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, but the organization’s developmental model has not yielded enough results.
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.
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#23 – Gavin McCarthy – D (Boston University – NCAA)
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 20-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, but did not make the WJC gold medal-winning squad last December.
In his sophomore year at BU, McCarthy showed some offensive growth, tripling his freshman point total with 16 (3 goals, 13 assists) in 39 games. Elite Prospects says he is “part-robust defender and part-clever creator” and that “there’s plenty of flash to McCarthy’s puck game” with an “angle-changing wrister and a non-stop activation game make him a constant threat.”
The Sabres will be looking for the young defender to take a big step as a junior, which will determine whether they pursue signing him to a pro contract or let him sty in college for his senior season.
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