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Archive for June, 2009

Amerks Announce Major Press Conference

June 30, 2009 - By

The Rochester Americans sent out a notice this afternoon that they will be hosting a major press conferenc on Wednesday afternoon to announce the new VP of Hockey Operations.  My guess was that they would be announcing that this is the new role of Jody Gage, but someone who supposedly knows the situation said it is not.

I’ll be there for the announcement and will post live on the @LetsGoAmerks Twitter account when we learn who it is.  It’s sort of exciting not knowing something ahead of time, here’s hoping it’s an exciting announcement.

Given that tomorrow is July 1st, the start of free agency hopefully we’ll be able to get more information about players being signed or the direction they’re looking to go.

In attendance will be Curt Styres (Owner and CEO of the Rochester Americans), Lewis Staats (President of the Rochester Americans), Don Stevens (Voice of the Rochester Americans), and of course the new VP of Hockey Operations.

Stay Tuned!!

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Brine Returning; Larman, Glass and Others May Not

June 30, 2009 - By

A few familiar faces for Rochester Americans fans will probably not be returning to the Florida Panthers organization next season as the free agency period is about to begin.  The only two restricted free agents that were offered qualifying offers were David Booth and David Brine.

David Brine finished last season with 31 points (8 goals, 23 assists) and was the Amerks best center at taking face offs.  Brine played nine games during the 2007-2008 season for the Panthers.  This will be his year to step up his game.

Former Amerks from previous seasons Anthony Stewart, Drew Larman, David Shantz, Franklin MacDonald, and Tanner Glass were not given offers and allowed to become unrestricted free agents.

Luke Beaverson will likely replace the role MacDonald had on defense.  We’re hoping that a veteran center will be signed to replace Larman.  Tyler Plante, Alexander Salak, and Chris Beckford-Tseu will be fulfilling goaltending duties in the Panthers system.

The only real surprise here was Tanner Glass, but Florida Panthers Assistant GM Randy Sexton said that they would like to sign him again.  The play of Glass last season was hampered by a shoulder injury that he eventually had surgery on which leads me [...]Read More

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Florida Panthers Draft Defenseman Dmitry Kulikov

June 26, 2009 - By

The Florida Panthers drafted defenseman Dmitry Kulikov with their first round pick (14th overall) in this years NHL draft.  Kulikov is only 18 years old which means he would not appear in an Amerks uniform until at least the 2010-2011 season.  The 2008-2009 season in the QMJHL with Drummondville was his first in North America.  He moved to North America to learn the game with the goal of playing in the NHL.

Kulikov will be competing with Keaton Ellerby and Jason Garrison for a spot on the Panthers roster out of training camp in September.  It’s not likely that Kulikov will be ready for the NHL, but it was draft day so Scott Luce hyped him up.  That’s what you’re supposed to do, sell the player you just drafted in the first round.

If the Amerks can get a veteran player on defense next season it will help add some stability to a solid blue line.  It’s rumored that former Amerk Doug Janik could be returning.

The defensive core for the Rochester Americans includes Rory Fitzpatrick, Keaton Ellerby, Jason Garrison, Michael Caruso, Matt Duffy, and Jordan Henry.  Peter Aston and Luke Beaverson will also be competing for a spot on [...]Read More

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Florida Panthers Interested in Andrew Peters?

June 25, 2009 - By

Apparently Andrew Peters and the Florida Panthers have talked of a potential two way deal for next season.  I hope that Curt Styres, Lewis Staats, and Jody Gage have all called Randy Sexton to tell him that this would be a terrible idea.  If it turns out that any of them thought this was a great idea it will hurt their image amongst the fans.  We’ve been promised that the Panthers would be active during free agency in building up a winning team in Rochester, let’s hope that this is not the start.

Based on the fact that it would be a two way deal I could not imagine that the Panthers would actually want him playing for them in the NHL.

I’m not one to jump on rumors and write about them, but this one deserved a post in hopes that it does not happen.  It seems as if I’m not alone either based on the reaction by some dedicated fans on Rochester Sports Fan where this story originated from.

Andrew Peters played in an Amerks uniform for three seasons from 2000 – 2003, played in 173 games, and spent 729 minutes in the penalty box.  During that [...]Read More

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Stefan Meyer Traded

June 20, 2009 - By

Stefan Meyer was traded on Thursday by the Florida Panthers to the Phoenix Coyotes in exchange for Steve Reinprecht.  Meyer had been drafted by the Panthers in the 2nd round (55th overall) in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft.

Reinprecht and Meyer were both free agents this summer and neither were expected to sign again with their respective teams.  It appears to be a winning situation for both teams.  Rather than losing players for nothing to free agency both teams received someone in return.  The Panthers get a respectable center and the Coyotes get a potential prospect that still has a chance at the show.

Stefan Meyer only appeared in four games for the Panthers during his tenure with the NHL team, all four games were during the 2007-2008 season.  Meyer has spent the previous four seasons playing for the Rochester Americans in the American Hockey League.  With the Amerks he played in 266 games, scored 64 goals, 66 assists, and 363 penalty minutes.

Meyer was named the Amerks Rookie of the Year after the 2005-2006 season when he played in 68 games and tallied 28 points (12 goals, 16 assists).  His best season was the 2007-2008 season when Meyer played [...]Read More

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Hershey Bears Win Calder Cup

June 12, 2009 - By

Congratulations to the Hershey Bears who won a record 10th Calder Cup Championship on Friday night defeating the Manitoba Moose in six games.  It was an exciting night watching both the Stanley Cup and Calder Cup won on the same night.  We had the Penguins/Red Wings game on the TV and the Bears/Moose game on the computer tuned in to AHL Live.

The Bears took control of the game early with three goals in the first period.  The Moose played desperate for the remaining 40 minutes scoring one goal but never getting close after that.

The highlights of the game should be available on the AHL Live web site.

For a lot more about the game checkout The AHL, Manitoba Moose, and the Hershey Bears web sites.

Both teams were very deserving of playing for the Calder Cup.  Both teams played excellent hockey during the regular season on the ice.  The fans of Hershey and Winnipeg also supported the teams all season.

On a personal note both teams are class acts and a model of what every team should be all season.  The fans were very supportive in both cities.  The teams were competitive all season.

[...]Read More

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Alexander Salak Dreams of the NHL

June 6, 2009 - By

The recent season that ended for goaltender Alexander Salak of TPS Turku was similar to that of Mike Brodeurs with the Rochester Americans, great goalies playing for bad teams.  The Florida Panthers recently signed Salak to a 2yr contract, a goaltender that is called the next Dominik Hasek by many people that have seen him play.

The story of the 2008/2009 season for Salak is one that many Rochester Americans fans can relate to, a bad team that was carried out of last place by excellent goaltending.  TPS Turku built the success they had during the season on the shoulders of Salak, much like the Amerks did when Brodeur arrived.  Both teams still finished near the basement in the standings, but both teams also became teams that opponents knew they could not take lightly.

Salak and Brodeur both carried their teams out of the basement, and both have a dream of playing in the NHL.

I asked Salak what made him sign with the Florida Panthers he said, “It is a dream for everyone, but the dream is not to sign but to play for an NHL team.”

Salak is connected to some well known NHL goaltenders through his goalie [...]Read More

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Mike Brodeur Not Returning as an Amerk

June 6, 2009 - By

The Florida Panthers were willing to spend the money and offer Mike Brodeur a contract to return as the goalie of the Rochester Americans but Brodeur rejected the offer.  Apparently the Panthers were willing to offer Brodeur a contract worth $105,000 which is right at the re-entry waiver cap so at least we know money was not an issue.

Every player dreams of making it to the NHL, that opportunity just did not exist with the Florida Panthers in the eyes of Brodeur.  That dream appears as if it exists within the Ottawa Senators organization where it’s believed he will end up.  If that’s the case then Amerks fans will see a lot of Brodeur assuming he’s playing with the Binghamton Senators to work his way up.

Mike Brodeur arrived in Rochester in December 2008 and is credited with helping to turn the season around from a complete failure to a respectable team at the end of the season.  He made a lot of spectacular saves and single handedly kept the Amerks in a lot of games that should have been complete blow out losses.

With the departure of Brodeur it looks like Alexander Salak will definitely be in Rochester [...]Read More

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Rochester Americans Begin A New Season

June 5, 2009 - By

The start of the 2009 Florida Panthers Development Camp earlier in the week was essentially the start of a new season for a lot of players that will play for the Rochester Americans in the fall.

Just about every player had taken time off since the season ended in mid April by either going on vacation or heading home to visit family and friends.  The week leading up to the camp was the first time some had put ice skates back on since taking them off when the season ended.

For players like Shawn Matthias and Michael Caruso they are not denying how bad the season was at times, but from talking to both of them and many others they all agree that it’s time now to look ahead.  “It probably made us mentally tougher more than anything,” Caruso said.  The two players will also be spending the remainder of the summer training together.

Kenndal McArdle said that he’s playing for a roster spot with the Panthers (a no brainer) but he’ll be just as happy if he’s in Rochester again and said that consistency will be the key.

The Amerks played competitive hockey against the Hershey Bears and Manitoba [...]Read More

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A few notes from Camp

June 3, 2009 - By

Just wrapping up our second day at the Florida Panthers Development Camp and taking a moment to share a few things.  The core group of the players at the camp is who will be playing for the Rochester Americans next season.

The camp is a time where players show up to learn, this is not about players trying to get a roster spot.  That opportunity comes in September.  At the camp the players are being equipped with knowledge of how they can continue to develop over the summer.

That’s not going to stop us from talking about how they look though.

A lot of so called experts don’t agree, but I think Michael Caruso is one of the top defensive prospects of the Panthers.  He said he’s going to spend the off season getting bigger.

Alexander Salak looks great on the ice.  One of the things I noticed is that he uses his stick a lot.  He’s not afraid to go after the puck.

Tyler Plante looks great as well continuing his late season revival.  If his shoulder can hold up he’ll continue to improve.

James DeLory has moved up to forward and plans to do everything he can to [...]Read More

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