The Buffalo Sabres are considered to have one of the best prospect pools in the NHL, not only because of their selecting high in recent drafts but also due to their eye for talent and their organizational choices of either leaving players to develop in their home countries or bringing them to North America. All are 25 years old or younger, whose rights are currently held by the Sabres or are on AHL or NHL deals and have played less than 40 NHL games.
18. GAVIN McCARTHY - D (Boston University)
McCarthy was the Sabres' third-round pick at the 2023 NHL Draft in Nashville. The Western New York native is well known to GM Kevyn Adams and the club’s scouting staff because he played three seasons with the Buffalo Jr. Sabres.
The 6’2”, 185 lb. blueliner scored 27 points (8 goals, 19 assists) and 88 penalty minutes with the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the USHL in his draft year, and moved on to play with 2024 top overall pick Macklin Celebrini at Boston University. The 19-year-old had five points (1 goal, 4 assists) in 38 games in his freshman year and was invited to Team USA’s summer camp for the 2025 IIHF World Junior squad.
McCarthy was not part of the mix for Team USA’s entry at the World Juniors, and as a sophomore at BU, he has seven points (2 goals, 5 assists) in 22 games.
The Hockey Prospect Black Book says McCarthy has some offensive tools, including an ability to jump into the play as a fourth forward, and that he “plays a surprisingly physical brand of hockey. He can knock some guys clean off their skates at times”, but that has not translated to a consistent level of toughness in the defensive zone. The Elite Prospects Draft Guide says “there’s plenty of flash to McCarthy’s puck game” and that an “angle-changing wrister and a non-stop activation game make him a constant threat.”
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