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BRANDON BIRO SEASON IN REVIEW

BRANDON BIRO: SEASON IN REVIEW

Jun 20, 2023

Forward Brandon Biro had a career-year in every category, despite battling injuries throughout the season. Biro recorded 51 points in his 49 games played this season, including 16 goals — five coming on the power play.

This marked Biro's third season with the Rochester Americans, after signing a two-year NHL contract with the Buffalo Sabres last summer. He was officially ruled out for the season on April 22 after missing six games. He underwent successful lower-body surgery. 

"Obviously, I would've loved to be out there," Biro said at his end-of-season interview. "I would have done anything to be out there with those guys during this playoff run."

Biro was a part of the playoff run in the previous season, but he said that he was way more nervous watching this run from the stands. "I've never been nervous like that before in my life," he explained. "I never get nervous when I play, but there's something about being in the stands and not being able to control any of the outcome that makes me nervous."

What he could try to control was his recovery. Biro was focused on improving every day, and made a lot of progress with the Amerks' support staff during April and May. He even thinks that he's already ready for training camp in the fall.

"There was actually a good chance I would've been able to play in the [Calder Cup] Finals if we would have gotten there."

He credits the Rochester training and medical staff for their dedication to his recovery. "I'm really grateful for the support staff," he said. "Spending so much time with me, making sure I'm the best that I can be. I'm feeling great."

Biro was playing his best hockey up until the injury. He was voted Most Valuable Player for the 2022-23 season by his teammates, and even that is an understatement. He was the first Amerk to reach the 50-point mark, which he did on March 15.

In his last 17 games, Biro tallied 22 points (7 goals, 15 assists). He recorded his first career five-point game on March 10. Just over a week prior, he scored his first professional hat trick in Laval with a goal in each period.

Biro boasted a career-long seven-game point streak in December, including seven multi-point efforts during the three-week span. He also recorded a team-high 16 points (6 goals, 10 assists) that month.

Biro led the Amerks with 12 points in the first 12 games of the season. He was named the Amerks representative for the 2023 AHL All-Star Classic. The list goes on and on for how incredible of a season Biro had, and it was all despite his injuries.

"I thought from the start of the year to the time right before I got injured, I was getting better. I was playing my best hockey at the point when I got hurt, so it was definitely frustrating."

Despite the frustration, Biro remained positive. He was always around the team and always in the locker room to learn from the losses and celebrate the wins. "It's really special, the culture we have here," he said.

"It starts with the leadership group, the coaching staff, and just bringing in good people," he continued. Despite this being the only organization he's played for, he knows that it's not like this everywhere. 

"I don't think any of us took that for granted: how special it was and how close everyone was with this group."

While still being a young prospect, Biro was one of the biggest drivers of the team this season. "He's been our best player, night in and night out," Amerks head coach Seth Appert said after Biro was named to the AHL All-Star Classic.

"And that's everywhere. He's our leading scorer. He's our best defensive forward. He's one of our best penalty-killers, if not our best."

Last season, Biro tallied 41 points in 48 games and found his place on the Amerks power play, tallying 7 of his 12 goals on the man-advantage. This season, "his growth has been immense."

"I think he was, probably a couple years ago, not thought of as a likely future-NHL player," Appert continued. "Now, he's not just knocking on the door; he's banging on the door. He's going to get his opportunity sooner than later with how he's been playing."

His growth over the season and his commitment to a full recovery before training camp provides a lot of hope for the young Amerks squad ahead of next season. Biro will return to Buffalo for training camp in September, with his sights set on cracking the Sabres lineup.

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