ROSEN, KULICH NAMED TO AMERICAN HOCKEY LEAGUE ALL-STAR ROSTER
Forwards to represent Amerks at 2024 AHL All-Star Classic in San Jose in February
Jan 10, 2024The American Hockey League announced today that Rochester Americans forwards Isak Rosen and Jiri Kulich have been named to the North Division All-Star roster for the 2024 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Tech CU. The annual event will take place Feb. 4-5 at Tech CU Arena in San Jose, California, home of the San Jose Barracuda.
Both in their second seasons with Rochester, Rosen and Kulich make up one of the AHL’s most dynamic scoring duos, ranking first and second on the team in scoring with 24 points (9+15) and 22 points (16+6), respectively.
Rosen and Kulich both made their NHL debuts for the Buffalo Sabres against the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center on Nov. 25.
The duo has combined for 128 points (63+66) in 178 regular season games. Dating back to last season, Rochester is 21-3-2-1 when they each record at least one point in the same game and boast a near-perfect 8-1-0-0 mark when they both score in the same game.
Rosen, who recently took over the team’s scoring lead, shows 11 points (4+7) over his last 14 games, which includes a career-best four-point (2+2) effort in Cleveland on Nov. 18. The Swedish forward is third amongst all Amerks with nine goals and ranks second behind only Kulich with three game-winning goals while his 15 assists are tied for most on the team.
He opened the season on an AHL-best six-game point streak, recording nine points (4+5) and scoring in back-to-back games twice over that span.
A first-round pick (14th overall) of the Sabres in 2021, Rosen has totaled 61 points on 23 goals and 38 assists in 93 career AHL appearances with Rochester and has skated in seven NHL contests with Buffalo this season.
Kulich returned to Rochester on Monday after leading Czechia to a bronze medal at the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship, which concluded on Friday. Named team captain for the event, Kulich led all Czech skaters and tied for first in overall scoring with 12 points (6+6) in seven games, including his second four-point outing of the tournament in the bronze medal game.
He was named to the tournament’s All-Star Team for the second straight year in what was his final appearance at the national junior level. The 8-5 win, which saw Czechia overcome a 5-2 deficit with four goals in less than a minute, gave the Czechs their second straight medal finish after winning silver at last year’s event.
Kulich continues to lead the Amerks and ranks fifth in the AHL with 16 goals despite only playing in 23 games this season. The second-year forward enjoyed a torrid start to the season, scoring nine goals in his first 10 games, including a hat trick at Laval on Oct. 18, and became the first Amerk to reach the 10-goal mark in the fewest number of games to begin the season since Luke Adam during the 2013-14 campaign. He hasn’t gone more than three games without a goal or point all season.
Kulich, who also leads the AHL with four overtime game-winning tallies, remains on pace to become the first AHL player to reach the 20-goal mark in the fewest number of games to begin the season since Frank Vatrano scored 20 goals in just 18 games to begin the 2015-16 campaign.
Buffalo’s first-round selection (29th overall) in the 2022 NHL Draft, Kulich was named to the AHL’s inaugural Top Prospects Team for the 2022-23 season after leading the Amerks and finishing tied for sixth amongst all rookies with 24 goals, the second-most ever by an 18-year-old in league history.
Kulich then added 11 points in 12 Calder Cup Playoff games – including scoring a goal in each of his first six postseason contests – during Rochester’s extended run to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2004.
In 85 AHL games with the Amerks, Kulich has amassed 68 points on 40 goals and 28 assists.
The 2024 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Tech CU will feature the top young talent in the American Hockey League: since 1995, more than 94 percent of All-Star Classic participants have gone on to compete in the National Hockey League.
The two-day event begins on Sunday, Feb. 4 with the 2024 AHL All-Star Skills Competition at 7:00 p.m. In keeping with its traditional format, the All-Stars from the two Eastern Conference divisions will be squaring off against the All-Stars from the two Western Conference divisions in seven skills events, including hardest shot, fastest skater and accuracy shooting.
The 2024 AHL All-Star Challenge will then take place the evening of Monday, Feb. 5 at 7:00 p.m. For the seventh straight year, instead of a traditional 60-minute game, the league’s all-stars will be divided into four teams, one representing each of the league’s divisions (Atlantic, North, Central, Pacific). The teams will then play a round-robin tournament featuring six games of 10 minutes each played entirely at 3-on-3. The two teams with the best records at the end of the round-robin tournament will face-off for the championship, a six-minute game also played using the 3-on-3 format. Rosters for each team will be composed of 11 skaters and two goaltenders.
Ticket packages for the 2024 AHL All-Star Classic presented Tech CU, which include admission to both the 2024 AHL All-Star Skills Competition on Sunday, Feb. 4, and the 2024 AHL All-Star Challenge on Monday, Feb. 5, start at only $56 and are available now by visiting www.sjbarracua.com/allstar.