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Browsing posts in the ‘Players’ category

Mike Brodeur Signs With The Amerks!!!

January 9, 2009 - By

Finally, after wondering if this would ever happen, Mike Brodeur signed a one-year AHL contract with the Rochester Americans.

From Amerks.com

Rochester Americans General Manager Jody Gage announced today that the team has signed goaltender Mike Brodeur to a one-year standard American Hockey League contract.

“We’re happy Mike was able to earn a permanent spot in Rochester and within our system,” said Jack Birch, Director of Player Personnel for the Florida Panthers. “He has certainly shown he has the talent to play in the AHL and the potential to play at the next level.”

“We’re excited we were able to come to terms with Mike,” said Gage. “He has done a lot to help this team turn around since his arrival here and his All-Star nomination is a direct indication that he is deserving of this contract.”

The 25-year-old netminder joined Rochester in early December on a 25-game professional tryout (PTO) and since shows an 8-3-1 record with a 1.59 goals-against average and .944 save percentage in 12 games between the pipes for the Amerks. His two shutouts also tie him for third among AHL goaltenders. He has now started 12 of the last 13 games for Rochester, [...]Read More

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Amerks Roster Heading into Opening Night

October 9, 2008 - By

The roster for the Rochester Americans season opener is pretty much set.  It appears as if we won’t have that goon / enforcer / muscle that we had all hoped for, but it’s time to move beyond that (for now).  Assuming the team can put in a solid effort for 60 minutes, the team should will be successful.  We have an excellent new head coach, improved goal tending, and a commitment to success.  One thing is for certain, if the season starts out slow we’ve been told that we will see changes.  With Shawn Matthias still in Florida we are still short on someone at center for opening night.

Rory Fitzpatrick will be wearing the “C” on his jersey this season.  Still no news on who will wear the “A,” but two excellent choices would be Stefan Meyer and Janis Sprukts.  Both are consistent players that continue to play strong every night and have shown leadership on and off the ice.

Keys to a win (pretty obvious): A full 60 minutes of effort, and play physical.  The Syracuse Crunch are a physical team, the Amerks need to set the tone showing they won’t back down.  Even [...]Read More

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Ryan Hand and Nine Others Cut From Amerks

October 5, 2008 - By

Today the Amerks cut down the roster by ten players.  Most of the players everyone thought were going to be gone but, one stands out as a shocker for a lot of fans…Ryan James Hand.

Hand was the player all the fans wanted to keep around.  He was kind to people and just a general nice guy.  But, more than anything…he was a fighter.  “I’m pretty rattled.” Hand said when asked how he is.  “[They told me] this am…I’m ok now.”

Last season the Amerks were pushed all over the ice by whoever felt like it because there was no one they would have to go toe to toe with afterwards.  Teams looked at us like we were weak, and they were right.  And now it’s starting to look like we won’t have that strong authority figure we have all been hoping for.

Maybe the Amerks brass think that Neil Clark will be able to handle the team’s problems.  I hate to tell them but, just because he got into two fights in one night (with non-fighting players), doesn’t mean he can take care of anything when a real enforcer comes calling.

I don’t think it is going [...]Read More

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Stefan Meyer Accepts Panthers Offer

July 10, 2008 - By

Stefan Meyer accepted the Florida Panthers offer today to continue playing for the organization.  The terms of the contract aren’t known to LetsGoAmerks at this time, but we have to assume he will be in Rochester once again for the upcoming season.  Meyer was a key player last season playing in 70 games where he notched 21 goals and 19 assists for 40 points.  We can’t wait to have him back this year!

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Featured Player: Peter Aston

March 4, 2008 - By

 Peter Aston
Defense
02/24/1986
6’1” (185.42 cm)
205 lbs
Toronto, Ontario

Peter Aston is a defenseman who has really come into his own this season with the Rochester Americans.  If the Amerks end up signing a long term affiliation deal with the Florida Panthers, you can bet that Peter Aston is going to play a very important role in the coming seasons before he makes his way to the NHL.

In Aston’s first year in the OHL he saw pretty limited playing time.  He played in 36 games with the Peterborough Petes where he got two goals and three assists and spent 17 minutes in the penalty box.

His second year in Peterborough was much more significant.  He played in 52 games in the 2004-05 season.  He didn’t score any goals but he recorded 15 assists and had a +/- of +7.  He played in all 14 playoff games for the Petes that year where he had 4 assists.

In the 2005-06 season in the OHL he split his time between two teams.  He once again started his season with the Petes.  He had 19 points in 16 games there (4 goals, 15 assists).  [...]Read More

Categories: Amerks, Headlines, Players

Mike Funk Practice Video

February 9, 2008 - By

Here’s the video as promised of Mike Funk at practice on Friday morning.  The video speaks for itself, not sure what else to write.  Here’s the story about it.

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Mike Funk Injury Update

February 5, 2008 - By

Mike Funk is expecting to be cleared to play this weekend.  He injured his shoulder against the Lake Erie Monsters on January 25 and has not played since.  The only other current injury is Mike Card, no word on when he will be able to play again anytime soon, he has been out with another concussion.

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More Stats on Yannick Tifu

February 4, 2008 - By

Yannick Tifu was signed on Saturday by the Amerks to help fill in some gaps, he is second in scoring this season in the ECHL where he has recorded 54 points (13 goals, 41 assists) in 37 games.  He has also played in nine games for the Albany River Rats where he had 3 goals and 2 assists.

Let’s hope while he’s with the Amerks he’ll make some connecting passes like this and score some goals like this. 

Tifu also recently played in the ECHL All-Star game where he recorded an assist playing for the American Conference.  He also won the InGlasCo Individual Puck Control Relay challenge in the skills portion of the All-Star game.

Basic Stats:

Age: 23
Home: Brossard, Quebec
Height: 5-11
Weight: 185
Position: center
Shoots: right

He recorded 90 points in the 03/04 season in the QMJHL, 72 points in the 05/06 season in the UHL, and 89 points in the 06/07 season in the ECHL.

Tifu has not been drafted by any NHL teams.  He has been passed over due to his smaller size, with the way he records points it appears as if he’s out to prove everyone wrong.  [...]Read More

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Mark Mancari Sets Record With Hardest Shot

January 27, 2008 - By

Mark Mancari is representing the Rochester Americans this weekend in the AHL All-Star game and skills challenge in Binghamton.  This evening was the skills challenge where he set a new AHL record in the Rbk O-Stick Hardest Shot challenge with a 102.8 mph shot.  His first shot was recorded at 96.8 mph.

By comparison, Zdeno Chara of the Boston Bruins won the same competition in the NHL on Saturday with a 103.1 mph shot.  Second place in the NHL challenge was Vinny Lecavalier of the Lightning at 101.9.

Kurtis Foster held the previous AHL record at 101 mph when he played for the Chicago Wolves in 2003.

In the Toyota Breakaway Relay challenge he had a breakway against goaltender Jimmy Howard from Grand Rapids, he took a wrist shot aiming at the top corner glove side of the net but the puck went too high.

You can view a video of Mark Mancari in both challenges on YouTube (as of 01/27/08 11pm it’s still processing, so check back later if you’re trying to view it right away).

The All-Star game itself will be played on Monday January 28th at 7pm.  You can watch the game live on [...]Read More

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Full Roster Tonight; Mancari to All-Star Game

January 25, 2008 - By

After being short on players due to illness over the past week and a half, the Amerks will have a full roster tonight as they see the return of Clarke MacArthur, Patrick Kaleta, Tanner Glass, and Anthony Stewart.

Mark Mancari has been added to the AHL All-Star game this weekend to represent the Amerks and Team Canada. MacArthur was originally selected to the All-Star game but will be rejoining the Sabres on Monday which is why Mancari was picked.

It’s a surprising move by the Sabres to actually send MacArthur to the Amerks for just two games, he has proven his worth for the Sabres.  Hopefully these players will put as much effort into playing for a last place team in the AHL as they have in the NHL trying to prove there worth up there.  If that happens, it isn’t too far fetched to have a two game winning streak after this weekend.

Mancari, a third-year right winger, has 13 goals, 22 assists and 35 points in 47 games.

MacArthur has scored 5 goals, 4 assists and 9 points in 21 games with the Sabres. He was the Amerks leading scorer before his recall (11-19-30 in 26 AHL games).

[...]Read More

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Featured Player: Adam Dennis

January 21, 2008 - By

 Adam Dennis
Goalie
02/08/1985
6’0”
190 lbs
Toronto, ON

Adam Dennis is a goalie with an unusual style who is cool under pressure.  He has been known for his success at the junior level, leading two teams to OHL championships and Memorial Cup Tournaments.

Dennis started his junior career in the Ontario Provincial Junior Hockey League (OPJHL) where he played 32 games with the Oakville Blades.

From there Adam moved on to the OHL where he played first for the Guelph Storm from 2002 until the middle of the 2004-05 season.  During his time with the Storm he played 87 games and came out with 44 wins, 27 losses and 10 ties.

In the 2003-04 season, Dennis helped the Guelph Storm win the Wayne Gretzky Trophy (Western Conference Champions) and went on to win the OHL Championship.  He also helped the team make their forth ever appearance in the Memorial Cup Tournament in Kelowna, BC.  The team took 4th place in that tournament that season.

On January 10, 2005, Dennis was traded to the London Knights where he played with teammates Dylan Hunter and Drew Larman.  The London Knights started their season off with 31 [...]Read More

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Featured Player: Mark Mancari

January 6, 2008 - By

 Mark Mancari
Right Wing
07/11/1985
6’4″
220 lbs

London, ONMark Mancari knows how to use his size to his advantage on the ice. With a slap shot that can take a head clear off and the ability to play both offense and defense, Mancari is an asset to any professional hockey team.

He is known for being very coachable with a coach who cares, very smart and versatile.

Mancari is always willing to do what it takes to get his team a win. He will play any position asked of him to help the team. He is one (if not the most) hardworking players in the Rochester Americans lineup.

Mark spent his entire junior career playing for the Ottawa 67′s where he played 226 games racking up 76 goals and 82 assists for 158 points. He started with the 67′s as a defenseman, turning to offense once his skills were seen.

In Mancari’s third season with the 67′s, he nearly tripled his point output of his first two seasons combined.

In his last year with Ottawa, Mark was awarded the Brian Kilrea Award for community involvement. He was also named the Booster Club’s Best Two-Way [...]Read More

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