AHL ALL-STAR SELECTION AN HONOR FOR BIRO
Third-year forward to represent Amerks at 2023 AHL All-Star Classic in Laval in February
Jan 11, 2023By Suzie Cool
Looking ahead to the 2023 Mise-o-jeu AHL All-Star Challenge that takes place on Monday, Feb. 6, forward Brandon Biro was just looking forward to a four-day break in the Rochester Americans’ rigorous 2022-23 schedule. Especially after the annual event has been on hiatus for the last two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it never crossed Biro’s mind that it was a possibility for him to make this year’s All-Star roster.
“Honestly, it wasn't at all. I just wanted to play well,” started Biro when asked if this was a goal he had set for himself at the beginning of the 2022-23 campaign. “I didn't even really know if there's going to be one this year, there hasn't been the last two years or anything, so I guess it wasn't something I was thinking about, but it's actually pretty cool and it’s an honor.”
Amerks head coach Seth Appert reiterated just how well Biro is playing this season, saying that this nomination is beyond well-deserved.
“We're really excited for Brandon,” commented Appert when asked about Biro’s nod to the AHL All-Star Challenge. “His All-Star nomination is well-deserved. He's been our best player night in and night out…and that's everywhere. He's our leading scorer and likely our best offensive forward, one of our best penalty killers, if not our best penalty killer, he deserves this this honor and his growth has just been immense.”
A third-year pro, Biro has spent his entire pro career with the Amerks, during which he’s amassed 75 points on 23 goals and 53 assists in 88 career games with Rochester. Biro joined the organization prior to the 2020-21 campaign after originally signing a two-year deal with the Buffalo Sabres as an undrafted free agent on March 18, 2020.
“I think he was probably, a couple of years ago, not thought of as a likely future NHL player. Now, he's not just knocking on the door, he’s banging down the door, and he's going to earn his opportunity sooner than later with how good he’s playing right now,” explained Amerks head coach Seth Appert when asked if he thought Biro would make the strides he has in his game after beginning to coach Biro in 2020-21.
WATCH: BRANDON BIRO REACTS TO ALL-STAR SELECTION
“You want to see the best things in your players and you want to try to extract them out and help them find those attributes and chase down the player they need to become, to become a great pro. But he was a long ways away back then from playing with the competitiveness and the toughness that you need to get the puck enough to show that you have offensive talents and intelligence, but the speed and the mind were always there.”
And Biro admits that the coaching staff has helped enable him reaching this feat after the help they’ve given him over the last three years.
“I think the coaches have helped me a lot these last few years, for sure,” said Biro. “It’s good habits every single day, doing the same things to get better every day, and you might not notice improvements in a week or two weeks, but over the course of the three years that I've been here it starts to add up. Working hard, trying to get better every single day and not taking a day for granted. You never really know how long you're built to play hockey for. So, take advantage of any chance you have to get better and continue to live out your dream.”
Looking back now, it’s surreal to think that Biro was even an undrafted free agent in the first place after the season he’s begun to string together in Rochester this year.
Biro currently paces the Amerks with 20 assists and 29 points through 25 games and his recent seven-game point streak to close out the 2022 calendar year was the longest of his career. The third-year pro ranks fourth on the team with nine goals and needs only three to match his career-high of 12 from last season.
Additionally, Biro has continued to tear it up despite the holiday break and missing six games due to injury. The third-year Amerk blazed his way atop the team's scoring lead following a productive December in which he led the team with 16 points on six goals and 10 assists in 10 games. Biro also recorded multi-point efforts in seven of his 10 appearances in the last calendar month of 2022, including six straight between Dec. 9 and Dec. 30.
WATCH: BRANDON BIRO HIGHLIGHT REEL
With returning from injury right into a 10-game slate in December, it doesn’t really come as a surprise that Biro was looking ahead to a break in the schedule considering the Amerks are faced with another 11 games in the month of January and have already played six since returning from their annual holiday break.
“There wasn't really ever a moment, I didn't even think about it. I didn't know it was really coming up. I just thought it was a four-day break in the schedule,” Biro laughed when asked if there was ever a moment this season he thought playing in the All-Star game was a possibility.
Dating back to last season, Biro has totaled 70 points on 21 goals and 49 assists over his last 73 games and hasn't gone more than two games without a point since Nov. 27, 2021. Since the start of the 2022 calendar year, Biro has posted 19 multi-point outings in 53 games, totaling 58 points on 18 goals and 40 assists.
WATCH: SETH APPERT ON BRANDON BIRO
Last year, Biro also made his National Hockey League debut with the Sabres on Feb. 23, 2022 against the Montreal Canadiens.
Now that Biro is able to look forward to being the Amerks All-Star at the upcoming 2023 Mise-o-jeu AHL All-Star Challenge, he’s most excited to be able to meet some new players and represent his team in the game being held on Feb. 6.
“It’s going to be exciting being able to meet some new guys and maybe getting to know some guys in our division that you probably don’t really like during the season. “Being able to represent the team, it's going to be pretty cool.”
The two-day event begins on Sunday, Feb. 5 with the 2023 Rona AHL All-Star Skills Competition at 7:00 p.m. In keeping with its traditional format, the All-Stars from the two Eastern Conference divisions will be squaring off against the All-Stars from the two Western Conference divisions in seven skills events, including hardest shot, fastest skater and accuracy shooting.
The 2023 Mise-o-jeu AHL All-Star Challenge will then take place the evening of Monday, Feb. 6 at 7:00 p.m. For the sixth straight year, instead of a traditional 60-minute game, the league’s all-stars will be divided into four teams, one representing each of the league’s divisions (Atlantic, North, Central, Pacific). The teams will then play a round-robin tournament featuring six games of 10 minutes each played entirely at 3-on-3. The two teams with the best records at the end of the round-robin tournament will face-off for the championship, a six-minute game also played using the 3-on-3 format. Rosters for each team will be composed of 11 skaters and two goaltenders.
Tickets for the 2023 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Bell in collaboration with Manulife Bank, which include admission to both the 2023 Rona AHL All-Star Skills Competition on Sunday, Feb. 5, and the 2023 Mise-o-jeu AHL All-Star Challenge on Monday, Feb. 6, start at only $39 and are available now by visiting rocketlaval.com.