Four Sabres draftees are participating in the 2026 WJC in Minnesota
The Buffalo Sabres have four prospects participating in the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championships in Minnesota. Three players for Team USA, who are trying to win their third straight WJC title, and one for Czechia.
Here are how those four players fared on Day 1 of the Tournament:
Adam Kleber(USA) - The big 19-year-old had an excellent outing playing alongside Cole Hutson against Germany. Kleber had an assist on Max Plante’s (son of former Sabre Derek Plante) opening goal and was +4 on the night in 21:29.
Brodie Ziemer(USA) - The American team captain also had an assist in the contest, setting up Will Horcoff to give the US a 3-0 first period lead. The 19-year-old winger had four shots on goal in 17:35 and was +1 in the game.
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Luke Osburn(USA) - The Sabres 2024 fourth round pick played just over 19 minutes in his World Junior debut, and was -1 on the night.
Radim Mrtka(CZE) - The ninth overall pick in 2025 did not play in Czechia’s 7-5 loss to Canada on Friday due to an injury he suffered in a pre-tournament game. Czech head coach Patrik Augusta indicated that the 18-year-old blueliner will sit out Saturday’s game against Denmark, but that hopefully they will have Mrtka available on Monday against Finland.
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