The Sabres drafted McCarthy in the third round of the 2023 NHL Draft
The Sabres drafted McCarthy in the third round of the 2023 NHL Draft
The Buffalo Sabres are considered one of the best deepest 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. Leading up to the opening of training camp in mid-September, we will look at the club’s top 40 prospects. 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.
READ ABOUT OTHER SABRES PROSPECTS
20. OLIVIER NADEAU
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 since 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.
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.”
The Sabres will be looking for McCarthy to get a larger role as a sophomore at BU and possibly a spot on Team USA in December.
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