AMERKS JANUARY 2025 REPORT CARD
Amerks fly high to start 2025, Rochester goes 7-3-0-1 to stay near top of the North Division
Feb 4, 2025
By Andrew Mossbrooks | @ Mossbrooks48
The Rochester Americans survived the road yet again, completing a second straight month of 11-game slates that featured seven road matchups. The end result: a 7-3-0-1 record as the Amerks pass the midway point of the season and enter February a point out of first place in the North Division.
Hockey is a team sport, and January was no exception. The Amerks had an all-hands-on-deck approach to the month and it paid off.
ALL-STARS: A+
A huge part of January’s success can be attributed to a trio of Amerks.
Isak Rosén and Brett Murray led the way offensively and are the one-two punch of Rochester’s point production, while Devon Levi provided the calming presence in goal to help the Amerks secure some wins.
Rosén, 21, is ranked second in the AHL with 23 goals and has seven over his past four games. The third-year pro, who was recalled by the Buffalo Sabres on Monday, is amid a career season, leading the charge for Rochester with 39 points (23+16) in 40 games
His counterpart, Murray, is second on the team in points (36), goals (20), and leads the AHL with 11 power-play tallies. Both forwards added 12 points to their respective totals on the season in January with the duo combining for 14 goals and 10 assists.
In net, Levi appeared in seven games last month, recording a 4-2-1 record. The sophomore goaltender recorded a save percentage greater than .920 in five of his starts and is tied for seventh in the AHL with 14 wins this season.
Levi, Murray, and Rosén were each named to the North Division roster for the 2025 AHL All-Star Classic, which wrapped up last night in Coachella Valley, marking the first time Rochester has sent three players to an All-Star weekend since 2017.
ENTER SANDMAN: A
Levi wasn’t the only Amerks’ goaltender to flash success in January.
It was a perfect month for veteran goaltender Felix Sandström, who went 3-0-0, allowing three or fewer goals in each of his starts. Sandström then went on to win the team’s first game in February and is now riding a career-best six-game win streak, having last tasted defeat on Dec. 6, 2024.
The 10th-year pro’s first start of the month was arguably his best as an Amerk, recording a season-high 36 saves in the team’s 6-3 win in Bridgeport on Jan. 4.
The former Philadelphia Flyers prospect then went on to face his former organization two weeks later on Jan. 18, making 25 saves in a win over Lehigh Valley, whom Sandström played 88 games with over parts of six seasons. His win over the Phantoms wasn’t just noteworthy for it being his former team, but also for it marking the 100th AHL game in the Gavle, Sweden, native’s career.
Sandström is one win shy of touching double-digit AHL victories for a third season. The 28-year-old is 9-4-1 through 14 appearances as an Amerk thus far.
PROMISING PROSPECTS: B+
The Buffalo Sabres possess one of the NHL’s deepest prospect pools and fans of the Amerks get to see it on full display week in and week out. Several young Sabres’ prospects and draft picks showed signs of progression to kick off 2025.
Anton Wahlberg and Konsta Helenius returned to the team in the second week of January following their participation at the World Junior Championships in Ottawa. Wahlberg posted four goals and eight points for Team Sweden, while Helenius led Team Finland with six assists on its way to a silver medal.
Vsevolod Komarov scored his first professional goal on Jan. 19 in Hershey. The Russian rookie also leads Rochester with 67 penalty minutes and has 10 points on the season (1+9).
His fellow countryman, Nikita Novikov, has an on-ice rating of plus-22 on the season, which leads Rochester and ranks second-best among all AHL skaters. The Amerks are also 8-0 when Novikov scores a goal, dating back to his rookie campaign in 2023-24.
Noah Östlund played his first full month of hockey in 2024-25 after dealing with an injury early in the season. The rookie forward scored two goals and added six assists while centering Rosen and Murray.
While undrafted and from the college route, defenseman Zachary Metsa continues to put together the makings of a defenseman of the year-level season, posting three goals and an impressive 29 assists to lead Rochester’s blueline in production. Metsa produced 10 assists in January and leads AHL defensemen in helpers this season.
FEBRUARY SYLLABUS
For a third straight month, the Amerks have 11 games on tap, though this time it’ll be plenty of home cooking in Rochester as seven games will emanate from Blue Cross Arena.
All but one of the Amerks’ February games are against North Division adversaries, including two with Syracuse and two against Utica, plus a pair of games at home against Belleville. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton makes its lone trip to the Flower City on Feb. 26.