FRESH PERSPECTIVE, RENEWED OUTLOOK PAYING OFF FOR WEISSBACH
Oct 21, 2022By Suzie Cool
Its truly amazing what just a few short months can do. For Rochester Americans forward Linus Weeisbach, it offered him a fresh perspective and a renewed outlook going into his second pro season.
“He has a very different approach, and he was working towards this approach last year, but his approach right now versus four months ago – it's night and day,” stated Amerks head coach Seth Appert when asked how he’s seen Weissbach grow over the last year. “He's one of the first guys in the shooting room every morning. He has a real purpose to how he goes about his daily business. He's being a leader.”
Weissbach spent the entire 2021-22 season with the Amerks, scoring 16 goals and adding 21 assists in 67 games. He also made one postseason appearance with Rochester against the Belleville Senators before suffering an upper-body injury that sidelined him for the remainder of the team’s playoff run.
It’s no secret, your first year in the pros can be hard. Especially when you’re on a team that was stacked with as many top prospects as the Amerks had last year and, for Weissbach, you’re trying to learn exactly what your role is in the professional realm.
“It’s a step up from my first year, last year,” commented Weissbach when asked about looking ahead to the role he’ll be playing on this Rochester team this season. “I think there were a lot of players here last year that they kind of had their roles already set up for them. So, I kind of had to find my way and take what I could get and then earn whatever else I wanted.”
With former Amerks forwards Jack Quinn and JJ Peterka leading the way for Rochester’s offense in 2021-22, it was hard to look past their production and what others were doing to help push the Amerks to their first postseason run in a long time, and one of those players that maybe got a little overlooked last season was Weissbach. Despite the sudden injury in the postseason, he Amerks forward still was one of the top-scoring rookies in the AHL with 37 points during the regular season.
Now with a new opportunity going into the 2022-23 campaign, Weissbach is looked at as a leader and a driver on this young and new Amerks roster. If the forward approaches this season with the right mindset, he knows he’s going to be able to achieve even more this year than last.
“Every day I just make sure that I'm ready for the opportunity and just not take anything for granted. I think it's a good opportunity and, I think, if you approach it the right way with the right mindset, then you can really achieve a lot of things.”
And it’s helpful that Weissbach learned a thing or two last year that’s helped prepare him for the new season ahead.
“It's only my second year, but I think I learned a lot of things last year that I didn't know coming in. I mean, I knew how many games we were about to play, but I don't think I really had an idea of how hard it was going to be just on the body and kind of mentally. So, I think this year I've kind of changed a lot in the way I prepare for practice, games, and how I recover. I think those are the things you can't really prepare for unless someone tells you.”
Weissbach was a seventh-round selection (192nd overall) by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2017 NHL Draft and signed his two-year, entry level contract with the organization on Apr. 6, 2021.
“I think be more of an attacking sort of player,” said Weissbach when asked how he wants to level up his game in his second season in Rochester. “I think there were times last year where I was that, and then there were times where I kind of shied away from that a little bit because so many other guys were, or looked at, as those type of players. I think for me it's just being one of those go-to guys in all areas of the game.”
We’ve already seen how much Weissbach has embraced his new role this year, notching the Amerks first goal of the season in their 4-2 win over the Toronto Marlies on Opening Night. While the forward’s momentum was most certainly felt in that first matchup of the 2022-23 campaign, he’s more ready than ever for his teammates and coaches to continue to lean on him and trust in his skillset this season.
Weissbach then finished with, “That's one of my goals this year and, it's kind of broad, but to know my game and make sure that the coaches and the players can lean on me in every situation.”