Three Buffalo Sabres prospects, who last week attended the club’s Development Camp at the Harborcenter in Buffalo, were invited by Team USA to the 2025 World Junior Summer Showcase that will take place in Minneapolis, MN from July 25 to August 2nd and features squads from Finland, Sweden, and split squads from the United States and Canada.
The tournament is the first opportunity for evaluation and preparation for the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championships in Minnesota this December. Forward Brodie Ziemer, and defensemen Adam Kleber and Luke Osburn were invited by the US. 2024 first-round pick Konsta Helenius, who played in the last two World Junior Championships, is likely to be selected by Finland later this month.
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Kleber, the Sabres second round pick (42nd overall) in 2024, and Ziemer, the club’s third rounder (71st overall) were members of Team USA’s gold medal-winning squad that defeated the Finns 4-3 in overtime in Ottawa last January. Osburn, Buffalo’s fourth-round pick (102nd overall) had 41 points (10 goals, 31 assists) in 55 games for the Youngstown Phantoms last season and was named the USHL’s Defenseman of the Year. The 18-year-old will be playing for the University of Wisconsin this fall.
Helenius, who had 35 points (14 goals, 21 assists) for the Rochester Americans last season, was named to the AHL’s Top Prospects Team. The 19-year-old center had six assists in seven games for Finland last December. Sabres 2025 top pick Radim Mrtka, who played for Czechia in the Under-18’s last year, is a good candidate to be selected for his countries’ junior squad as well.
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