Buffalo Sabres Prospect Update – 2023 Draftees

Here is a quick update of some of the other players selected by the Sabres in 2023:

Maxim Strbak – D – 45th overall

The big right-handed defenseman who played for Slovakia in four World Juniors signed with the Sabres after his junior year at Michigan State, where the 21-year-old scored 18 points (3 goal, 15 assists) in 37 games. Strbak played two games for the Amerks at the end of the season. He is expected to be a full-time blueliner next season under Michael Leone in Rochester and on Sunday, he registered an assist in his first game of the season.

Gavin McCarthy – D – 86th overall

A Western New York native who played three seasons for the Buffalo Jr. Sabres, McCarthy played two years for Muskegon before heading to Boston University. The 6’2”, 188 lb. blueliner  went to the Frozen Four in his freshman year and as a sophomore, had 16 points (3 goals, 13 assists) in 39 games for the Terriers. After posting a career-high 21 points (4 goals, 17 assists) in 36 games, the right-handed blueliner signed his ELC with the Sabres and played five games with Rochester at the end of last season. 

McCarthy has played three of the first four games for the Amerks this season and has an assist.   

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Scott Ratzlaff – G – 141st overall

Ratzlaff graduated from the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds, and in his first pro season, the 21-year-old split time between the AHL Amerks and the ECHL’s Jacksonville Icemen.  With Rochester, he went 4-6-1, with a 3.44 GAA and .878 save %, and with the Icemen, he went 5-7-2, with a 3.10 GAA and .913 save %. With Devon Levi gone, it was thought that Ratzlaff and Topias Leinonen would get more work in the AHL this season, but Leinonen is injured, and veteran AHLer Matt Villalta has been getting all of the work between the pipes so far. 

Sean Keohane – D – 173rd overall

A physical specimen at 6’4”, 205 lb., Keohane came out of Dexter Southfield Prep in Massachusetts and was slated to play a full season in the USHL with Tri-City before heading to Harvard, but after 16 games, the 20-year-old shifted to West Kelowna in the BCHL to get more playing time. As a freshman, he played 11 games for the Crimson and finished with two assists, Last season he finished with three points (2 goals, 1 assist) in 34 games. The Sabres are hoping to see an uptick in Keohane’s game in his junior season. 

Norwin Panocha – D – 205th overall

Drafted out of Berlin in the DEL, the 6’2”, 190 lb. defenseman opted to come to North America and play for Chicoutimi in the QMJHL. In 52 QMJHL games, Panocha had 15 assists. The 20-year-old also played for Germany at the WJC as an 18 and 19-year-old. After being dropped by the Sagueneens, he was selected by Prince Albert in the CHL Import Draft but played only 3 games for the Raiders before he was dropped again.

After a brief stop playing in the USHL, Panocha returned home to play for Berlin, where he finished with two assists in 16 games for the Polar Bears, who won the DEL title. Last season, he had three assists in 36 games with Berlin and played 20 games in the second-division pro league in Germany. This year, he has moved to another DEL team, the Iserlohn Roosters, and has not registered a point in seven games.  

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