SABRES INK TRIO TO TWO-YEAR, TWO-WAY DEALS

Metsa, Rathbone and Fiddler-Schultz all return on multi-year contracts

Jul 1, 2025

The Buffalo Sabres announced today that the team has signed defensemen Zachary Metsa and Jack Rathbone and forward Riley Fiddler-Schultz to two-year, two-way NHL contracts.

 

Metsa, who spent his first two seasons on an AHL contract with the Rochester Americans, led all Amerks defensemen with 39 assists and 46 points while finishing third in team scoring in 69 games last season. He also ranked fourth amongst all AHL blueliners in assists and tied for eighth in points while being named Rochester’s Man of the Year for the second straight season for community service.

 

The undrafted defenseman has appeared in 123 career games for Rochester, recording 70 points on 14 goals and 56 assists. He’s also notched seven points in 26 career postseason contests.

 

Prior to turning pro, Metsa completed a five-year collegiate career at Quinnipiac University (ECAC) from 2018-23. In 177 career games with the Bobcats, he registered 31 goals and 90 assists for 121 points while also totaling 360 shots on goal. 

 

As a graduate student during his final collegiate campaign, he recorded a career-high 28 assists and finished with 37 points for the second straight year to lead the Bobcats to their first NCAA National Championship while serving as team captain. 

 

Following the 2021-22 season, Metsa received the ECAC Hockey award as the Best Defensive Defenseman after leading the nation with an on-ice rating of +38. In addition, he topped all Bobcats with 27 assists and 37 points in 42 games.

 

The 5-foot-9, 180-pound blueliner earned the first Quinnipiac Men’s Ice Hockey Michael Torello Award, which is presented annually to a Bobcat player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance and resiliency and the ability to overcome adversity. 

 

The Delafield, Wisconsin, native spent three seasons in the USHL, amassing 24 points on four goals and 20 assists in 64 career games between the Waterloo Blackhawks, Sioux Falls Stampede, Youngstown Phantoms and Central Illinois Flying Aces from 2014-2018. Additionally, he skated in 57 contests with the Merritt Centennials of the BCHL, posting 27 points (3+24) in 2016-17.

 

Rathbone, 26, was scheduled to his unrestricted free agency on Tuesday. He originally joined the Sabres organization on a one-year contract last summer, then had 23 points (6+17) with a plus-9 rating in 63 games with the Amerks last season.

 

A fourth-round pick by Vancouver in 2019, the 5-foot-10, 185-pound defenseman has notched 111 points (32+79) in 216 career AHL games with Rochester, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Abbotsford and Utica, in addition to appearing in 28 NHL contests with the Canucks.

 

A native of Boston, Mass., Rathbone played two years at Harvard University, where he was an All-ECAC Hockey First Team as well as a First Team All-Ivy League selection. He was also named to the ECAC Hockey All-Rookie Team as a freshman after leading all first-year defensemen in scoring and finishing second among all Crimson skaters with a plus-13 on-ice rating.

 

Fiddler-Schultz, 23, spent parts of the last two seasons with the Amerks, totaling 27 points (14+13) in 57 games while also adding three points in eight playoff contests.

 

The undrafted forward played his rookie season with the Jacksonville Icemen (ECHL), where he ranked second on the team in goals (27) and fourth in points (43).

 

Fiddler-Schultz completed a five-year junior career with the Calgary Hitmen (WHL) from 2018-2023. In 246 career games with the Hitmen, he registered 77 goals and 112 assists for 189 points during the regular season. Additionally, he played in 13 playoff contests, scoring one goal.

 

During the 2022-23 campaign with the Hitmen, he recorded career-highs in goals (31), assists (44) and points (75) in 65 games, all of which led the team, while serving as team captain. The 6-foot-0, 195-pound center helped Calgary reach the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals and skated in a pair of postseason games.

 

The Sherwood Park, Alberta, native garnered league accolades on three occasions, earning WHL Central First All-Star Team honors in 2022-23, Second All-Team in 2021-22 and Humanitarian of the Year in 2019-20.

 

Season Ticket Memberships for the 2025-26 season, which start as low as $19 per game, are on sale now and come with several Members-only perks and benefits. Full and Half Season Membership options are also available. For more information on Amerks Season Tickets or to sign up today, call 585-454-5335 or visit www.amerks.com/memberships.