The Buffalo Sabres announced on March 24 that six of their draft picks will take part in the NCAA Tournament, which begins Thursday.
This marks the second consecutive year that six Sabres prospects are participating in the tournament. The involvement of these players highlights the team’s ongoing investment in developing young talent through collegiate hockey programs.
Michigan State defensemen Maxim Strbak and Patrick Geary, both Sabres draft picks, will be making their third straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament after helping their team secure a No. 3 overall seed. Michigan State is set to play against UConn and Jake Richard, another Sabres prospect, at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday. UConn earned its spot as the No. 14 overall seed despite losing to Merrimack in the Hockey East Tournament finals.
Two Wisconsin freshmen, defenseman Luke Osburn and forward Vasily Zelenov—both selected by Buffalo in last year’s draft—will make their tournament debuts when Wisconsin faces Dartmouth at 5 p.m., also on Thursday. Adam Kleber from Minnesota Duluth, who was named NCHC Defensive Defenseman of the Year and drafted by Buffalo in 2024, helped guide his team back to the tournament for the first time since 2022; Minnesota Duluth will play Penn State at 9 p.m. Friday as a No. 2 seed.
A full schedule of regional semifinal games has been released with matchups including North Dakota versus Merrimack and Providence versus Quinnipiac on Thursday; Western Michigan facing Minnesota State and Denver playing Cornell on Friday; along with other contests involving teams with Sabres prospects.
