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MICHAEL MERSCH SEASON IN REVIEW

MICHAEL MERSCH: SEASON IN REVIEW

Jun 30, 2023

It was Michael Mersch's second season as captain of the Rochester Americans, and the role came more naturally to him this year. He tallied 45 points in 61 games and led the Amerks team to its first North Division title in two decades.

"I think last year, I put a lot of thought into what I was doing to make sure I was doing the right thing," he said in his end-of-season interview. "This year, it was more natural and I could just be myself. I think a lot of the traits that I tried to develop last year just filtered over into this year."

With a batch of young rookies, the leadership core was crucial in helping to develop good habits off the ice that would translate into success on the ice. Mersch was joined by alternate captains Ethan Prow and Sean Malone again this season, but there were plenty of veterans in the room that stepped up.

"I wouldn't be able to do it without Prow and Malone, first of all," he continued. "But when those guys were out, you have Murray stepping up, Warren, Jobst, Bartkowski, Subban, Houser... You have so many guys that just took ownership of this team, and it lightens the load on me."

Mersch also credits the coaching staff with allowing the team to take ownership of itself: "When you have a staff that allows the players to self-govern, it gives them more responsibility and they feel that responsibility to tod the right things and take care of their teammates and lead by example."

"All that stuff adds up and helps create culture."

Culture was a big topic of conversation during the second half of the season: it seemed like this team got it right, and many players said in their end-of-season interviews that it was the best team they've played on.

And all of those players complimented the leadership core of this team, with Mersch at the helm. Mersch appeared in his 100th game as an Amerk on November 25, and his 500th professional game on December 10. 

He collected his 100th point as an Amerk on February 17 and matched his career-high with 28 assists during the regular season. He cracked the 40-point mark for the sixth time in his nine-year pro career.

"I felt it was solid," he said of his own season. "There's highs and lows throughout a regular season. There were struggles and times where you have success. And sometimes, you're having success but it doesn't feel like it."

"For me, I just love to stick to the process. Whether you're having success or not, sticking to that grind is why I love this game."

Mersch tied for the team lead with 13 points in 14 Calder Cup Playoff games. He led the team with seven points in the five-game series against Syracuse, highlighted by his second career playoff hat trick in Game 3.

"When you're able to go far on runs like this and win big games like Game 5 in Syracuse or win hard playoff rounds, or whatever those things are," he said, "you create those types of memories that you can't manufacture.

"I would say every year has a different feel to it, a different blend of teammates, but this is up there with the best of them for me." 

Mersch explained that he wasn't surprised with the postseason success of the squad, since it is always the ultimate goal. But he attributes the success to the fact that every single player bought in to the process to become better hockey players.

"It's the depth of our team," Mersch said in April when asked of the success. "The way we want to play, and the way we want to create offense, guys really buy into it. Guys work on that and take a lot of pride in it, and it shows on the stat sheet."

It was a team effort to buy-in, and it was a team effort to go on the playoff run. Mason Jobst shared the team-lead in postseason points, and Jiri Kulich tallied a goal in each of his first six playoff games. The team really reset and focused on one common goal.

"I'm really proud of this group here, and this team," Mersch said. "As the season goes on, you become more and more tight-knit as you spend more time together, and you battle for each other all year."

"At the end of the season, you hope that as a group you come together and you're able to accomplish things that we accomplished this year. It was a pleasure."

Mersch signed an extension with the Amerks last summer, so the Captain will return to Rochester in the fall.

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