Michael AugelloThu, December 4, 2025 at 12:05 AM UTC·2 min readThe Buffalo Sabres found out that another of their top prospects will be heading to Minnesota for the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championships later this month. Team USA unveiled their roster for the pre-tournament camp with three Sabres prospects, forward Brodie Ziemer, and defensemen Adam Kleber and Luke Osburn on the list. On Wednesday, 2025 first rounder Radim Mrtka was one of nine defensemen selected to play for Czechia.
The 18-year-old blueliner was selected ninth overall by the Sabres last June, played for Czechia at the Under-18’s last year and after a brief stint in Rochester, returned to the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds, where he has 12 points (1 goal, 11 assists) in 12 games. It is expected that 2024 top pick Konsta Helenius will be selected to play for Finland when they reveal their roster.
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Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman on his weekly spot on Daily Faceoff’s Morning Cuppa Hockey podcast poured cold water on any rumors of the Sabres trading forward Tage Thompson and that he has not asked out to be moved, but did state his belief that both Thompson and Sabres team captain Rasmus Dahlin will re-evaluate their situations based on how the club fares this season.
“I think everybody (in Buffalo) is frustrated, including the fans, but (Thompson) hasn’t asked out, I always believe that this was a year where, unless they were completely out of it by the deadline, the conversation would be at the end of the season.” Friedman said. “I think at the end of last year, both (Sabres team captain Rasmus) Dahlin and Thompson had kind of indicated they really needed to see improvement this year.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThis year had to be better. I know there were some rumors that last year that maybe Dahlin wanted out right away. Those weren’t true. I don’t think he’d given that short a timeline, but I think both players had indicated they wanted this year to be better.”
Thompson has four more years on a seven-year, $50 million contract and has a modified no-trade clause on his deal. Dahlin is in year two of an eight-year, $88 million contract and has a full no movement clause.
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