AMERKS LOOKING MORE LIKE THEMSELVES
Nov 20, 2023
By Andrew Mossbrooks | @Mossbrooks48
The Rochester Americans have dealt with a lot of plates spinning over the first six weeks of the 2023-24 AHL season. The start to a season is normally a balancing act for head coach Seth Appert, and probably any head coach for that matter.
Begin your training camp. Instill your culture. Build your identity. You know, the usual.
What was unusual about the start of this season was the mass of different bodies flooding in and out of Blue Cross Arena, at least to this point in the year. A total of 40 different players played for Rochester across all of last year’s 72-game slate. This year’s Amerks are 35 players deep. They have played just 14 games.
“…no,” said Amerks captain Michael Mersch after taking a long pause when asked if he’s seen injuries pile up like this before. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Call-ups to the Buffalo Sabres along with a gamut of injuries have left the Amerks looking decimated on paper. ECHL players have played significant AHL minutes. Defensemen have had to play as forwards. It’s been a next man-up mentality, yet the team has managed to stay afloat in an ever-competitive North Division with an 8-4-2-0 record.
You almost forget what it’s like to see the Amerks who took to the ice in the middle of October. Thankfully, however, that team is beginning to re-emerge.
Last week saw the returns of Michael Mersch, Brandon Biro, and Aleksandr Kisakov on Thursday. Lukas Rousek and Mason Jobst joined in on the action Saturday night for Rochester’s 7-5 win on the road in Cleveland. Those five players combined for three goals and four assists for seven points on the night. They make up a contingent of strong, offensively gifted players that have led Rochester to ranking as a top-five offense to start the season.
Appert then stated following Monday’s practice that Linus Weissbach has been cleared, and while forwards Brett Murray and Filip Cederqvist remain out, they, too, are trending in the right direction and are potentially available to play this weekend. That’s as many as eight forwards possibly returning to the lineup over the course of a two-week span.
“It’s nice to have your go-to guys back,” said Appert last weekend. “The more guys you get in your lineup, the better your team is going to be.”
While several players were out, the young duo of Isak Rosen and Jiri Kulich continued to step up and drive the team’s offense. Rosen enters Thanksgiving week in the AHL’s top-10 scoring leaders with 17 points (7+10), while Kulich, his linemate, is one of six players to reach double-digit goal totals to start the season (10). Both players scored on Saturday, marking the ninth time in their career when they have scored a goal in the same game. The Amerks have won eight of those contests.
“Rosen’s game is more subtle, whereas Kulich’s game is more powerful and in-your-face,” described Appert. “They’re not just leading us in points. They’re driving our identity and that is huge. It’s fabulous to see the overall development of their game.”
Throughout this month-plus journey, Appert has kept his focus on games. He hasn’t dwelled on the injuries or the players that aren’t in Rochester or can’t be put in the lineup.
“I’ve become a better coach when I stopped worrying about things I can’t control. I fully expect us to play a strong game and give ourselves a chance to win regardless of who is in the lineup.”
What Appert has been able to control is the day-to-day approach his team has been encouraged to have. It has paid off. Rochester remains a powerhouse within its division. The season is less than a quarter of the way complete, but with the potential for an almost-full lineup healthy and intact, the Amerks could make an early run.
“When you have your lineup healthy and intact in the American Hockey League, you better collect.”
We’ll see if the Amerks can do just that beginning this week with back-to-back meetings against Laval before closing out the month Saturday with their only visit to Allentown to take on the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.