Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - The Buffalo Sabres have signed this year’s first-round pick to his entry-level contract.
Radim Mrtka was selected ninth overall by the Sabres in the 2025 NHL Draft after playing 49 regular season and playoff games with the Seattle Thunderbirds of the Western Hockey League last year. In those games, Mrtka produced three goals and 35 assists for 38 points.
At Sabres Development Camp, Mrtka wasn’t sure if he was going back to Seattle, but there’s a pretty good chance that he to continue his development in the WHL.
The 18-year-old is a lumbering 6-foot-6 and weighs 207-pound right-shot defenseman.
Related
Other first-round picks that have already signed their entry-level contracts following this June’s draft include:
- FW - Jake O’Brien - Seattle Kraken (8th overall)
- FW - Benjamin Kindel - Pittsburgh Penguins (11th overall)
- FW - Braeden Cootes - Vancouver Canucks (15th overall)
- FW - Victor Eklund - New York Islanders (16th overall)
- FW - Lynden Lakovic - Washington Capitals (27th overall)
If Mrtka does play for Seattle, I would expect him to be in the lineup for the Sabres in the Prospects Challenge, starting Sept. 12 and continuing through Sept. 15 at Harborcenter.