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What we saw from the Sabres' prospects during Rochester's AHL playoff run
What we saw from the Sabres' prospects during Rochester's AHL playoff run

New York Times

time4 days ago

  • Business
  • New York Times

What we saw from the Sabres' prospects during Rochester's AHL playoff run

Rochester Americans coach Michael Leone knows the Sabres' organization took a chance on him a year ago. He was 36 years old and had just two years of head coaching experience in the USHL. But after his first season in Rochester, it's clear Leone was up to the task. The Amerks lost to the Laval Rocket in Game 5 of the North Division Finals in the Calder Cup playoffs, but it was another strong season for Buffalo's AHL affiliate. Advertisement Leone picked up where Seth Appert left off. But he also put his stamp on this team. 'You have to coach what you believe in,' Leone said in April. For Leone, that was about defensive details and puck pressure. During his end-of-season news conference, Leone spoke about the Florida Panthers and the simple but hard way they play. Rochester gave up 191 goals this season after allowing 239 a year ago. Part of that was having Devon Levi in net for a long stretch of the year, but it's also evident players bought in to playing a certain way. 'Winning drives development,' Leone said at the end of the regular season. 'When you're around a lot of winning and understand what that looks like, there's no better form of development.' That's particularly important in the Sabres' organization, considering the NHL team hasn't played in the postseason since 2011. The winning environment in Rochester is critical for Buffalo's young prospects. That's why Jiri Kulich came down to play in the AHL playoffs after spending most of the season in the NHL. And it was a valuable tool for Levi, who is still trying to establish himself as a goalie capable of playing a full season in the NHL. Here are some thoughts on how Buffalo's prospects performed in Rochester this season after Leone and Amerks general manager Jason Karmanos addressed the media at the end of the season. Buffalo's front office has been a topic of discussion early in the offseason. Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams added Eric Staal as a special assistant, and the team has also been searching for a senior adviser. That's led to some speculation about what the future holds for Karmanos, who has been the team's associate general manager since 2021. 'I'm thankfully not on social media of any kind, so one of my daughters informed me of my 'uncertain status' a few weeks ago or whatever,' Karmanos said. 'I'm under contract and I'm here. So yeah, no change.' After dominating during a 3-0 series sweep against the Syracuse Crunch in the first round, Devon Levi wasn't as sharp against Laval. In four of the five games, Levi's save percentage was below .900. He allowed five goals on 29 shots in the decisive game five. Prior to the start of the AHL playoffs, Adams expressed some optimism that Levi could get a jump start on winning an NHL job with a strong postseason. Instead, these two series were a mixed bag. Are the Sabres ready to bank on a bounce-back season from Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and a strong rookie season from Levi to solve their goalie problem next year? Advertisement When the Sabres signed Levi out of college, he jumped right into the NHL at the end of the 2022-23 season. The Sabres started him on opening night in 2023-24 and had him on their opening-day roster again in 2024-25. But he played 81 games in the AHL over the last two seasons, including playoffs. Karmanos noted that Levi still doesn't need waivers to go to Rochester and added that the decision on where Levi plays will likely be determined by what else the Sabres do to their roster this summer. 'It's not something that can be committed to right at this point, in my opinion, because there's a lot of other things we need to explore and understand in terms of our ability to improve in other areas,' Karmanos said. 'I don't want to put words into Devon's mouth, but he wants to play hockey, he wants to play a lot of games, he wants to develop. He wants to be the best goalie he can be. Obviously we're interested in that as well.' Levi is a restricted free agent this summer, but he shouldn't command a ton of money. The free-agent goalie market isn't particularly strong, and most options carry some degree of risk. There's always the option of bringing back James Reimer, who just turned 37 but had a terrific run to end the season. Right now, though, nothing is set in stone. Karmanos emphasized that goalies take a while to develop, so the door is at least open for Levi to return to Rochester next season. Jiri Kulich was not expected to grab hold of an NHL job the way he did in Buffalo this season. He earned Lindy Ruff's trust with his ability to play away from the puck and ended up centering the top line toward the end of the season. The Sabres still decided to send him back to Rochester for the AHL playoffs, and it was worthwhile. He was a point-per-game player during the postseason and handled the toughest minutes and assignments for Rochester. He said the areas of his game he wants to focus on this offseason are the defensive zone, getting to the net and being more physical. The AHL playoffs were the right environment for him to start that offseason work. If the Sabres' season started tomorrow, Kulich would likely be a top-six center on the depth chart. Whether that remains the case in October depends as much on what the Sabres do this offseason as it does on Kulich's offseason work. It's a risk trusting a 21-year-old who had 24 points as a rookie to handle such a big role. But this season was a big one for Kulich's development. Advertisement Early in the season, Leone said he saw Konsta Helenius cheating for offense, as many young players do. By the end of the year, Helenius was someone who stepped up in the playoffs. He was playing with a nastiness and physicality that are necessary in the postseason. Laval was a team that wanted to play with an edge, and Helenius was up to the challenge. 'I thought he rose to the occasion,' Leone said. 'The bigger the moment, the better he played. I thought he played with a level of physicality. Ultimately, when you get to this time of year, you find out who you are as a player … I thought (Helenius) played a lot of winning hockey for us.' This ended up as a productive first season in North America for Helenius. He played both wing and center and bought in to how Leone wanted the team to play. His tenacity stood out during his draft year, and it's encouraging to see that translate at the AHL level. His skill set will make him a versatile NHL player when the time comes. Anton Wahlberg didn't have a point and was minus-4 during the AHL playoffs. Playing his first full season in North America, Wahlberg got a real taste of the grind that the AHL season is. His size and playing style stand out in Buffalo's prospect pool. No other forward the Sabres have drafted in the last few years has Wahlberg's size. He fills an organizational need, but still has work to do to become NHL-ready. 'Wahly self-admitted that he could have been better,' Leone said. 'I don't disagree. I don't think he was bad. I just think it was probably eye-opening. His skill traits and his identity piece that he's going to have to be good at are things you're going to want in a playoff series. The physicality, relentless on pucks, being a really good forechecker, getting to the net front. If you look at him and his game and his development, where he could be better, it's scoring five to seven goals in front of the net.' Wahlberg looks like an important part of Buffalo's future. Getting him experience in the playoff environment is part of why winning matters to development. Noah Ostlund had zero goals and two assists in eight playoff games. It was a quiet end to an otherwise productive rookie season for Ostlund in the AHL. His main focus this summer, like a lot of young prospects, is on getting stronger. He's going to be training back home in Sweden with the Nylander brothers, Jesper Bratt and other NHLers. Making the Sabres next season might be a stretch, but that could depend on what roster moves the Sabres make this summer. Advertisement We've written about Buffalo's need for more nastiness on the blue line. And while they still need some seasoning, Nikita Novikov and Vsevolod Komarov both look like they have that bite to their game. It showed up more in the playoffs. Skating will be the question for both players, but Leone singled out both as players who elevated their games as the season went on. They'll be fun to watch at the rookie tournament in the fall. A few players I'll be curious to watch come training camp are forwards Isak Rosen and Tyson Kozak as well as defenseman Ryan Johnson. All three are reaching a point in their development where the team would love to see them break through and steal a job. Rosen, a 2021 first-round pick, just turned 22. He's rounded out his game nicely in the AHL. He led the Amerks with 55 points this season and also showed the requisite defensive skills and competitiveness to find a role as a third-line winger in the NHL. But every time he has been called up, Rosen hasn't stood out. It might be hard for him to win a job out of camp, but it would be great to see Rosen add more strength and make the Sabres' decision difficult in the fall. Kozak, who suffered a concussion against Laval, proved that he could be the organization's future No. 4 center when he was called up this season. Ruff trusts him to make good puck decisions and be responsible in his own end. He turned 22 this season, so he's getting closer to being a regular in the NHL. The same should be true for Johnson, who turns 24 this summer. He's also a restricted free agent. His path to the roster is trickier with Jacob Bryson under contract. And while Johnson isn't the most physical defenseman, his skating helps him be effective while breaking the puck out. There's a decisive and direct nature to his game that should translate to the NHL. Lukas Rousek officially left the Sabres' organization to sign in Sweden. The 26-year-old had a difficult journey with injuries early in his career, but carved out a big role in Rochester. He played through a torn meniscus in his knee during the playoffs despite knowing he'd be leaving the organization. While he got just 17 NHL games and didn't play any of them this season, Rousek was an important mentor for Kulich and other young players in Rochester.

Laval Rocket Eliminate Rochester Americans In Five Games, Will Face The Charlotte Checkers In Eastern Conference Finals
Laval Rocket Eliminate Rochester Americans In Five Games, Will Face The Charlotte Checkers In Eastern Conference Finals

Yahoo

time26-05-2025

  • Sport
  • Yahoo

Laval Rocket Eliminate Rochester Americans In Five Games, Will Face The Charlotte Checkers In Eastern Conference Finals

With a 5-0 victory on Sunday afternoon the Laval Rocket have eliminated the Rochester Americans in a winner-take-all game five in the AHL's North Division Finals. The Rocket advance to take on the Charlotte Checkers in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference Finals. Cayden Primeau started game five for the Rocket after Jacob Fowler was pulled midway through game four after allowing four goals on 14 shots. He made 27 saves and recorded his first career playoff shutout. This performance likely cements him as the starter for game one against Charlotte. The Rocket top line of Alex Barre-Boulet, Laurent Dauphin, and Sean Farrell combined for five goals and 12 points in the series. Joshua Roy led the team with three goals and four assists in the series, including three points in game five. Barre-Boulet leads the team with 10 points in nine playoff games, Dauphin tops the team with five goals. Laval top pairing defensemen Tyler Wotherspoon was injured in game three and did not suit up for game four or five, mid-season acquisition Noel Hoefenmayer stepped in admirably to fill the hole. Logan Mailloux played more minutes as a result and has six points in nine playoff games. VICTOIREEEEEEEEEEE — xyz - Rocket de Laval (@RocketLaval) May 25, 2025 Rochester's offense relied heavily on Isak Rosen and Jiri Kulich who managed four and three points respectively in the series. Josh Dunne recorded five points in five games including four in game four to help force game five. Defenseman Kale Clague led the team with 11 points and finishes in a tie with Rosen for the team lead with five goals in the playoffs. Goaltender Devon Levi had a stellar playoff showing and kept the team in many games. He finishes with a 5-3 record, 2.52 GAA and .910 SP in eight playoff games. Game one of the Eastern Conference Finals gets underway Wednesday May 28 in Laval. Keep an eye on The Hockey News' Montreal Canadiens team site for more updates on the Rocket. Make sure you bookmark The Hockey News' AHL Page for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns and so much more.

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