Montreal, Quebec (WGR Sports Radio 550) - When the Buffalo Sabres play in Montreal against the Canadiens on Monday night, there’s a chance that defenseman Zach Metsa will be playing in his first NHL game.
Jacob Bryson left Saturday’s win over the Florida Panthers, and is in concussion protocol.
Ryan Johnson had a good training camp, but only played a little over five minutes in Wednesday's win against the Ottawa Senators. Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff wanted to get him back to Rochester to get more ice-time.
That opened the door for the Amerks captain to be called up. Fellow defenseman Zac Jones has also been recalled from Rochester, so it could be him in the lineup on Monday or Metsa.
Metsa’s story is one of a guy that has been counted out his whole hockey career. He’s been told he’s too small, he’s not good enough, but he always just waits for an opportunity that he takes full advantage of.
The 27-year-old started trying to play college hockey. He wasn’t heavily recruited, and wound up at Quinnipiac University. He had to spend parts of four seasons in the USHL, just to try to show someone he deserves to play.
As a Freshman with the Bobcats, he was a healthy scratch and waited his turn. He played five seasons, and by the time Metsa was a senior, he was the captain of the team, leading them to a NCAA Championship.
Metsa was never drafted by an NHL team, so after winning the title, he signed an AHL contract with the Amerks.
Rochester was in the playoffs at the time and ran into some injuries. That forced head coach Seth Appert to inserted him in the lineup, and Metsa did what he does. He played so well that 13 games later, he was still in the playoff lineup.
Metsa says he doesn't want the journey to be easy.
"I don’t think you’d want it to be too easy. It makes you grind a little bit. It makes you appreciate everything that you get, and it’s no different now," said Metsa back on Friday after practice. "I appreciate the opportunity in being here."
Appert is now an assistant coach on Ruff’s staff in Buffalo. He couldn’t have been more impressed with his new defenseman.
"He entered Game 2 against Syracuse, down 1-0 in that series, and we came back and won that and ended up in the Conference Final. But his presence, he has a swagger and confidence about him that’s been earned on every level that he’s ever been at," Appert said of his defenseman. "People have told him that he’s not good enough, he’s too small, doesn’t skate fast enough, and he isn’t supposed to play at that level. He got cut from the USHL multiple times, he had to scrap and claw just to become a college player. He’s forgotten at Quinnipiac as a Freshman, and then became captain of their first National Championship team. He’s just a player that has been used to people not believing in him, but through that, he’s gained an incredible amount of belief in himself, in what he can do despite the adversity that he’s gone through."
It’s amazing how many times Metsa has heard no, but yet ignored it. He says it’s a mindset for him.
"I think it comes down to confidence in yourself, and part of it is just proving it to yourself that you can do it at the next level," Metsa said.
"For me, at that time, it was proving I can do it in the American League, and now it’s proving to myself that I can do it here. I’m pretty confident in myself, and just prove it to the staff and everyone around."
Once Metsa proves himself on the ice, all of a sudden, his leadership skills start being noticed. He was the captain in college, and now is the captain in Rochester. He says learning to lead comes from his upbringing.
"I think you take it from people you’ve been around, different captains that I’ve had the opportunity to play under," Metsa said. "My Mom too, she’s a great leader. She’s someone I always looked up to, and she’s always been someone that's led by example, and has been a rock for those around her. I’ve strived to be like that too, so it’s like anything, it’s a skill and you take from other people and keep growing."
When you don’t have five colleges offering you scholarships or NHL teams fighting to draft you, it’s not always smooth sailing. It certainly wasn’t for Metsa either.
"Across every league where I’ve been - whether its juniors, college, pro - the biggest hurdles have been when I’ve doubted myself and have a couple bad games, bad plays. Maybe you lose a bit of that confidence that you normally have, and it’s that grind to keep working and put your head down and get the confidence back, and get back to a spot where you’re able to make plays," Metsa acknowledged. "It sucks when you’re in your own head, no one wants to be there, but it also makes you stronger. The more you work through anything, it becomes a skill."
What I liked talking to Metsa is he’s not afraid to give himself credit for this journey.
"I’m incredibly proud," he said. "I think the biggest thing for me was sticking to what I need to do every day to get better. I wasn’t necessarily someone anyone was looking at in college, and I was just working to get ice time. So it’s been one day at a time, get better, and now we’re here."
Metsa says he was pretty much speechless when current Amerks coach Mike Leone gave him the news.
"I was shocked a little," he admitted. "It’s a dream come true, and something you think about as a kid. Just excited to be here."
Appert isn’t surprised at all that Metsa is here, and may play in his first National Hockey League game.
"Being around him every day - I had a head start on his character being good friends with his college coach (Rand Pecknold) - we had a pretty good background on who he was as a human, and what kind of teammate he was," Appert said. "It’s not a surprise that he earned this NHL contract. It’s not a surprise he was named the captain, and now he’s earned his first callup. It’s a great story. But when you’re around him, you understand why."
It’ll be interesting to see if another young member of the Sabres plays in his first NHL game on Monday in goalie Colten Ellis. Alex Lyon has started in all five games, to this point of the season.
As for Jones, he was signed by the Sabres in July from the New York Rangers. The 25-year-old was a third-round pick in 2019, and played 115 games with New York, scoring four goals and 24 assists for 28 points.
In four games with the Amerks this season, Jones had four assists.
Sabres winger Justin Danforth is out for over a month, and has been placed on Injured Reserve.
That has opened the door for Noah Ostlund to be called up from the Amerks.
Ostlund has a goal and four assists for five points in four games this season in Rochester. The 21-year-old was the Sabres' first-round pick (16th overall) in the 2022 NHL Draft.
Last season, Ostlund got his first eight NHL games and had no points.