Amerks In The AHL Playoffs

[Night Train]

Jiri Kulich, Isak Rosen and other prospects of the Buffalo Sabres will experience postseason hockey in Rochester this spring.

The Amerks officially qualified for the American Hockey League’s Calder Cup Playoffs and sit second in the North Division after winning both of their games over the weekend. They’re 7-0-3 in their last 10 and hold a one-point lead over third-place Syracuse with three games to go, beginning Friday night in Rochester against Belleville.

This will be the Amerks' second consecutive playoff appearance under coach Seth Appert, who has led the club to combined record of 83-69-22 during his three seasons, the first of which didn't include a postseason because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The scenario in Rochester is what Sabres General Manager Kevyn Adams and associate general manager Jason Karmanos envisioned when filling the Amerks’ roster with several young, drafted prospects such as Kulich, Rosen, Lukas Rousek, Filip Cederqvist, Tyson Kozak, Linus Weissbach, Aleksandr Kisakov and Brett Murray.

The Amerks’ goaltending tandem has been solid this season since Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen joined the Sabres in November. Malcom Subban has a .916 save percentage in his last seven starts, and he has earned Rochester at least one standing point in each of his last nine appearances. Michael Houser has a .908 save percentage in 20 games, his most in the NHL since 2014-15.

Brandon Biro, signed as an undrafted free agent out of Penn State, has been arguably the Amerks’ best all-around player with 16 goals and 51 points in 49 games. The 24-year-old did not receive a game in Buffalo because the Sabres’ forwards have been relatively healthy this season, and Biro was injured when Rousek was recalled to fill a spot in the lineup last month against Montreal because Tage Thompson was unable to play through an upper-body injury.

Of the prospects, Kulich is closest to helping the Sabres in a prominent role. Drafted 27th overall by Buffalo last summer, the Czech forward has 23 goals and 45 points in 60 games. Kulich, 18, has the size, strength, shot and offensive instincts to play in the NHL, but he’ll need to show management that he’s reliable enough defensively to make the jump next season.

Rosen, whom the Sabres drafted with the 2021 first-round pick acquired for Rasmus Ristolainen, has 14 goals and 35 points in 61 games as a rookie with the Amerks. He’s a tremendous skater with high-end offensive instincts but needs to gain strength and learn how to play on the perimeter less often.

Biro, Rousek, Murray and Weissbach could be depth options for the Sabres next season, while Kisakov, Cederqvist and Kozak will need more time to continue to develop their games in the AHL.

Rochester finishes the regular season with a three-in-three this weekend with home games against Belleville and Cleveland before hitting the road to play the latter Sunday at 3 p.m.

 

[JohnC]

  On 4/11/2023 at 12:17 PM, Night Train said:

Jiri Kulich, Isak Rosen and other prospects of the Buffalo Sabres will experience postseason hockey in Rochester this spring.

The Amerks officially qualified for the American Hockey League’s Calder Cup Playoffs and sit second in the North Division after winning both of their games over the weekend. They’re 7-0-3 in their last 10 and hold a one-point lead over third-place Syracuse with three games to go, beginning Friday night in Rochester against Belleville.

This will be the Amerks' second consecutive playoff appearance under coach Seth Appert, who has led the club to combined record of 83-69-22 during his three seasons, the first of which didn't include a postseason because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The scenario in Rochester is what Sabres General Manager Kevyn Adams and associate general manager Jason Karmanos envisioned when filling the Amerks’ roster with several young, drafted prospects such as Kulich, Rosen, Lukas Rousek, Filip Cederqvist, Tyson Kozak, Linus Weissbach, Aleksandr Kisakov and Brett Murray.

The Amerks’ goaltending tandem has been solid this season since Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen joined the Sabres in November. Malcom Subban has a .916 save percentage in his last seven starts, and he has earned Rochester at least one standing point in each of his last nine appearances. Michael Houser has a .908 save percentage in 20 games, his most in the NHL since 2014-15.

Brandon Biro, signed as an undrafted free agent out of Penn State, has been arguably the Amerks’ best all-around player with 16 goals and 51 points in 49 games. The 24-year-old did not receive a game in Buffalo because the Sabres’ forwards have been relatively healthy this season, and Biro was injured when Rousek was recalled to fill a spot in the lineup last month against Montreal because Tage Thompson was unable to play through an upper-body injury.

Of the prospects, Kulich is closest to helping the Sabres in a prominent role. Drafted 27th overall by Buffalo last summer, the Czech forward has 23 goals and 45 points in 60 games. Kulich, 18, has the size, strength, shot and offensive instincts to play in the NHL, but he’ll need to show management that he’s reliable enough defensively to make the jump next season.

Rosen, whom the Sabres drafted with the 2021 first-round pick acquired for Rasmus Ristolainen, has 14 goals and 35 points in 61 games as a rookie with the Amerks. He’s a tremendous skater with high-end offensive instincts but needs to gain strength and learn how to play on the perimeter less often.

Biro, Rousek, Murray and Weissbach could be depth options for the Sabres next season, while Kisakov, Cederqvist and Kozak will need more time to continue to develop their games in the AHL.

Rochester finishes the regular season with a three-in-three this weekend with home games against Belleville and Cleveland before hitting the road to play the latter Sunday at 3 p.m.

 

Expand  

Terrific writeup and summarization. The Rochester afficionados here are terrific in keeping us informed about the farm. 🍺

[Night Train]

FYI - $29.99 for the Calder Cup Playoffs - Streaming in AHLTV

https://www.ahltv.com/#/

 

[Flashsabre]

  On 4/11/2023 at 12:17 PM, Night Train said:

Jiri Kulich, Isak Rosen and other prospects of the Buffalo Sabres will experience postseason hockey in Rochester this spring.

The Amerks officially qualified for the American Hockey League’s Calder Cup Playoffs and sit second in the North Division after winning both of their games over the weekend. They’re 7-0-3 in their last 10 and hold a one-point lead over third-place Syracuse with three games to go, beginning Friday night in Rochester against Belleville.

This will be the Amerks' second consecutive playoff appearance under coach Seth Appert, who has led the club to combined record of 83-69-22 during his three seasons, the first of which didn't include a postseason because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The scenario in Rochester is what Sabres General Manager Kevyn Adams and associate general manager Jason Karmanos envisioned when filling the Amerks’ roster with several young, drafted prospects such as Kulich, Rosen, Lukas Rousek, Filip Cederqvist, Tyson Kozak, Linus Weissbach, Aleksandr Kisakov and Brett Murray.

The Amerks’ goaltending tandem has been solid this season since Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen joined the Sabres in November. Malcom Subban has a .916 save percentage in his last seven starts, and he has earned Rochester at least one standing point in each of his last nine appearances. Michael Houser has a .908 save percentage in 20 games, his most in the NHL since 2014-15.

Brandon Biro, signed as an undrafted free agent out of Penn State, has been arguably the Amerks’ best all-around player with 16 goals and 51 points in 49 games. The 24-year-old did not receive a game in Buffalo because the Sabres’ forwards have been relatively healthy this season, and Biro was injured when Rousek was recalled to fill a spot in the lineup last month against Montreal because Tage Thompson was unable to play through an upper-body injury.

Of the prospects, Kulich is closest to helping the Sabres in a prominent role. Drafted 27th overall by Buffalo last summer, the Czech forward has 23 goals and 45 points in 60 games. Kulich, 18, has the size, strength, shot and offensive instincts to play in the NHL, but he’ll need to show management that he’s reliable enough defensively to make the jump next season.

Rosen, whom the Sabres drafted with the 2021 first-round pick acquired for Rasmus Ristolainen, has 14 goals and 35 points in 61 games as a rookie with the Amerks. He’s a tremendous skater with high-end offensive instincts but needs to gain strength and learn how to play on the perimeter less often.

Biro, Rousek, Murray and Weissbach could be depth options for the Sabres next season, while Kisakov, Cederqvist and Kozak will need more time to continue to develop their games in the AHL.

Rochester finishes the regular season with a three-in-three this weekend with home games against Belleville and Cleveland before hitting the road to play the latter Sunday at 3 p.m.

 

Expand  

Did you write this yourself? Tip of the 🎩 it reads like a professional article. Thanks for the update.

[Night Train]

  On 4/11/2023 at 1:33 PM, Flashsabre said:

Did you write this yourself? Tip of the 🎩 it reads like a professional article. Thanks for the update.

Expand  

 Cut and paste. I have blond hair.   :-) 

[LabattBlue]

  On 4/11/2023 at 1:37 PM, Night Train said:

 Cut and paste. I have blond hair.   🙂

Expand  

Can you at least link the article you copied instead of making it seem like the write up is yours?  👎🏻

[Malazan]

I wonder if people knew this was from the Buffalo News they'd be as complementary of the writing and 'professionalism'

https://buffalonews.com/sports/sabres/sabres-notebook-prospects-in-rochester-preparing-for-playoff-hockey-with-amerks/article_52d96b6e-d7a6-11ed-9dbb-a7d74c90e7b3.html#:~:text=NEW YORK – Jiri Kulich%2C Isak,their games over the weekend.

[inkman]

  On 4/11/2023 at 12:17 PM, Night Train said:

Jiri Kulich, Isak Rosen and other prospects of the Buffalo Sabres will experience postseason hockey in Rochester this spring.

The Amerks officially qualified for the American Hockey League’s Calder Cup Playoffs and sit second in the North Division after winning both of their games over the weekend. They’re 7-0-3 in their last 10 and hold a one-point lead over third-place Syracuse with three games to go, beginning Friday night in Rochester against Belleville.

This will be the Amerks' second consecutive playoff appearance under coach Seth Appert, who has led the club to combined record of 83-69-22 during his three seasons, the first of which didn't include a postseason because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The scenario in Rochester is what Sabres General Manager Kevyn Adams and associate general manager Jason Karmanos envisioned when filling the Amerks’ roster with several young, drafted prospects such as Kulich, Rosen, Lukas Rousek, Filip Cederqvist, Tyson Kozak, Linus Weissbach, Aleksandr Kisakov and Brett Murray.

The Amerks’ goaltending tandem has been solid this season since Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen joined the Sabres in November. Malcom Subban has a .916 save percentage in his last seven starts, and he has earned Rochester at least one standing point in each of his last nine appearances. Michael Houser has a .908 save percentage in 20 games, his most in the NHL since 2014-15.

Brandon Biro, signed as an undrafted free agent out of Penn State, has been arguably the Amerks’ best all-around player with 16 goals and 51 points in 49 games. The 24-year-old did not receive a game in Buffalo because the Sabres’ forwards have been relatively healthy this season, and Biro was injured when Rousek was recalled to fill a spot in the lineup last month against Montreal because Tage Thompson was unable to play through an upper-body injury.

Of the prospects, Kulich is closest to helping the Sabres in a prominent role. Drafted 27th overall by Buffalo last summer, the Czech forward has 23 goals and 45 points in 60 games. Kulich, 18, has the size, strength, shot and offensive instincts to play in the NHL, but he’ll need to show management that he’s reliable enough defensively to make the jump next season.

Rosen, whom the Sabres drafted with the 2021 first-round pick acquired for Rasmus Ristolainen, has 14 goals and 35 points in 61 games as a rookie with the Amerks. He’s a tremendous skater with high-end offensive instincts but needs to gain strength and learn how to play on the perimeter less often.

Biro, Rousek, Murray and Weissbach could be depth options for the Sabres next season, while Kisakov, Cederqvist and Kozak will need more time to continue to develop their games in the AHL.

Rochester finishes the regular season with a three-in-three this weekend with home games against Belleville and Cleveland before hitting the road to play the latter Sunday at 3 p.m.

 

Expand  

 

  On 4/11/2023 at 5:30 PM, LabattBlue said:

Can you at least link the article you copied instead of making it seem like the write up is yours?  👎🏻

Expand  

 

  On 4/11/2023 at 7:46 PM, Malazan said:

I wonder if people knew this was from the Buffalo News they'd be as complementary of the writing and 'professionalism'

https://buffalonews.com/sports/sabres/sabres-notebook-prospects-in-rochester-preparing-for-playoff-hockey-with-amerks/article_52d96b6e-d7a6-11ed-9dbb-a7d74c90e7b3.html#:~:text=NEW YORK – Jiri Kulich%2C Isak,their games over the weekend.

Expand  

Doesn’t SS have guidelines against blatant plagiarism?  

[Weave]

  On 4/11/2023 at 8:46 PM, inkman said:

 

 

Doesn’t SS have guidelines against blatant plagiarism?  

Expand  

Mostly enforced through public shaming.

[LabattBlue]

  On 4/11/2023 at 8:46 PM, inkman said:

 

 

Doesn’t SS have guidelines against blatant plagiarism?  

Expand  

Not only that, but no cut and paste of entire articles…especially ones behind a paywall.  
 

That being said, I will step aside now, and let the mods be mods. 😂

[That Aud Smell]

why is there such a long wait for the AHL playoffs to start?

[Taro T]

  On 4/12/2023 at 2:35 PM, That Aud Smell said:

why is there such a long wait for the AHL playoffs to start?

Expand  

Probably because the AHL can't run through their whole season in the same time frame as the NHL with only having teams play 1 weeknight game per week in the vast majority of the season.  They are a gate dependent league (even moreso than the NHL) so they minimize the nights that nobody will show up in the barn.

Their season only ends 1 week later than the NHL.

[In The Buff]

Anyone who needs to can watch the AHL playoffs on 1 of the hockey stream sites i use. If anyone needs a link, dm me & i'll check back before gametime.

GO AMERKS!

[matter2003]

  On 4/11/2023 at 12:26 PM, JohnC said:

Terrific writeup and summarization. The Rochester afficionados here are terrific in keeping us informed about the farm. 🍺

Expand  

[Claude Balls]

Anyone have any guesses on who may be sent down to Roch after Friday's last Sabres game? 

[Eleven]

  On 4/12/2023 at 6:18 PM, Claude Balls said:

Anyone have any guesses on who may be sent down to Roch after Friday's last Sabres game? 

Expand  

I'll take a try:

Bryson

Peterka

Is Quinn waiver-exempt?

Is UPL waiver-exempt?

One of weave or liger but not both because they're squabbling right now in another thread.

[LabattBlue]

  On 4/12/2023 at 6:23 PM, Eleven said:

One of weave or liger but not both because they're squabbling right now in another thread.

Expand  

😂😂😂

[Amerks8796]

  On 4/12/2023 at 6:18 PM, Claude Balls said:

Anyone have any guesses on who may be sent down to Roch after Friday's last Sabres game? 

Expand  

No one is eligible. 

[That Aud Smell]

  On 4/12/2023 at 6:23 PM, Eleven said:

I'll take a try:

Bryson

Peterka

Is Quinn waiver-exempt?

Is UPL waiver-exempt?

One of weave or liger but not both because they're squabbling right now in another thread.

Expand  

Man, I will be watching those games for sure if their roster ends up Quinn and/or Peterka. I'll probably watch a game here or there regardless, actually.

[inkman]

  On 4/12/2023 at 6:23 PM, Eleven said:

I'll take a try:

Bryson

Peterka

Is Quinn waiver-exempt?

Is UPL waiver-exempt?

One of weave or liger but not both because they're squabbling right now in another thread.

Expand  

The only players going to the Amerks will be Clague and maybe Levi (unless they’ve already declared that as a no go)

[Taro T]

  On 4/12/2023 at 8:20 PM, inkman said:

The only players going to the Amerks will be Clague and maybe Levi (unless they’ve already declared that as a no go)

Expand  

Can't recall if Clague was with the Amerks on deadline day or not.  Don't believe he was.  If not, he can't play for them in the playoffs either.

Levi can't play for them in the playoffs.

The only reinforcement that MAY be coming is Johnson.

[Amerks8796]

  On 4/12/2023 at 8:22 PM, Taro T said:

Can't recall if Clague was with the Amerks on deadline day or not.  Don't believe he was.  If not, he can't play for them in the playoffs either.

Levi can't play for them in the playoffs.

The only reinforcement that MAY be coming is Johnson.

Expand  

Correct. Neither Clague nor Levi can go down. Johnson only if he signs an ATO. 

[Claude Balls]

  On 4/12/2023 at 6:23 PM, Eleven said:

One of weave or liger but not both because they're squabbling right now in another thread.

Expand  

Damn kids

Edited April 12, 2023 by Claude Balls

[PromoTheRobot]

Good thing they clinched a playoff berth because they are fading this weekend.

[pastajoe]

Amerks lost the last two home games to teams below them. Utica pushed Amerks down to 4th with an OT win in Syracuse. The Amerks need to win in Cleveland Sunday to move up to 2nd, otherwise they stay in 4th and would have to play Laval in a 3 game series.