FIVE FAST FACTS FROM THE MONTH OF DECEMBER
Jan 3, 2022By Suzie Cool
As the final month of the calendar year came to a close, the Rochester Americans finished up 2021 going 16-8-0-0 and sitting at second place in the North Division through their first 24 games of the 2021-22 campaign. Now, with the Amerks five wins in December came many roster moves, a pair of 10-day layoffs, calls up to Buffalo and more.
Here's a look at our five fast facts from the month of December for the Amerks.
1. POWER-PLAY ON POINT
Rochester’s power-play is presently tops in the AHL after scoring 24 times on 85 opportunities for a league-best 27.9% conversion rate.
In just the last eight games, the Amerks have gone 13-for-33 on the man-advantage, including scoring four power-play markers in their 7-3 win over Hershey back on Nov 26. Amerks forwards Michael Mersch, Sean Malone and Jack Quinn share the team lead with four power-play goals each, while defenseman Oskari Laaksonen has notched all but two of his points on the power-play this season with one goal and 12 assists coming on the man-advantage.
2. LEAGUE-LEADING OFFENSE
Prior to the number of moves made before the New Year, the Amerks had five players performing at or near a point-per-game pace with the team averaging just under four goals per game as a collective unit. Rochester’s 94 goals currently rank first amongst all teams in the league.
Additionally, the Amerks entered the final week of 2021 with four of the league’s top 20 point-getters in forwards Quinn, Malone, JJ Peterka and Mersch.
3. THAT’S OUR CAPTAIN
With a league-leading 16 goals this season, Mersch is on pace to reach the 20-goal mark for the fifth time in eight years and has already surpassed the 15-goal mark as of last Wednesday’s matchup against the Providence Bruins.
Mersch has totaled 29 points (16+13) and eight multi-point outings over his last 24 games this season. Despite starting the season not finding a point until the third game in, the Amerks captain began a torrid stretch with a five-game goal-scoring streak that last from Oct. 23 to Nov. 3, the longest of his career and the longest in the AHL this season, while his five-game point marked his longest since posting a career-best seven-game point streak back in 2015.
Additionally, Mersch finished the month by notching a four-point night against the Bruins on Wednesday night. In the Amerks’ final game of the calendar year, Mersch tallied two goals and two assists for his second four-point effort in his AHL career.
4. CALL IN THE REINFORCEMENTS
On Tuesday, the Amerks recalled defensemen Nick Boka and Matthew Cairns, and forward Lukas Craggs from the Cincinnati Cyclones (ECHL) while also signing forwards Ara Nazarian and Jacob Pritchard to Professional Tryouts (PTO). Additionally, the Amerks signed defenseman David Drake to a PTO on Wednesday as well as goaltender Bryan Haude, all within the final hours before their game on Wednesday night against the Bruins.
Nazarian joins the Amerks after starting the 2021-22 season with six goals and 12 assists for 18 points in 27 games for the Jacksonville Icemen (ECHL). He currently ranks third among all Jacksonville skaters in both assists and points and is tied for third on the team in goals. In Wednesday’s tilt against Providence, Nazarian made his AHL debut while scoring his first marker in the league, the eventual game-winner, in the second period.
Pritchard comes to Rochester after starting the 2021-22 season with eight goals and eight assists for 16 points in 19 games with the Reading Royals (ECHL). He paces all Royals skaters in both goals and points and is tied for team-lead in assists.
Drake made his way to the Flower City after starting off the 2021-22 campaign with the Royals as well, notching two assists in his 18 games with Reading this season. As Drake didn’t play last year, he’s looking to jump at any opportunity he can get as he’s even appeared in one tilt with Providence this season. In Drake’s first game with Rochester on Wednesday, he tallied his first AHL point since the 2017-18 campaign when he was with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms with an assist on Mersch’s first period marker.
Craggs earns his second recall of the season to Rochester after registering 21 points on (6+15) in 21 contests with the Cyclones. Additionally, Craggs scored one goal in six games with Rochester. Boka shows 12 points (5+7) in 18 games with Cincinnati this season while Cairns has six points (1+5) in 27 appearances with the Cyclones and made his AHL debut on Wednesday against the Bruins as well.
5. MAKING THEIR WAY TO THE TOP
With the implementation of the taxis squad in Buffalo, and all the new additions in Rochester, it comes as no surprise that there were a couple of Amerks that made their NHL debuts in the month of December.
First up, defenseman Casey Fitzgerald earned his first and second recalls to the Sabres in December. Fitzgerald made his NHL debut on Dec. 17 against the Pittsburgh Penguins and notched an assist and got into a scuffle, almost earning himself a Gordie Howe hat trick in his first NHL outing.
Then with the plethora of roster moves, the surge of COVID-19 cases cases and the implementation of the taxi squad by the end of the month, forward JJ Peterka and defenseman Ethan Prow were next on the list to get their first taste of the best league in the world.
As both Peterka and Prow made their NHL debuts against the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday, Dec. 29, at 29-years-old, Prow notched his first goal in the NHL on his first NHL shot during the third period of his debut.