Following the 2026 NHL Draft over the weekend, teams began inviting their players to the annual summer development camps. It’s a chance for these draft picks and prospects to make an impression and take some pointers from the pros.
Michigan State hockey players have been invited to development camps left and right with several organizations hosting multiple Spartans this week.
The Buffalo Sabres are one of those organizations.
Buffalo actually reunited a couple of former teammates who spent the last three years together, winning three straight Big Ten titles under Adam Nightingale. I say “former” because one of them is moving on to the AHL this year after signing an entry-level deal with the Sabres.
The current Michigan State player is Patrick Geary, a defenseman from Hamburg, N.Y., who was drafted by Buffalo in the sixth round of the 2024 NHL Draft. He’s described as a physical defenseman and will be looking to make an impression on the coaching staff this week before a huge senior year with the Spartans.
He’s hoping to once again become teammates with Maxim Strbak, a two-way defenseman who was drafted in the second round by the Sabres all the way back in 2023. He had 46 points (eight goals, 38 assists) over his three-year Michigan State career and was a net +33 in that time.
The two probably have some catching up to do, but Geary knows he has a lot of work ahead of him.
Patrick Geary needs to put in the work to force another reunion
Geary returns for a senior year at Michigan State in 2026-27 with a national title on his mind, but he’s also aiming to earn an entry-level contract with the Sabres like his former teammate did.
The senior defenseman has been called a very clear defensive-minded defenseman which sounds weird but it basically means he’s not going to be a regular contributor on the offensive end. He’s still accounted for 31 points over his three-year Spartan career and he’s also +20.
The New York native is going to have some competition with several elite defensemen coming in title he 2026 class like Chase Reid, Cullen McCrate, and Tommy Bleyl. He’ll also be battling for ice time with fellow Spartan veteran Sean Barnhill who was at the Rangers development camp this week.
There’s a lot of work to do, but Geary is going to have an opportunity to prove himself.
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