The Buffalo Sabres have been considered to have one of the deepest prospect pools in the NHL, which is in part due to them selecting high in recent drafts because of their not qualifying for the playoffs. The Sabres have displayed an eye for talent, but the organization’s developmental model has not yielded enough results.
Leading up to the opening of training camp in mid-September, we will look at the club’s top 40 prospects. 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.
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#7 – Maxim Strbak – Defense (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 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 four 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. He first made his mark internationally at the 2023 Under-18’s with six assists in seven games and had three assists in five games for Slovakia at the World Junior. In 2024, he impressed at the Under-20’s with seven points (1 goal, 6 assists) in just five games at the WJC in Sweden. Last season, in his final WJC appearance, he posted six points (1 goal, 5 assists) in five games.
The 20-year-old also made a significant jump last season at Michigan State. After scoring nine points (2 goals, 7 assists) in 32 games as a freshman, Strbak jumped to 19 points (3 goals, 16 assists) in 33 games as a sophomore. With CHL transfers like Cayden Lindstrom and Porter Martone coming in this season, the Spartans should be vastly more dynamic offensively, which will likely contribute to the blueliner’s totals in 2025-26.
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