The Sabres signed Kozak to a three-year contract where the final two years are of the one-way variety. Kozak has basically topped out as a third liner in the AHL and the Sabres must feel like he can help the teams bottom six at a cheap rate going forward, or that he is a great teammate for the AHL squad.

Despite not scoring at a particularly high pace with Rochester over the first two months of the 2024-25 season, the Sabres decided to recall him at the start of December. He scored his first NHL goal in his second game and was sent back down after his third NHL appearance. Due to injuries in Buffalo’s lineup, Kozak received two more extended looks with the NHL squad in January and March. In 21 games with the Sabres, he scored three goals and five points. With the Americans in the AHL, he scored eight goals and 14 points in 31 regular season games, as well as one goal and four points in eight Calder Cup playoff matches. Kozak has not historically been a prolific point producer at any recent level, but his defensive acumen and tenacity have now earned him opportunities at the NHL level. He averaged 10:29 of ice time per game with Buffalo this season and is scheduled to be an RFA on July 1.

Kozak has improved his offensive output this season, although he remains a mostly defensive player with Rochester. His tenacity remains a strong attribute, although his ability to register and react to offensive situations requires more development. There are often games when he does not record a shot on goal. He scored five goals and 12 points in 41 games in 2023-2024, a modest improvement over his rookie campaign’s pace. His season was interrupted by an injury in February, keeping him out of Rochester’s lineup until March 16. He is slated to become an RFA at the end of the 2024-2025 season.

Kozak was one of the AHL’s youngest players in 2022-2023, making his debut at the age of 19 after graduating from his role as captain of the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks. In his rookie campaign with the Rochester Americans, he scored five goals and 10 points in 55 games. Continuing from where he left off in the WHL, his most significant contributions have been in his team’s defensive zone. He has provided checking support throughout the season and demonstrated grit as well as determination in hampering his opponent’s forecheck, improving upon some of his previous deficiencies. He blocks shots and accepts a physical toll to move the puck up the ice safely, but still lacks a sufficient degree of vision as well as experience to generate offense consistently. His coach this season has occasionally experimented with him at wing alongside numerous offensive players to provide a puck pursuit element to those lines. This has proven to be fruitful thus far, particularly in the postseason, as Kozak currently has a plus-minus rating of plus-five and has scored two goals as well as an assist in five playoff games. He spent some time on a line with leading scorer Lukas Rousek and top prospect Isak Rosen among others during their best-of-five series against Syracuse. Their next playoff opponent will be Toronto in the North Division Final. –

Kozak finished his draft-plus-one season with 32 goals and 37 assists in 66 games with the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks. The undersized forward continues to be stronger on the defensive side of the puck than offensively but has diversified his game as a 19-year-old at the WHL level. He spent time centering the Winterhawks’ first line and finished fourth among Winterhawks skaters in scoring this season. During the 2022 WHL Playoffs, he scored two goals and three assists in 10 games.