Prospects Report | Kopff brings 'power forward' game to Rochester

Even while watching him play U-16 hockey, Brown head coach Brendan Whittet knew Tyler Kopff had huge upside.

Whittet recruited Kopff to Brown University and coached the forward for two years, always believing in his ability. Now, Whittet’s belief has followed Kopff to the pros.

The Sabres signed Kopff, an undrafted free agent, to a two-year, entry-level contract following the conclusion of Brown’s season last month. Kopff will finish this season in the AHL on an amateur tryout with Rochester before the contract kicks in next fall.

Kopff made his debut in the Amerks’ playoff-clinching 4-2 win against the Springfield Thunderbirds on Wednesday.

“I’m looking forward to becoming a part of a great culture in this organization,” Kopff said. “Rochester’s obviously a great team so I’m just trying to contribute what I can and work hard every day.”

Just how much did Whittet believe in Kopff during his time at Brown?

So much so that Kopff finished second among NCAA forwards this season in average time on ice at 23:31, putting a lot of responsibility upon the sophomore forward.

Kopff ranked second on the team with 28 points, leading the Bears in assists (19) and shots (114) while finishing fourth with nine goals in 32 games.

“He’s a hard-working guy and that’s what you want as a coach, you want your best players to be your hardest-working guys,” Whittet said. “He had both of those attributes, and he was one of our best players and had a super high work ethic to him and that’s just him as a person.”

Standing at 6-foot-4, Kopff has the frame to create havoc on the ice, something he was able to do in both zones. He used his long reach to keep and take the puck away from the opposition while also clogging up shooting lanes, ranking second among Brown forwards in blocked shots (30).

On numerous occasions, Kopff was able to take the puck away in the defensive zone, skate down the ice, shield the puck from pursuers and then deke it past the goaltender, using all of his physical attributes to get the job done for Brown.

“For him at the next level, it’s going to be his straight-line speed, his north-south ability, the ability to get to the net front, the ability to play with a little bit of physicality and grit,” Whittet said. “He can create havoc whenever he’s on the ice and he has the ability to chip in offensively, which is a pretty good combination.”

Although Kopff is a self-described power forward, his versatility and ability allowed Whittet to use him in any role, becoming a two-way player on the ice. Kopff didn’t just earn the opportunity to be on the first line, but also on both special teams units.

“We put him in situations where he played a ton, not just because we needed him to play, but because he earned those opportunities,” Whittet said. “We used him in a lot of different situations this year. We used him in the middle as a center. We used him on the penalty kill. He was obviously on the power play, and he put up some pretty good points.”

Although Kopff’s time in Rochester will be his first real taste of pro hockey, he had a glimpse into the professional hockey world when he went to the Vegas Golden Knights’ development camp last summer.

During the camp, he participated in two scrimmages alongside fellow invitees and Golden Knights prospects, netting a goal in each game, while also getting to make use of the resources that the NHL had to offer.

“Being in Vegas was cool because it was the first time I really saw what an NHL facility looked like,” Kopff said. “Just seeing the resources they have at the professional level was something that gave me a lot of knowledge in terms of what I can do to improve and develop as a player and prepare for games more effectively.”

With high praise coming from his time at Brown, Kopff is looking forward to the opportunity to put the same impression on Rochester head coach Michael Leone and the rest of the Amerks staff and make full use of the opportunity he’s been given.

“I just want to continue work with the coaches here and work with the strength trainer and just get bigger, faster, and stronger,” Kopff said. “I’m going to use all of the resources at my fingertips to continue my development as a player.”

Prospect Spotlight

Matteo Costantini, C (Western Michigan, NCHC) and Gavin McCarthy, D (Boston University, Hockey East)

The pair of Sabres prospects will travel to St. Louis to compete in the 2025 Frozen Four.

Costantini (fifth round, 2020) helped lead Western Michigan to its first Frozen Four appearance in program history while McCarthy and the Terriers will make their third straight appearance and 25th overall.

Costantini has recorded four shots through two games while appearing on both the penalty kill and power play for Western Michigan.

McCarthy (third round, 2023) has played on the top defense pair for Boston University alongside Washington Capitals prospect Cole Hutson. The 6-foot-2 defenseman had an assist in the Terriers’ first-round win over Ohio State and also swept a puck off the goal line to prevent a Buckeyes goal.

Scott Ratzlaff, G (Seattle, WHL)

Ratzlaff (fifth round, 2023) was named to the WHL Western Conference First All-Star Team on Wednesday after finishing the 2024-25 regular season with a 23-19-3-1 record, a 3.16 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage.

He’s helped the Thunderbirds to a 2-1 series lead in their best-of-seven series against the Everett Silvertips thus far in the first round of the WHL playoffs, posting a 2.57 goals-agaisnt average and a .941 save percentage.

Ryerson Leenders, G (Brantford, OHL)

Leenders (seventh round, 2024) was named OHL Goaltender of the Week after two stellar performances in the first two games of the Bulldogs’ first-round playoff series against the North Bay Battalion.

He stopped 30 of 33 shots last Friday as the Bulldogs beat North Bay 6-3. On Sunday, he earned first-star honors with a 21-save shutout to earn a 3-0 win. Leenders secured a 3-0 lead in the series for Brantford with a 31-save performance on Tuesday that went to overtime with the Bulldogs winning 4-3.

Leenders had a 31-14-3-0 regular-season record, with a 3.11 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage in 48 games played.