a good, just competitive, honest, two-way player at a young age. And we think he’s going to step in our lineup and be impactful; we think, in time, the ceiling is higher as well. He’s going to be able to be an all-situation player. Big, strong, physical, and elite character.”

On Peterka: “Our intention after the season when we sat down was to sign JJ. We had those discussions and it became apparent to me and our group that it wasn’t going to work. For me then, the focus was, if this isn’t going to work, then how do we make sure we’re helping the Buffalo Sabres improve? And that’s going back to getting guys like Doan and Kesselring that are going to play certain roles, the identity they have, wanting to be part of the solution – that type of character is important, so that’s why we did it.”

Bowen Byram’s status

The Sabres are considering all their options with restricted free-agent defenseman Bowen Byram.

“He’s an elite defenseman in the league right now," Adams said. "... It’s kind of like the situation with JJ. If it’s the right trade that we think helps our team, we’re definitely open to that.

“In saying that, I love Bo Byram as a player and as a person, and I’d be more than fine with him part of our D corps. Right now, with how our D corps looks on paper with Bo in there, I think (it) is very, very good. So, if it’s the right thing and the right trade comes across, we’ll definitely be open to it. But (it’s) not something that I’m going to force.”

Jack Quinn’s new contract

Hours before the draft began, the Sabres signed restricted free-agent forward Jack Quinn to a two-year contract with an average annual value of $3.375 million. Adams sees plenty of untapped potential in the 23-year-old, who’s coming off a 15-goal, 24-assist season in 2024-25.

“If you look at the path since we drafted him (in 2020), he’s had some challenges, just with the health and adversity” Adams said. “And I think, physically, he wasn’t where he needed to be last year and it’s something that was out of unfortunate circumstance.

“But what I do know about Jack Quinn is there’s not a player that I’ve been around in my time here that assesses his own game as honestly as he does. The honest conversations that I had with Jack after the season, I know he took to heart and he’s going to come back better. So, this is a contract that puts him in a position to take the next step, and we’re excited about it. I think Jack has a huge upside.”