25-year-old WNY native made his NHL debut against Vancouver last December
The Buffalo Sabres have been considered to have one of the deepest prospect pools in the NHL, which is in part due to them selecting high in recent drafts because of their not qualifying for the playoffs. The Sabres have displayed an eye for talent, and the organization’s developmental model has begun to yield results, with 2023 first rounder Zach Benson making an impact in the playoffs, and 2024 top pick Konsta Helenius appearing as one of the AHL’s top prospects the last two seasons.
Leading up to the opening of training camp in mid-September, we will look at the club's top 40 prospects. These players are all 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 82 NHL games.
Other Sabres Stories
40 Trevor Kuntar - Center (Rochester - AHL, Buffalo - NHL)
The Sabres were looking for veteran depth players for the Rochester Americans and could not have been disappointed with the results with the signing of Buffalo native Trevor Kuntar. The son of former Amerk and brief NHL goalie Les Kuntar, the 25-year-old played for the Buffalo Jr. Sabres for two years and for USHL Youngstown before being selected by the Boston Bruins 89th overall pick in the COVID-delayed 2020 NHL Draft.
The 6’0”, 205 lb. center played three seasons at Boston College, and trailed only NHLers Cutter Gauthier and Nikita Nesterenko in club scoring as a junior, which led the Bruins to sign Kuntar to a two-year ELC. After a promising first season AHL Providence, scoring 20 points (10 goals, 10 assists) in 70 games and 113 penalty minutes, he declined to just three goals in 2024-25 and was not given a qualifying offer by the Bruins last summer.
Kuntar signed a one-year AHL deal with Rochester, and after nine goals in his first 24 games, he was upgraded to an NHL deal for the remainder of the 2025-26 season and finished last season with 21 goals and 37 points in 70 games, as well as making his NHL debut against Vancouver on December 11. After the season, he signed a two-year, two-way contract extension for the NHL minimum $875,000.
Follow Michael on X, and Instagram @MikeInBuffalo
THN.com/Free 