The Sabres’ prospect pipeline keeps getting attention, and Gavin McCarthy is one more reason why. Buffalo’s third-round pick in 2023 has gone from a familiar face in Western New York hockey circles to a name the organization is now banking on for the future.
McCarthy, a defenseman from Boston University, signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Sabres in March. The WNY native was already on the club’s radar before his draft day because he spent three seasons with the Buffalo Jr. Sabres, giving former GM Kevyn Adams and the scouting staff a long look at him.
At 6’2” and 185 pounds, McCarthy brought some production with him to the draft table after putting up 27 points, including eight goals and 19 assists, along with 88 penalty minutes for the Muskegon Lumberjacks in the USHL during his draft year. He then headed to BU and skated alongside 2024 top overall pick Macklin Celebrini.
His first year with the Terriers was a modest one offensively. The 20-year-old collected five points, with one goal and four assists, in 38 games as a freshman. He was invited to Team USA’s summer camp for the 2025 IIHF World Junior squad, but did not make the WJC gold medal-winning team last December.
McCarthy’s offense took a clear step forward after that. In his sophomore season at BU, he tripled his freshman point total by finishing with 16 points, including three goals and 13 assists, in 39 games. He built on that again last season as a junior, posting 21 points, with four goals and 17 assists, in 36 games.
That season ended with another milestone: after BU wrapped up, McCarthy signed with Buffalo and finished the year with the AHL Amerks, where he went scoreless in five games.
The Sabres now appear to be looking at him as part of the next wave on the blue line in Rochester, where the group already includes 2025 top pick Radim Mrtka and 2023 second-rounder Maxim Strbak.
In Other News...
Sabres Prospects Just Got A Ranking Treatment Fans Will Hate
Corey Pronmans annual Top Prospects and Players Under 23 list always draws a reaction, and this years version is no different for Buffalo fans. The new ranking spans 156 names, but the wider conversation around it is less about who made the cut than how the cuts were made, with the list once again drawing criticism for what looks like a heavy lean toward recency and reputation over sustained production.
For the Sabres, that means a few familiar frustrations are already bubbling up. Some young players who have put together real NHL or AHL stretches were slotted lower than expected, while others with thinner rsums were placed ahead of them, a mismatch that has fans re-litigating how these lists are built in the first place. The individual placements are the part that will get debated longest, because the rankings seem to leave plenty of room for disagreement before anyone even gets to the names that were left out. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Prospect Could Quietly Change Buffalos Defensive Depth Picture
Simon-Pier Brunet has already given Buffalo something it can always use more of in the system: a defense-first blue line prospect with size, skating and reach. The 20-year-old was a fourth-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft after four seasons in the QMJHL, and his profile fits the sort of steady, low-maintenance defender that can quietly become more valuable as a depth chart gets tested.
Brunets next step comes at Merrimack College in Massachusetts, where he will try to translate that defensive foundation into a bigger role against NCAA competition. Buffalo still keeps his NHL rights, which gives the organization some flexibility while it waits to see how much more he can add to his game before the discussion turns from long-term project to real depth option. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Are Counting On 3 Young Forwards To Change Everything
The Sabres are heading into the season with a young forward group that could help shape what comes next, and Jiri Kulich, Noah Ostlund and Konsta Helenius sit at the center of that conversation. Kulichs track record already gives Buffalo a reason to believe he can bring real offense, while Ostlunds first NHL season offered a glimpse of what he might become. Helenius, meanwhile, has only had a limited taste of the league, but the organization sees enough upside to keep him in the mix as part of a broader push toward a faster, deeper attack.
For Buffalo, the appeal is obvious: if even one of these players takes a meaningful step, the ripple effect could be felt throughout the lineup. The challenge is just as clear, though, because each comes with a different layer of uncertainty, from health to availability to how quickly a young player can translate promise into steady NHL impact. The Sabres do not need all three to become stars overnight, but they do need enough of a breakthrough to make this season feel like more than another wait-and-see exercise. [Read more 🡒]