By Warren Kozireski
The script will be flipped this coming season in Rochester from one where the top prospects were mostly forwards after many “graduated” to Buffalo or were traded to one where position to watch is defense.
Rookies Radim Mrtka (first round 2025), Maxim Strbak (second round 2023) Gavin McCarthy (third round 2023) join second year returnees Vsevold Komarov (fifth round 2022) and Noah Laaouan on a young blueline.
Veterans Ryan Johnson (first round 2019), Dennis Gilbert and Jack Rathbone will mentor the youth on the back line.
“We expect those guys (the veterans) to lead back there with some of the young kids that are going to play,” third year head coach Michael Leone said. “It’s nice that we have a lefty-right, lefty-righty pretty much in every pair.”
Up front only Riley Fiddler-Schultz and Trevor Kuntar are back as 20+ goal scorers from last year with free agent signee Aidan McDonough netting 23 with Wiles Barre/Scranton. Returnee Carson Meyer and free agent signee Matthew Peca scored 31- and 47-points last season, respectively.
Rookie forward Jake Richard (sixth round 2022) finished third with the UConn Huskies last year with 27 points in 38 games. Forwards Matteo Constantini, Mason Geertsen, Brendan Warren, Red Savage and Graham Slaggart all return and are joined by newcomers Thomas Bordeleau, Jason Polin, Zac Funk and Liam Valente.
There could be a few more additions on both sides of the ice depending on the Buffalo injury situation and the waivers process.
“I think this year we have a lot more of a veteran team, so I think that’s going to bode well for us and help us during the season in different ways,” veteran forward Fiddler-Shultz said. “I think we have a lot more identity to our forward group; a lot more direct, hard to play against, physical whereas before we had a lot more skill…so this year is going to be a shift to a little more grindy-type game.”
In goal Matthew Villalta was signed as a veteran mentor for Scott Ratzlaff (fifth round 2023) and Topias Leinonen (second round 2022), who missed all of training camp with an injury. Villalta last season with Tucson was 16-12-3 with a 3.10 GAA and .895 save percentage.
“It’s probably this first time in Rochester in a long time where we’re stockpiled in veteran players—really good American Hockey League players that there’s a maturity around the group with guys who have played a lot of hockey,” Leone said.
“It’s different from years past where we had a lot of kids playing in the lineup the last four or five years…and I’m really excited to coach this group.”
The main change in the league affecting Rochester this season is the move of the New York Islanders affiliate from Bridgeport to Hamilton, Ontario. The newly named Hammers move from the Atlantic to the North Division, making it eight teams which will reduce the number of times the Amerks play other teams in the division.
The season commences on home ice Friday, October 2 against the Toronto Marlies.
