Zach Metsa, a 26-year-old defenseman, has been called up to the Buffalo Sabres from the Rochester Americans, marking his first NHL promotion. Metsa, who was undrafted, received the news from Rochester head coach Michael Leone on Thursday.
“I don’t even know if I really said much back to [Leone]; I was just shocked,” Metsa said after Friday’s practice at KeyBank Center. “… But obviously it’s a dream come true. It’s something you think about when you’re a kid, and just excited to be here.”
Metsa’s hockey journey began in Delafield, Wisconsin, where he played for several junior programs before joining Quinnipiac University as a walk-on. His performance improved each year, culminating in his role as captain when Quinnipiac won the national championship in 2022-23. Two weeks after that victory, Metsa made his AHL debut with Rochester during the Calder Cup Playoffs. In the 2024-25 season, he ranked ninth among AHL defensemen with 46 points.
Recently, Metsa was named captain of the Rochester Americans. “He’s just a winner; he’s a really selfless player,” Leone said. “There’s a lot of different things you look at, but when I thought about who I wanted to have as a captain – and there’s other guys that were really close and deserving – Metsa’s a great representation of our team.”
Metsa credits his work ethic to his mother and acknowledges the challenges he faced as an under-the-radar prospect. “Across every league where I’ve been, whether it’s juniors, college, pro, the biggest hurdles have been when I’ve doubted myself,” he said. “You have a couple bad games, bad plays, and maybe you lose a little bit of that confidence that you normally have. It’s just that grind to keep working to get the confidence back, get back to the spot where you’re able to make plays.”
Sabres coach Lindy Ruff praised Metsa’s perseverance. “He’s a guy that has battled to get where he’s at; you’ve got to admire a player like that,” Ruff said. “We go by the rule: if you’re going well down there and we need somebody, you get called up.”
“I’m incredibly proud,” Metsa said. “I wasn’t necessarily someone anyone was looking at in college, I was just working to get ice time – that’s all I wanted to do. Just took it one day at a time, got better, and now we’re here.”
Metsa fills the roster spot of Ryan Johnson, who was reassigned to Rochester. Johnson, a 2019 first-round pick, averaged nine minutes of ice time over three games this season. Ruff explained the move: “Wanted to get him down playing some bigger minutes,” Ruff said. “I thought he struggled a little bit, some of his puck decisions. Playing a limited amount. I think sometimes a little bit nervous play; his puck play wasn’t as good as I thought it could be. And I think sometimes, when you know you’re maybe only playing 10 or 12 minutes, he didn’t really get in a rhythm.
“Just want to get him down, get him playing, and get him playing well again.”
On the injury front, defenseman Mattias Samuelsson was a full participant in practice and is expected to return for Saturday’s game against Florida after missing time since October 11. Forward Justin Danforth is expected to be out for over a month due to a lower-body injury suffered on Wednesday. Jordan Greenway continues practicing in a non-contact jersey and is progressing toward a return. Defenseman Michael Kesselring is not yet ready for team sessions but skated before practice.
The Sabres will host the Florida Panthers at KeyBank Center on Saturday at 1 p.m., with pregame coverage starting at 12:30 p.m. The event will also feature ‘Mascot Madness.’
