‘Buffalo selected Mrtka with the ninth-overall pick in last month’s NHL Draft. The 18-year-old joined the Western Hockey League’s Seattle Thunderbirds last November and played 43 regular season games, finishing with 35 points (3+32) and a plus-10 rating. Prior to that, the 6-foot-6 blueliner played for Ocelari Trinec in his native Czechia’s Extraliga, and he’s also represented his country at several international tournaments.’