The Buffalo Sabres are considered to have one of the best prospect pools in the NHL, not only because of their selecting high in recent drafts but also due to their eye for talent and their organizational choices of either leaving players to develop in their home countries or bringing them to North America. All are 25 years old or younger, whose rights are currently held by the Sabres or are on AHL or NHL deals and have played less than 40 NHL games.
6. – MAXIM STRBAK – D (MICHIGAN STATE – NCAA)
Strbak was the Sabres second-round pick at the 2023 NHL Draft in Nashville, a draft in which the club’s scouting strategy seemed to shift from high skill to players with size. After selecting big Swedish forward Anton Wahlberg earlier in the second, the club chose the Slovakian blueliner 45th overall.
The Sabres over the last three drafts have selected four right-handed blueline prospects (Adam Kleber, Strbak, Gavin McCarthy, and Vsevolod Komarov), which is likely to compliment their predominantly left-handed defensive corps of Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power, Bowen Byram, and Mattias Samuelsson down the line.
The 6’2″, 205 lb. defenseman played his youth hockey in Finland for Jokerit and has played internationally for his home country at the Under-18s and in three straight World Juniors, starting at age 16 in 2022. Strbak shifted to North America prior to his draft year and played for Sioux Falls in the USHL.
Last season, the 19-year-old made his mark internationally with seven points (1 goal, 6 assists) in just five games at the 2024 IIHF World Junior in Sweden. In his freshman year at Michigan State, the 18-year-old finished with nine points (2 goals, 7 assists) in 32 games.
This season, Strbak has seen an uptick in his offensive game with the Spartans, with 15 points (1 goal, 14 assists) in 25 games, and in his fourth and final World Junior, he posted six points (1 goal, 5 assists) in 5 games.
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