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LAWRENCE PILUT SEASON IN REVIEW

LAWRENCE PILUT: SEASON IN REVIEW

Jun 26, 2023

Lawrence Pilut returned to the Buffalo Sabres organization after spending last season in the KHL. He opened the season in Rochester before suiting up in 17 games for the Sabres. He tallied a goal and two assists in his games with Buffalo.

He returned to Rochester in late December, and spent 47 regular season games with the Amerks, adding 14 postseason games as well. Despite the disappointment of his reassignment, Pilut maintained a positive attitude and immediately got to work in Rochester.

"Coming back to both the city of Buffalo and Rochester was a big thing for me," he said at his end-of-season interview. "And being with the Sabres in the beginning was an awesome experience."

"Then coming down here with Rochester and all the guys, just right off the bat, I felt there was something special with this team."

He could not have been more right. But what he might not have expected was the role that he'd play in making this season so special.

Pilut recorded a career-high 25 assists from the blue line throughout the regular season, and was paired with Ethan Prow for almost every single shift. The two were quarterbacks to the Amerks power play, and were on the ice for so many big moments.

"The more I play, the better I am," he explained. "When I'm out on the ice, all the pressure goes away. Credit to the coaching staff for really believing in me, putting faith in me, and putting me out there in situations all the time."
 

"Throughout it, I think I just tried to take every opportunity I got and make the best out of every big moment I got out there."

Pilut had two assists in a must-win Game 3 against the Syracuse Crunch in the second round. He added a goal in the must-win Game 4. But it was really the decisive Game 5 that Pilut really shined.

He gave the Amerks a 2-0 lead halfway through the second period, but the Amerks would see their lead disappear in the third. The Crunch forced overtime. And Lawrence Pilut, from the point, delivered the overtime game-winner.

"I kind of blacked out, to be honest," he said of the celebration following the series winner. "I'm not going to lie: I saw it go in and then I saw all the guys skating out to me. It was a happy feeling."

And a feeling that Amerks fans won't soon forget. 

Pilut totaled eight points over a six-game postseason point-streak, the longest from an AHL defenseman in the Calder Cup Playoffs. He had 27 points in the final 40 games of the season. And even more importantly, he was a leader for the younger players.

There were three other Swedes on the team, and he made an effort to bond with each of them off the ice. "They're unbelievable players, and unbelievable people outside of hockey," he said, explaining how awesome their bond became.

He thought that the mix of younger players and more veteran guys was really what made this team work. The young players impressed him with how professionally they handled themselves throughout the season.

"Throughout the course of the season, the development they've had has been an amazing thing to watch," he explained. "The competitiveness of all these guys, the dedication and showing up every day — being first in the gym, being in there working on everything — it's been unreal."

"That's what made this group really strong: the young guys pushing the older guys, and the older guys helping out the younger guys."

As for his own improvement throughout the season, he talked about his habits and his routines, and how even at 27, he's still learning things. But more so, he just keeps loving the game. "With the years, you learn to enjoy the game more and more," he added.

"It's been one of those years where it's been ups and downs, but throughout the whole year, I've been having fun with it."

And he's been a lot of fun to watch, both on and off the ice. He always brought energy, even pregame, to the locker room and to the ice. And he always brought a big, bright smile to everything he did off the ice.

Lawrence Pilut signed a two-year deal with Lausanne HC, which competes in the National League in Switzerland, starting next season. His enthusiasm and passion for hockey — and for Rochester — will be missed. 

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