Thunderbirds netminder Ratzlaff signs entry-level contract with Buffalo Sabres

Seattle Thunderbirds netminder Scott Ratzlaff has signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Buffalo Sabres, the NHL club announced Friday.

The 19-year-old made his NHL preseason debut this September, stopping all 30 shots he faced over two appearances against the Pittsburgh Penguins and Colombus Blue Jackets.

“He’s been great,” Rochester Americans Head Coach Michael Leone, who led the Sabres during those games, said following Ratzlaff’s start in Columbus. “He did a really good job controlling pucks. We had a lot of defensive-zone faceoffs and he made sure we didn’t face a lot of second and third chances.

“He’s a young kid and this is a big moment for him. For him and his development, it’s only going to be good for him to move on and take confidence from this experience with him as he continues to progress.”

The 6-foot-1, 178-pound goaltender has played parts of five seasons with the Thunderbirds for a career record of 67-37-2-2, a 2.79 goals-against average, a .909 save percentage and seven shutouts.

Ratzlaff backstopped the Thunderbirds on their championship run in 2022-23, finishing second among all WHL goaltenders in wins with 25 regular season victories (second only to Seattle’s starter and Winnipeg Jets prospect Thomas Milic). He’d hear his name called 141st overall in the fifth round of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft.

The Irma, Alta. product was named to the WHL’s U.S. Division Second All-Star Team in 2023-24 after taking over the Thunderbirds’ starting role and posting a .908 save percentage in a career-high 52 games.

Now in his fifth season, Ratzlaff is currently sporting a 3-1-0-0 record with a 2.97 goals-against average and a .918 save percentage, highlighted by a 41-save winning effort against Kamloops on October 11.

On the international stage, he’s won gold for Canada at the 2022 Hlinka Gretzky Cup and served as backup at the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship, with a shot at earning the starting job this winter.

Ratzlaff and the Thunderbirds are back in action when they visit Winnipeg Jets prospect Brayden Yager and the defending WHL champion Moose Jaw Warriors on Tuesday, October 22 at 7:00 p.m. ST.