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SEAN MALONE SEASON IN REVIEW

SEAN MALONE: SEASON IN REVIEW

Jun 26, 2023

Sean Malone suited up in his sixth professional season and fifth with the Rochester Americans. He tallied 31 points in his 53 games, and served as alternate captain for the second-straight season.

"I had a bit of a rocky start with injuries and stuff, and trying to find my game," Malone explained in his end-of-season interview. "I think towards the end of the year, just trying to do whatever it takes to help the team win."

"I did well in little parts of the game and tried to give us the best chance to win hockey games."

Malone opened the season with back-to-back multi-point games before missing six games due to injury. He scored on his return to the lineup in November, however, and then added on a four-point game on November 25.

It was his first natural hat trick of his career, and he scored all three goals in a span of 5:07. The Amerks would go on to beat the Islanders 6-5 in overtime that night.

He missed nine more games due to injury in January, but reached the 20-point mark for the third time in the last four years with the lone goal in Cleveland on Valentine's Day. Malone seemed to start clicking at just the right time.

"I think if you want to have success down the stretch, you have to have that mix of guys that do the little things well and the guys who are difference makers and can score goals."

"I think all of those guys played huge roles this year," he continued. Malone also praised the addition of veteran defenseman Matt Bartkowski. "[He] wasn't with us at the beginning of the year, but when he comes in, he adds a veteran presence and a guy who's been through multiple playoff runs."

Malone added that Bartkowski certainly helped the leadership core with his locker room presence. Malone, as alternate captain for the second season, worked with Michael Mersch and Ethan Prow to make the rink the best place to be.

"[We were] just trying to do what we did last year in terms of instituting a good culture here," he explained. He also noted that the biggest difference in the room — from last season to this season — was that they were just naturally quieter.

But he loved watching the younger guys grow, not only in their game, but in their comfortability, too. He saw them becoming more vocal, on and off the ice. They were a big part of the playoff push, when combined with the veteran experience.

"Would've been nice to go a little further, but playing hockey in June is certainly special."

Malone added three goals and six assists in the Calder Cup Playoffs, including a huge goal in the must-win Game 3 against the Syracuse Crunch. He had six points over a five-game postseason streak and scored a goal in all three series for the Amerks.

"I think there's confidence earned in Mersch, Prow, Malone, some of the go-to guys," Amerks head coach Seth Appert said after the two home wins in Round 2. "I don't think it's just the playoffs, though."

"It's the culmination of the two years and the adversity," he continued, "and getting into the playoffs last year, and being successful in the playoffs, and then being successful in the regular season this year..."

"I think all of those accumulated earns them belief in what they're doing and what they're trying to stand for."

Malone was a big driver of what the Amerks stand for and became a staple presence, on the ice and off of it. "To see everyone's development throughout the year, and the team we became, was certainly special," he concluded.

Malone is an unrestricted free agent. All offseason signings can be found in the 2023 Player Tracker.

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