ORCHARD PARK – Early last season, Radim Mrtka, the right-shot defenseman the Buffalo Sabres selected ninth overall tonight at the NHL Draft, briefly played pro hockey in his native Czechia.
While he enjoyed competing against men, he received limited action. If he wanted to keep developing, he needed more minutes. So he chose to play junior for the Western Hockey League’s Seattle Thunderbirds.
The 6-foot-6, 218-pound Mrtka arrived in North America unable to speak or understand English.
Still, his transition to a faster and heavier game on the smaller ice surface went smoothly. He earned loads of ice time and morphed into a top draft prospect.
While the language barrier was difficult at first, he learned it – “It just came to me naturally,” he said – and now speaks English so fluently he chatted on Zoom following his selection.
“It’s one of your dreams to be drafted and especially that high,” he said from Los Angeles, where the top prospects gathered for the first round. “It’s (an) amazing feeling. And, yeah, I’m so excited to look to the new city and new team.”
Mrtka, 18, credits Thunderbirds coach Matt O’Dette for bringing out the best in his game. He compiled three goals, 35 points, 46 penalty minutes and a plus-10 rating in 43 games for Seattle, where he will likely play again next season.
“They put trust in me and I didn’t want to disappoint,” said Mrtka, who wants to focus on improving his skating.
The idea of playing for the Sabres someday excites him. He attended the NHL Scouting Combine earlier this month in Buffalo, so he feels comfortable in the city.
“I saw the facility, the rink and the city,” he said. “And I just watched the players we drafted, and even I got teammates, (Sabres goalie prospect) Scotty Ratzlaff, who played with me in Seattle. So I know a bit.”
Mrtka knows Buffalo has some special defensemen, most notably captain Rasmus Dahlin.
“Buffalo has pretty amazing players, for me, especially Dahlin,” he said. “He’s one of the idols who I’m trying to look up and play like him. So it’s going to be great to learn from him and play with him, so I’m definitely excited to.”
What does he like about Dahlin’s game?
“His calmness, his two-way game,” Mrtka said. “He’s able to do everything for the team. I mean, he’s just good, just so good.”
Mrtka ranked sixth in NHL Central Scouting’s final ranking of North American skaters.
His selection marks the first time the Sabres drafted a defenseman in the first round since they took Owen Power first overall in 2021.
Check back for updates on this developing story.