GAME PREVIEW: AMERKS START HOMESTAND AGAINST CHECKERS
Rochester hosts three straight against Atlantic Division opponents
Mar 11, 2025
By Andrew Mossbrooks | @ Mossbrooks48
The Rochester Americans (34-16-3-3) return to Blue Cross Arena to kick-off a three-game homestand, beginning Wednesday night against the Charlotte Checkers (31-17-3-3).
It’s the first time Charlotte appears in the Flower City since Dec. 8, 2023. The two teams met twice this past December in the Queen City, where each club skated out of Bojangles’ Coliseum with a shutout win. Tonight is the third of four meetings this season, with the series finale coming just nine days from now with on Friday, March 21 at Blue Cross Arena.
LAST TIME OUT
In perhaps their most heartbreaking loss of the season, the Amerks saw Laval break a 1-1 tie with 40 seconds left in regulation to skate away with a 2-1 win and a weekend sweep of Rochester Saturday afternoon at Place Bell. Graham Slaggert scored his 10th goal of the season 5:55 into the second period, converting for Rochester’s lone goal. Devon Levi made 27 saves in the loss, falling to 19-8-3 on the season.
Rochester finished its road trip 0-2-0-2. The team’s four-game winless drought is tied for its longest of the season, last happening Nov. 9-17.
On the other end, Charlotte wrapped up a four-game homestand down in North Carolina. The team went 2-2-0-0, dropping its final game of the slate against Lehigh Valley by a 3-2 final. Similar to Rochester, it was a heartbreaking finale for the Checkers, who watched the Phantoms snap a 2-2 tie with 31 seconds remaining in the third, preventing the Checkers from earning a standings point.
Trevor Carrick scored one of the goals for Charlotte, becoming the eighth defenseman to reach double-digit goal totals this season.
BRANNSTROM-ING
Newly acquired Amerk Erik Brännström is expected to make his debut with Rochester Wednesday night.
The 25-year-old defenseman was acquired by Buffalo from the New York Rangers last week on the day of the NHL trade deadline. Brännström, a former first-round pick by Vegas in 2017, has spent the bulk of his nine-year professional career playing in the NHL. The Eksjö, Sweden, native has logged 294 games, mostly with the Ottawa Senators, scoring 10 goals and 77 points.
In the AHL this season, the veteran blueliner has 16 points (3+13) in 14 games. Earlier in his career, Brännström was an AHL all-star with the Chicago Wolves in the 2018-19 season.
LEANING ON LEVI
Devon Levi has made three consecutive starts for the Amerks, including last weekend when Rochester tabbed its All-Star goaltender twice in under 24 hours to start both games in Laval.
The 23-year-old has the sixth-most games played amongst goaltenders in the Eastern Conference and is the youngest of the bunch. Levi is one of 13 goalies overall in the AHL with 30 or more games, while ranking fifth in the league with 19 wins.
The Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Quebec, native has one career start against the Checkers and it came earlier this season back on Dec. 7, when the second-year pro blanked the Checkers with 30 saves in a 3-0 win.
CHECKING IN
Charlotte skates into Rochester with wins in six of its last 10 games and points in seven of those contests. The Checkers are currently slotted into the fourth seed of the AHL’s Atlantic Division with 68 points and are two back of both Providence and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, who are tied for second in the division.
Along with Levi, Charlotte’s Ken Appleby is tied for the AHL lead with five shutouts, though the veteran goaltender has dropped five of his last seven games.
The Checkers are led by John Leonard, who has bounced around the AHL through his first five seasons, but is having a career year in the Queen City. After previously reaching 17 goals twice in his career, the fifth-year pro has already scored 25 this season and is a point off from tying his career-best 44-point campaign from two seasons ago.
Nikita Novikov and Slaggert each posted a goal and an assist in the season series thus far. Last season, Kale Clague led the way with four points (1+3).