Kevyn Adams’ plan for Rochester, which Jason Karmanos built upon as assistant general manager of the Sabres, spawned a long Amerks playoff run and notable development success stories.
Led by coach Seth Appert and his staff, assistant coaches Michael Peca and Mike Weber, the Amerks lost in the North Division finals, the furthest Rochester has advanced in the postseason since 2005. Jack Quinn and JJ Peterka had exceptional rookie seasons. Other first-year players, including Linus Weissbach and Brandon Biro, thrived.
More prospects will arrive in Rochester and important veterans are back, including West Seneca native Sean Malone. Some of the bigger names in the Sabres’ burgeoning prospect pipeline, including Matt Savoie, are playing elsewhere this season, but the Amerks’ roster again is filled with young, intriguing talent that wants to make it to Buffalo.
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Rochester opens the season Friday night at Blue Cross Arena against the Toronto Marlies.
Forwards
A new group of forward prospects is arriving in Rochester to develop under Appert and his coaching staff.
Isak Rosen, a first-round draft choice in 2021, was signed to an entry-level deal following a season in which he received little ice time in the Swedish Hockey League. A 5-foot-11 winger, Rosen had a spectacular IIHF World Junior Championship in August and showed at the Prospects Challenge that he knows how to use his speed to create offense and forecheck to try to regain possession.
Aleksandr Kisakov, drafted in the second round in 2021, arrived from Russia this summer following another dominant season in the country’s top junior league. Across two seasons, he totaled 64 goals and 149 points in 151 games. At 5-10, 160 pounds, Kisakov, like Rosen, will have to adjust to the physical grind of the American Hockey League, but both forwards looked more comfortable as the Prospects Challenge progressed. Kisakov had three primary assists in the finale, a game in which Rosen also was exceptional.
Jiri Kulich, selected 28th overall in the first round of the draft in July, will head to Rochester rather than playing another pro season in Czechia. He was named Most Valuable Player of the IIHF Under-18 World Championship this spring with a tournament-best nine goals and 11 points. Kulich also had success against older players at world juniors in August with two goals and eight points in seven games. Listed at 6-0, 170 pounds, he will need to use his speed to strip pucks and it will be prudent for him to find ways to overcome any strength disadvantage he might have when engaging in battles along the boards or in front of the net.
“Adversity is going to make them grow their game,” Appert said. “Jack Quinn, two goals, none at even strength in 15 games the year before. And if he was in the OHL and had 60 goals, he wouldn’t have thought he had to make all these adjustments and grow his game. But if you have the right mindset and approach, and we do our job helping him grow, that adversity and the struggles makes them grow, fuels that growth. I think that Isak, Kisa, Kuli, they’re going to go through struggles. .... And there’s going to be failure with that, but we need to help them grow through that failure.”
Filip Cederqvist will complement the Amerks’ highly skilled forwards with his ability to clear space on the forecheck and in front of the net. At 6-3, 208 pounds, Cederqvist is a power forward with skill who proved in the SHL that he’s ready for an opportunity in Rochester.
Lukas Rousek is back for another season in Rochester after an outstanding postseason in which he had six points in 10 games. The 23-year-old is physically and mentally ready for the NHL. He just needs to gain more experience with the Amerks and prove he can drive play offensively in the AHL. Rousek missed most of the 2021-22 regular season with an ACL injury, his first year in North America. He’s strong on the puck and fits perfectly with how the Sabres want to play.
There’s also a group of reliable forwards who will be among the first recalled to Buffalo if the Sabres have a need up front, including Malone, Weissbach, Biro and Brett Murray.
Weissbach, 24, is the only one without NHL experience, but the 5-9 winger has the speed, defensive awareness and skill to help in Buffalo this season. He was a standout at Sabres training camp and Prospects Challenge.
Michael Mersch, back for his second season as captain, will provide leadership and a scoring touch when skating alongside one of the organization’s young centers.
Defensemen
Oskari Laaksonen is the lone defense prospect in Rochester following the graduations of Mattias Samuelsson, Casey Fitzgerald and Jacob Bryson to Buffalo. But the Amerks’ play, particularly at 5-on-5, should improve with the addition of four defensemen to two-way contracts, all of whom have NHL experience: Lawrence Pilut, Jeremy Davies, Chase Priskie and Kale Clague. The Amerks also re-signed Ethan Prow to an AHL contract.
Pilut is back after spending two seasons in Russia, Priskie has averaged more than a half point per game in parts of four AHL seasons, Davies played 22 games with the Nashville Predators and Clague, a second-round draft choice in 2016, has 58 NHL games on his résumé. Peter Tischke and Mitch Eliot are depth options on AHL contracts.
Laaksonen, 23, will be interesting to track in a pivotal season for the 2017 third-round draft choice. His struggles on defense led him to be a healthy scratch for all but one game of the Calder Cup Playoffs. Outstanding on the power play, Laaksonen needs to be better in every other area. He has potential to develop into an NHL defenseman if he learns to carve out a role like that of Sabres defenseman Henri Jokiharju, who contributes offensively with precise passing but also gained enough strength to win puck battles and learned how to help on the penalty kill. The Sabres don’t need help on the power play with Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power on the roster.
“He’s a young player, he’s had two good years in the American Hockey League,” Appert said of Laaksonen, who has 51 points in 99 AHL games. “But as we’ve been working with him, the power play’s not your ticket to the NHL for most players, and certainly not in our organization, because Dahlin and Power are going to have those jobs for a long time. And so the way to the NHL for a defenseman in this organization is the stuff that (Samuelsson) and (Fitzgerald) do – close plays, defend, break the puck out, hard to play against, block shots.”
Goaltending
This will be Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen’s job. Luukkonen, 23, needs more game experience in Rochester to earn a call to Buffalo. He’s had success when in the NHL, registering a .913 save percentage and 3.08 goals-against average in nine games, none of which included a Sabres lineup at full strength. But Luukkonen has had bouts of inconsistency when with the Amerks, as illustrated by his .894 save percentage in 60 appearances. He needs to show that he’s ready to take the job in Buffalo.
Malcolm Subban will work in tandem with Luukkonen and should be an upgrade over Aaron Dell. Subban, though, is out three-to-four weeks with a lower-body injury suffered in a preseason game. Until Subban returns, the Amerks can call on Beck Warm and Michael Houser, who were signed to play in Cincinnati (AHL), to backup Luukkonen.
