Things had sounded like they were going in the right direction when the Amerks took an early 2-0 lead with two goals only 30 seconds apart early in the first period against the Stars on Saturday but it was all downhill from there.  The Stars erupted with four goals in the second period and also had a 13-4 advantage in shots in the second period.  This Amerks team had no chance.  Part of that blame can likely be placed on the Sabres who have called up the key parts of this team.  To be a successful team you need to win on the road especially when you’re well rested and the Amerks have still only won two road games all season.

Read the recap from Hundred Degree Hockey which is a site similar to this one covering the Stars:

Texas got their W tonight over the Rochester Americans but not without a little bit of a scare. After allowing two goals on the first three shots of the evening, Texas roared back and scored six unanswered tallies including two shorthanded goals. Jimmy Spratt collected his first AHL win in his first AHL start this evening, stopping 14 of 16 shots against. “We got some bounces, buried our chances and got our lead,” said Ryan Garbutt, who had 2 goals and 2 assists on the night. “We’re a pretty good team when we’re playing with a lead.”

Texas gave up two early in the contest to set them behind quickly. Three minutes in, Texas was stuck with a defensive faceoff after icing the puck on a long shift. Rochester won it and Brennan sniped one from the point past Spratt for a 1-0 lead. “That first shot was a laser,” said Coach Pyle. “Through a screen off a one-timer.”

(part of the article cut out here)

Texas shutdown the Rochester attack in the second and third. “It was team effort and team dedication in our own end and it was great to see,” said Garbutt. Of the success of the penalty kill, he added: “Everyone is sticking to what they do. It’s nice to get goals on the penalty kill like that. To get shorties like that is really uplifting.”

Click the link above to read the rest.

Has it been mentioned that the Stars scored TWO SHORTHANDED GOALS against the Amerks?  That deserved some upper case letters.

Speaking of call ups, Colin Stuart had been called up by the Sabres on Friday but didn’t play until the game on Saturday night against the Penguins and he suffered a “lower body injury.” The early reports are that he’ll be out at least a month.  Wonderful.  Tyler Ennis also injured his ankle but his outlook isn’t as depressing. There’s a chance he could play as early as Tuesday.

Losses, injuries and players constantly being called up are all a recipe for frustrations.  Is there an easy answer or solution right now to the problems that the Amerks face?  Nope.  It’s not that easy to find players in December that will be able to jump in and be offensive threats that are needed.  Evan Rankin scored another goal and assist on Saturday but he seems to be the rare find.  Rob Bordson was brought in recently but isn’t lighting up the board.  The only bright spot would be every player called up gets returned to the Amerks but that’s not likely.

As Don Stevens says, it’ll likely get worst before it gets better.

Here’s the recap of the game from the Amerks press release:

The Rochester Americans and Texas Stars faced off in the first-ever meeting between the teams on Saturday night at Cedar Park Center, where the Stars skated to a 6-2 win over the Amerks.

Rochester jumped out to an early 2-0 lead on goals by T.J. Brennan and Evan Rankin, but Texas would score six unanswered goals en route to the victory. Brennan and Rankin each finished with a goal and an assist on the night. Rankin, who signed a pro tryout with the Amerks on Nov. 25, now has 10 points (6+4) in 10 games with the team, including six in the last five. Brennan, meanwhile, extended his point streak to three games, collecting four points (1+3) in that span. Goaltender Drew MacIntyre started in goal and finished with 21 saves.

The Amerks got off to a quick start and took a 2-0 lead before the game was even four minutes old with back-to-back goals 30 seconds apart, starting with Brennan’s fourth goal of the year just 3:11 into the opening frame. After Phil Varone won the draw cleanly to the left of Stars netminder Jimmy Spratt, Rankin swept in from the right hash marks and fed Alex Biega at the left point. Biega then slid a cross-ice pass to Brennan at the high slot and the third-year blueliner boomed a one-timer over the left shoulder of Spratt to put the Amerks up 1-0.

The trio struck again just a half-minute later as Rankin converted on a pass from Varone from the left corner to give Rochester a two-goal cushion at 3:41. A turnover in the neutral zone led to the Amerks gaining possession of the puck, and Brennan, nearing the end of his shift, shoveled it in the corner to Varone, who managed to outhustle a Texas defender from the opposite side. With little time to spare, Varone found an unmarked Rankin at the net-front and Rankin finished the play with a one-touch redirect past Spratt for his sixth goal of the season and second in as many nights. Varone has now recorded five points (1+4) over his last five games.

Texas would climb back within one, however, as Brenden Dillon capitalized on a goal-mouth rebound to put the Stars on the board at 14:21 of the first period. With Texas’ Maxime Fortunus serving the latter part of a high-sticking penalty, the Stars used offensive zone pressure to their advantage on the penalty kill as a nifty give-and-go between Travis Morin and Ryan Garbutt created a prime scoring chance. But immediately after MacIntyre denied Morin’s initial shot, the rebound caromed out to the left faceoff dot and Dillon sent a high slapper over a sprawled MacIntyre to cut the Stars’ deficit in half and make it a 2-1 game.

The Stars evened the game at two apiece 3:58 into the second period as Brad Lukowich found the top left corner from the top of the circle for his first of the season. Texas’ Matt Fraser led the rush up the ice from his own blueline and gave a no-look pass to Garbutt streaking up the right wing boards. As Garbutt gained entrance into the offensive zone, he found Lukowich sliding in from the left side and the Stars’ captain ripped a shot over MacIntyre’s right shoulder for the tally.

Garbutt gave Texas its first lead of the game under five minutes later, this time beating MacIntyre high glove-side with a shot from the slot that put the Stars on top 3-2. The goal at 8:43 was Garbutt’s third of the season and his third point on the night, with the assists going to Luke Gazdic and Mathieu Tousignant.

Francis Wathier and former Amerk Mike Hedden continued the surge for Texas with goals 90 seconds apart, including another shorthanded tally, to give the Stars a 5-2 lead that would complete a four-goal second period for the home team. Wathier, with his team down a man, first converted on a 2-on-1 fast break with a low shot that trickled through the legs of MacIntyre and Hedden became the recipient of a fortunate bounce as he exited the penalty box, finding himself alone against the Rochester goaltender and putting one in under the crossbar with a quick snapshot.

Garbutt earned his second goal of the game fourth point of the night as he found himself behind the Rochester defense and scored on a partial breakaway to extend Texas’ lead to 6-2. Morin and Dan Spang earned the assists on the goal.

Rochester concludes its Texas road trip on Sunday, as it travels to Houston to face the Aeros for the second and final time this season at 6:05 EST. Houston came away victorious in the first game between the teams back on Dec. 2 in Rochester. Sunday’s meeting at the Toyota Center will be carried live on 107.3 FM and 1280 AM, Rochester’s Sports Talk.

Losing Texas Trip Ends Today Against Houston; Stuart Injured and Out a Month is a post from: Let's Go Amerks!. For discussion visit the forums at LetsGoAmerks.com/Forums.

One thing that didn’t help the Amerks was that Colin Stuart was called up to the Buffalo Sabres on Friday morning due to Patrick Kaleta not being able to play.  They had thought Kaleta would play so everyone went on the road trip.  It’ll be interesting to see what kind of flights Stuart had to take to get from San Antonio to Buffalo.

This Rochester Americans team is having to rely on defense and goaltending and unfortunately a defensive turnover by Drew Schiestel is what led to a Bill Thomas breakaway to score the game winner in overtime.  There’s very little offense being generated and the only people to blame for that right now are the Buffalo Sabres.  They’ve called up Colin Stuart, Paul Szczechura, Zach Kassian, and Corey Tropp and have yet to replace them or the offense that Michael Ryan is supposed to be generating but he can’t since he’s out for who knows how long with who knows what medical condition.  Could even point to Matt Ellis and Luke Adam who had originally been slated to spend time in an Amerks uniform but never have.

Phil Varone finally scored his first goal of the season in 27 games played.  A recent bright spot has been Evan Rankin who was called up from the ECHL and signed to a PTO and has five goals and three assists in nine games played.

These guys are busting their butts out on the ice trying to win games but they don’t have enough American Hockey League talent on the roster to push past these one goal differentials and win.  The Amerks continue to slide lower in the standings and with only two road wins all season and four more road games this month it’s not going to be an easy hill to climb.  We’ll see what happens.  If they can go on a five game winning streak the tone will obviously change but based on what’s being seen right now they’re lucky the difference isn’t two to three goals or even higher in these losses.

They play again tonight at 8pm against the Texas Stars.

Amerks.com recap:

A late goal by forward Evan Rankin helped secure a point, but the Rochester Americans’ comeback attempt in San Antonio fell short as the Rampage defeated the Amerks 3-2 in overtime at the AT&T Center on Friday night. Former Amerk Bill Thomas capitalized on a breakaway opportunity at 2:12 of the overtime period to give the Rampage the win in Rochester’s first trip to Texas in three seasons.

Phil Varone scored his first professional goal to get the Amerks on the board in the first period and Rankin continued his hot streak, scoring his fifth goal in just his ninth game with the Amerks with under three minutes to go in the third period to tie the game at two and force overtime.

Amerks goaltender Drew MacIntyre was outstanding in net, making 38 saves in the loss. Shaone Morrisonn, T.J. Brennan, Shawn Szydlowski and Dennis Persson each collected an assist in the game for Rochester. Greg Rallo and Keith Seabrook joined Thomas in each netting a goal for the Rampage.

Rallo put the Rampage up 1-0 midway through the first period as he converted on a one-timer from the high slot for his seventh goal of the season at 10:06. With the teams playing 4-on-4, former Amerk Mark Cullen carried the puck into the Rochester zone along the right wing boards and found a trailing Rallo, who finished the play with a blast that beat MacIntyre to the stick side to give San Antonio the early advantage.

The Amerks appeared to tie the game on a goal from Brennan just over a minute later, but referee Mark Lemelin waved the goal off due to a Rochester player leaving the penalty box too early.

Rochester remained focused, however, and would tie the game just 19 seconds later after a goal-mouth scramble led to Varone’s first professional goal. With San Antonio’s Evan Barlow serving a double-minor for high-sticking, the Amerks took advantage of their extended power-play opportunity as Brennan’s shot ricocheted off Rampage goalie Jacob Markstrom’s left pad and somehow averted the net-front traffic on its way to the slot. Varone, with no hesitation, pounced on the puck and beat Markstrom with a low shot just inside the left post for his first of the season. Morrisonn also assisted on the power-play goal at 11:19.

The Rampage regained the lead 14:46 into the second stanza as Seabrook’s wrister from the point eluded a screened MacIntyre and found the back of the net to make it a 2-1 contest. The play started as James Wright found Evgeny Dadonov streaking into the Rochester zone up the middle of the ice, but as Dadonov gained entrance, he left the puck to Seabrook at the blueline and the defenseman’s long shot hit nothing but twine for his first goal of the season.

San Antonio looked to have the game in hand until Rankin made it a 2-2 game as he took Szydlowski’s pass from the left half-wall and picked the right corner over Markstrom’s glove with just 2:19 to play. With Szydlowski stationed along the boards, Rankin made a break to the front of net, received the pass from his linemate and put a perfect shot under the crossbar for his fifth goal of the season. Persson also recorded his first point as an Amerk with an assist on the play.

With the teams playing 4-on-4 in the overtime period, a turnover at the Rochester blueline led to a breakaway opportunity for Thomas, who took a feed from Cullen and skated in alone on MacIntyre and netted the game-winning goal.

Rochester makes its way to Austin on Saturday to take on the Texas Stars at Cedar Park Arena in the first-ever meeting between the interconference rivals. The 8 p.m. EST matchup will be carried live on 107.3 FM and 1280 AM, Rochester’s Sports Talk. The same two teams will meet again later this season as Texas makes its inaugural trip to Western New York on Friday, February 10.

Rochester Americans 2 at San Antonio Rampage 3 (OT) – Status: Final OT
Friday, December 16, 2011 – AT&T Center

Rochester 1 0 1 0 – 2
San Antonio 1 1 0 1 – 3

1st Period-1, San Antonio, Rallo 7 (Cullen), 10:06. 2, Rochester, Varone 1 (Morrisonn, Brennan), 11:19 (PP). Penalties-Selleck Sa (holding), 2:52; Biega Rch (tripping), 8:27; Barlow Sa (double minor – high-sticking), 8:59; Timmins Sa (holding), 19:41.

2nd Period-3, San Antonio, Seabrook 1 (Dadonov, Wright), 14:46. Penalties-Robak Sa (high-sticking), 5:29; Boychuk Rch (interference), 7:26; Rallo Sa (high-sticking), 9:07; Finley Rch (fighting), 12:05; Selleck Sa (fighting), 12:05; Barlow Sa (hooking), 18:14.

3rd Period-4, Rochester, Rankin 5 (Szydlowski, Persson), 17:41. Penalties-Morrisonn Rch (checking to the head), 18:45; Wright Sa (roughing), 18:45.

OT Period-5, San Antonio, Thomas 7 (Cullen), 2:12. Penalties-No Penalties

Shots on Goal-Rochester 11-3-7-0-21. San Antonio 13-13-11-4-41.
Power Play Opportunities-Rochester 1 / 7; San Antonio 0 / 2.
Goalies-Rochester, MacIntyre 4-8-1 (41 shots-38 saves). San Antonio, Markstrom 4-5-0 (21 shots-19 saves).
A-6,997
Referees-Mark Lemelin (41).
Linesmen-Carl Sasyn (12), Terrance Saunders (3).

Amerks Lose in Overtime to the Rampage, 10th Loss by One Goal is a post from: Let's Go Amerks!. For discussion visit the forums at LetsGoAmerks.com/Forums.

They started out well last weekend with a 3-0 win over the Albany Devils but went on to lose two games by only one goal, one against the Phantoms and the other the Bulldogs.  Paying attention to details is something the team talked about after the great win on Friday night but they lost focus of that the next two nights which resulted in two losses.  Evan Rankin had two goals against Adirondack which gave them a 2-1 lead before eventually losing in overtime.  A four minute high sticking penalty by Drew Schiestel gave the Phantoms the power play in overtime which was the deciding factor.  The next night against Hamilton the final score was 2-1 which meant it was a close game but when you look at the fact that Hamilton had a 35-16 advantage in shots you can correctly assume that Hamilton controlled the game.  The Amerks couldn’t get any quality shots on net, they could barely muster any offense.  Mike Blunden scored the winning goal and made it look easy by taking a wrist shot and placing it into a big opening David Leggio had given him.

On to this weekend…. the game against the Rampage has a similar story line to the one during the 2009/2010 season when the Amerks played against the Portland Pirates.  The Florida Panthers prospects knew they were in Sabres territory and heard nothing but Rochester needing the Sabres back as an affiliate so they set out to try and beat the Pirates to show they were a good team.  Some of the guys now playing with the Rampage are likely thinking “you wanted the Sabres back and you got them and now we’re going to beat them.”  If you look at the win column the Rampage have one win more than the Amerks do and they’re only two points behind in the standings.  Evgeny Dadonov, Eric Selleck, Michael Caruso, Tim Kennedy, Michal Repik, Scott Timmins, Colby Robak and Jacob Markstrom have all worn an Amerks jersey and I’m sure a little bit of them will want to win for more reasons than their own team winning.

Jeff Taffe who plays for the Houston Aeros was a part of that 09/10 Amerks team that went through the above against the Pirates.  On the other side, Derek Whitmore had played for the Pirates and heard all about it all from that side.

In the long run the Amerks are much better off being back with the Buffalo Sabres but given the past five seasons this story line will only be brought up two more times.  After the game and when the Rampage visit Rochester.

There’s only three points separating eighth place in the conference and last place in the conference.  The Amerks have struggled on the road with only two out of their eleven wins coming from the road.  It’s only December but these road trips can have a big impact down the road.  The last seven losses for the Amerks have been decided by one goal (4-2 Albany win had an empty netter, counting that as a one goal loss) which shows that this Amerks team is very close and it’s also something that they know.  Turn those close games into wins and the Amerks are on top of the conference.  That’s the optimistic way of looking at things.

One possible upside to this long road trip is the time the team will spend together on the road.  Every road trip up until this point has been on a bus for a few hours, sleep, play, bus, repeat.  The players hang out when in Rochester but the team being together for an extended time can also make them an even closer group.  We just have to hope that nothing happens like previous seasons on road trips where players were shipped off (Andrew Peters and Nathan Paetsch) or went out of the lineup for an extended time (Mike York).

The Amerks went on the road still without Paul Szczechura, Brayden McNabb, and Zack Kassian.  It’ll be a miracle if Kassian ever plays in an Amerks uniform again the way he keeps playing for the Sabres.  The same could be said for Szczechura who’s currently the #1 center for the Sabres.

On the injury front, Michael Ryan and Matt MacKenzie are the only two players not on the road trip.  There’s no update on Ryan and MacKenzie is scheduled to see a doctor this week to find out when he can return.

Amerks Weekend in Texas, Week in Review is a post from: Let's Go Amerks!. For discussion visit the forums at LetsGoAmerks.com/Forums.

We’re all unique in how we cover our teams but all hold one thing in common, being passionate about the teams that we cheer on.  There are independent sites, not associated with any major news papers / media outlets.  I’ll work on a separate list of blogs written by those places.

Here’s what I have in my reading list, if there’s others out there please share!

(in no particular order – if anyone feels like copying and pasting this list for their site go right ahead, just don’t forget to add mine!)

Power Play Post Show (Podcast discussing all AHL teams)
http://www.pppshow.net/

Wrap Around (Binghamton Senators)
http://bobppps.wordpress.com/

Admirals Roundtable (Milwaukee Admirals)
http://admiralsroundtable.com/

Chairman How’s Glorious Army (Syracuse Crunch)
http://chairmanhowsgloriousarmy.com/

Chasing Checkers (Charlotte Checkers)
http://chasingcheckers.com/

Chirps From Center Ice (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins)
http://nafsnep.wordpress.com/

Hershey Bears Hockey (Hershey Bears)
http://hersheybearshockey.blogspot.com/

Sweetest Hockey on Earth (Hershey Bears)
http://www.sweetesthockeyonearth.com/

Hundred Degree Hockey (Texas Stars)
http://hundreddegreehockey.blogspot.com/

Oil Field Hockey (Oklahoma City Barons)
http://www.oilfieldhockey.com/

Pilot to Gunner (Houston Aeros)
http://pilottogunner.wordpress.com/

The Third Intermission (Houston Aeros)
http://thethirdintermission.blogspot.com/

Runnin’ With The Herd (San Antonio Rampage)
http://rampagenate.blogspot.com/

Something’s Bruin (Providence Bruins)
http://somethingsbruin.net/

The Peoria Rivermen Blog (Peoria Rivermen)
http://rivermenblog.wordpress.com/

 Thoughts Inside The Box (Albany Devils)
http://icepuddle.wordpress.com/

If you know of anything I missed please share!

Other Blogs Covering AHL Teams is a post from: Let's Go Amerks!. For discussion visit the forums at LetsGoAmerks.com/Forums.

Thanks to Admirals Roundtable for the rankings.  Looking back at the 2010/2011 rankings Ryan from Admirals Roundtable wrote this:

- The Calder Cup finalists were ranked 16th and 27th overall.
- The division winners were ranked 19th, 3rd, 14th, and 18th.
- Four of their top 10 didn’t make the playoffs (Chicago, Worcester, San Antonio, Grand Rapids)

It’s that time of year where everyone makes predictions just because it’s the thing to do.  Everyone knows (or should know) that a season can change in a matter of weeks due to injuries, call ups, trades and even a group of players not living up to their expectations.

Here’s the rankings:

East (first to last): Hershey Bears, W-B/Scranton Penguins, Portland Pirates, Springfield Falcons, Manchester Monarchs, Syracuse Crunch, Worcester Sharks, Connecticut Whale, Binghamton Senators, Bridgeport Sound Tigers, St John’s Icecaps, Albany Devils, Norfolk Admirals, Providence Bruins, Adirondack Phantoms

West (first to last): Charlotte Checkers, Peoria Rivermen, Chicago Wolves, Rochester Americans, Toronto Marlies, Houston Aeros, Hamilton Bulldogs, Lake Erie Monsters, Texas Stars, San Antonio Rampage, Rockford Icehogs, Grand Rapids Griffins, Abbotsford Heat, Oklahoma City Barons, Milwakee Admirals

There’s a small snippet of information with each prediction but you’ll have to get a copy to read that.  I don’t think The Hockey News would want me reprinting the whole article.  I see no real reason to disagree with Kevin on any of the predictions, that’s about as much of a prediction I’ll make on the upcoming season.

The Hockey News Ranks Amerks to be 4th in the West is a post from: Let's Go Amerks!. For discussion visit the forums at LetsGoAmerks.com/Forums.

Drew Larman is currently playing with the Providence Bruins

The summer of 2009 has been an exciting one with the roster that has been built for the 2009/2010 Rochester Americans.  There’ll be a lot of questions from fans getting to know some of the new players but also a lot of questions wondering about some favorites from last season.

So here’s a quick rundown of players that are no longer in the Florida Panthers or Rochester Americans organizations:

Tanner Glass – He signed a one year two way deal with the Vancouver Canucks.  After a strong training camp he’s on the Canucks opening night roster.  The Panthers had said they would have liked him back but were not ready to offer him a deal prior to the start of free agency.

Janis Sprukts – is currently playing for Dinamo Riga in the KHL.  Sprukts was unhappy last season when he realized he had no real chance of cracking the Florida Panthers lineup.  So he packed up his things and went across the pond.

Mike Brodeur – The Florida Panthers were ready to offer him a $105,000 contract to stay in the organization but Brodeur thought his chances of playing in the NHL would be better with the Ottawa Senators organization.  He is currently playing for the Binhamton Senators and expected to be their #1 goalie.

Stefan Meyer – Traded to the Phoenix Coyotes by the Panthers on June 18th for center Steve Reinprecht.  The ‘Yotes were going to lose Reinprecht to free agency and were looking for something in return.  Reinprecht signed and is playing for the Panthers.

Karl Stewart – Prior to the end of the 08/09 season he signed a contract to go and play for the Straubing Tigers in Germany.  He said that he did not know what Rochesters plans were and was looking for job security.

Randall Gelech – Update: Thanks for the comment below.  Gelech is currently on the injured reserve for the Grand Rapids Griffins.

Drew Larman – Signed a one year two way deal with the Boston Bruins and is starting the season with the Providence Bruins.

David Shantz – Signed with the Calgary Flames and will be playing for the Abbotsford Heat this season.

Franklin MacDonald – signed in Austria with the Liwest Blackwings of the Erste Bank Liga

Jacob Micflikier – Signed with the Albany River Rats and was just sent down to the Florida Everblades of the ECHL.

Riley Emmerson – is playing for the Springfield Falcons this season.

If anyone knows where Gelech is please leave a comment!

What happened to some of last years Amerks? is a post from: Let's Go Amerks!. For discussion visit the forums at LetsGoAmerks.com/Forums.

The Amerks were ranked second for a “Classic crest with a clean look to it.”  I’m not quite sure how the Milwaukee Admirals got the top spot.  In a typically boring month for hockey news this is what we get.

Take the time to visit The Hockey News web site to vote for the Rochester Americans jersey as the best in the AHL – http://thehockeynews.com/pages/puck_poll.php

Two teams missing are the Texas Stars and Abbotsford Heat because the teams have not officially launched their jerseys.  To view what was actually said about each jersey click here – http://www.thehockeynews.com/articles/27493-.html.

Here’s the straight rankings:

1. Milwaukee Admirals
2. Rochester Americans
3. San Antonio Rampage
4. Springfield Falcons
5. Manchester Monarchs
6. Worcester Sharks
7. Norfolk Admirals
8. Bridgeport Sound Tigers
9. Peoria Rivermen
10. Chicago Wolves
11. Manitoba Moose
12. Houston Aeros
13. Hershey Bears
14. Toronto Marlies
15. Grand Rapids Griffins
16. Portland Pirates
17. Hartford Wolfpack
18. Providence Bruins
19. Lake Erie Monsters
20. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
21. Hamilton Bulldogs
22. Adirondack Phantoms
23. Lowell Devils
24. Syracuse Crunch
25. Rockford Icehogs
26. Albany River Rats
27. Binghamton Senators

Amerks Jersey Ranked 2nd by The Hockey News is a post from: Let's Go Amerks!. For discussion visit the forums at LetsGoAmerks.com/Forums.

Here’s what has happened so far this summer:

** Training camp for the Amerks has not even been announced yet but the doesn’t mean some Amerks aren’t back on the ice already.  The Rochester Americans Summer Hockey Camps are underway at ESL being led by Amerks assistant coach Jason Cipolla.  It’s great to see so many kids sporting the Amerks logo playing hockey, a sign that the season is close.

** Matt Duffy is still an unsigned draft pick of the Florida Panthers.  He was drafted in the fourth round and #104 overall in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft.  When his season ended with the University of Maine he played in nine games for the Amerks and scored two goals and four assists.  It’s somewhat surprising the Panthers have not given him an entry level deal at this point.

** In case you’ve missed this summers free agent signings, the Amerks signed Chris Taylor to an AHL contract and the Florida Panthers signed Graham Mink, Jeff Taffe, Jamie Johnson, and Clay Wilson to two way deals.

** The goaltending situation looks like it will be Alexander Salak and Tyler Plante  If that tandem does not produce results expect the Panthers and Amerks to shop for a new goalie earlier in the season than last year when they found Mike Brodeur.  Chris Beckford-Tseu is still under contract for another season.  Beckford-Tseu will be given the opportunity to show he has improved but no one is expecting him to be in Rochester.

** Ted Nolan was hired by Curt Styres to be the VP of Hockey Operations for the Rochester Americans.  At this time I’m not sure how much of an impact Nolan had on the free agents signed during the off season but he has been making the rounds of sports talk radio stations all summer.  The Rochester Americans have been in the news all summer because of Nolan.  A winning team and big crowds at the War Memorial will make it all worthwhile for Styres.

** At this time the Panthers expect Evgeni Dadonov to be at training camp.  The KHL disputes his contract.  The Panthers say he does not have one with them.  The KHL has threatened a law suit.  Dadonov did not report to training camp in Russia.  That’s it in a nutshell, you can read more details on Dadonov here, here, and here.

** One key roster spot that is yet to be filled is that of a ‘tough guy.’  As of right now the only player under contract who could fit that role would be James DeLory, he’s not the heavyweight though that fans of fighting would like to see.  Riley Emmerson is currently an unrestricted free agent and Jack Birch has hinted to Kevin O that bringing him back is not out of the question.

** The AHL schedule is set to be released at 4pm on Thursday.  I’ll be working at that time so if you want to see it right away keep an eye on Amerks.com or TheAHL.com.  We already know the Amerks are only playing 13 teams but the days of games are what most will be looking for.  Such as.. Prime weekend games late in the season?  Amerks vs Portland at HSBC?  Portland in Rochester?  Day after Christmas?

** Speaking of the Portland Pirates, if you’re interested in them check out the Maine Hockey Journal.

** Don Stevens will be calling the Play by Play for the Major League Roller Hockey Pro Tour Championship game that is airing on Versus on August 29th at 3pm.  (more info)

** Some changes have been made heading into the 2009/2010 AHL season such as new teams, new cities, affiliations, re-alignment, and rule changes.  (more info)

** Fred Costello will not return as organist for the Amerks.  It’s a shame the way the situation was handled but I think most people are over it already.

** I think it’s safe to say that The Moose will be returning as mascot for the Amerks.  I had written about some rumors about him being eliminated and those can probably be put to rest.  The Moose has been making appearances all summer and even if anyone had thought it would be a good idea has probably heard enough from the community that it better not ever happen.

** The following players that were here for the 2008/2009 season have signed with different teams and will NOT be returning: Stefan Meyer (Phoenix Coyotes/San Antonio Rampage), Tanner Glass (Vancouver Canucks/Manitoba Moose), Mike Brodeur (Ottawa Senators/Binghamton Senators), and Drew Larman (Boston Bruins/Providence Bruins).  Supposedly Jacob Micflikier has/is signing with the Albany River Rats but I have not been able to confirm it..  David Shantz and Franklin MacDonald were not extended qualifying offers by the Panthers and are still unemployed as of writing this.

Amerks Summer News Stories, Getting Caught Up is a post from: Let's Go Amerks!. For discussion visit the forums at LetsGoAmerks.com/Forums.

Twitter is a great service for sports fans due to the fact that news can usually be summed up in less than 140 characters leaving out all of the extra fluff that accompanies articles.

If you’re new to Twitter I’m going to list some ways to effectively use the site and follow teams, if you’re just looking for the list of teams scroll down.

By following LetsGoAmerks (and other teams) on Twitter you’ll be able to get live updates about the Rochester Americans with scores, injuries, transactions (call ups and players being signed), game day lineups, media appearances, and much more.  If you scan through the updates I’ve posted I think you’ll notice it’s a all great info.  Also taking a moment to brag, LetsGoAmerks offers the best coverage of any AHL team on Twitter.

Bookmarks

The old fashioned way of bookmarking web sites is still the easiest for a lot of people.  Simply save your favorite teams page as a bookmark and refresh it whenever you want to check for updates, no need to sign up for an account!

RSS Feeds

Every account has an RSS feed that you can stay subscribed to in your news reader.  Example: I have a folder in Google Reader that has all of the teams.

SMS / Device Updates

One of the greatest features I find on Twitter are the “device updates.”  What are device updates?  When a new tweet is posted it gets sent to my phone as a text message.  Once you’re following a lot of people you can miss some things, getting updates sent as SMS is a great way to not miss a beat.  A lot of Twitter accounts are used for the purpose of announcements and do not post a lot of updates so the few text messages a week or half a dozen on a game night are easy to handle.

Once you create your account you’ll have to click on settings and then device to add your phone number, no one else can see your phone number.

After you click on FOLLOW you’ll see this box appear at which time you can click on Device Updates

You can then click ON to start receiving SMS updates. If you ever want to turn them OFF just return to the page and click OFF

Tweetdeck – http://tweetdeck.com

Tweetdeck is a desktop application where you can create groups to have updates just from specific people.  it’s probably the most popular desktop app for using the Twitter service.

Ubertwitter

If you have a Blackberry you’ll want to download Ubertwitter, it’s the best Twitter BB app.  From your BB browser just go to www.ubertwitter.com to download.

http://www.twitterforbusypeople.com/ – see updates from accounts that have updated recently.  You can miss a lot once you get active on the site, I often use this site first when sitting down at the computer.

The only two teams team I have not found on Twitter is are the Norfolk Admirals and Providence Bruins.  If they exist, please leave a comment with the links!

Finally, here’s the list:

AHL
http://twitter.com/TheAHL

Abbotsford Heat
http://twitter.com/abbotsfordheat

Adirondack Phantoms
http://twitter.com/PhantomsHockey

Albany River Rats
http://twitter.com/AlbanyRiverRats

Binghamton Senators
http://twitter.com/Binghamton_Sens

Bridgeport Sound Tigers
http://twitter.com/soundtigers

Chicago Wolves
http://twitter.com/Chicago_Wolves

Grand Rapids Griffins
http://twitter.com/griffinshockey

Hamilton Bulldogs
http://twitter.com/GO_DOGS_GO

Hartford Wolfpack
http://twitter.com/HtfdWolfPack

Hershey Bears
http://twitter.com/hersheybears – ‘unOfficial’

Houston Aeros
http://twitter.com/Houston_Aeros

Iowa Chops (operations suspended by the AHL)
http://twitter.com/iowachopshockey

Lake Erie Monsters
http://twitter.com/monstershockey

Lowell Devils
http://twitter.com/devildawg06

Manchester Monarchs
http://twitter.com/MonarchsHockey

Manitoba Moose
http://twitter.com/ManitobaMoose

Milwaukee Admirals
http://twitter.com/mkeadmirals

Norfolk Admirals
http://twitter.com/NorfolkAdmirals

Peoria Rivermen
http://twitter.com/Peoria_Rivermen

Providence Bruins
n/a

Rochester Americans
http://twitter.com/LetsGoAmerks – of course I’m going to list myself first!
http://twitter.com/AmerksHockey – ‘Official’

Rockford IceHogs
http://twitter.com/goicehogs

San Antonio Rampage
http://twitter.com/sarampage

Springfield Falcons
http://twitter.com/DMarkiewicz

Syracuse Crunch
http://twitter.com/SyracuseCrunch

Texas Stars
http://twitter.com/TexasStars

Toronto Marlies
http://twitter.com/TorontoMarlies

Portland Pirates
http://twitter.com/portlandpirates

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
http://twitter.com/WBSPenguins

Worcester Sharks
http://twitter.com/WorcesterSharks

And finally, if you’re looking for even more hockey people to follow on Twitter here’s an excellent list put together by Eklund over at Hockey Buzz (100% confirmed, no rumors!)

American Hockey League Teams on Twitter is a post from: Let's Go Amerks!. For discussion visit the forums at LetsGoAmerks.com/Forums.

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 in 70 games scoring 21 goals and 19 assists.

Meyer is serious (like most players) about wanting to play in the NHL and said he’s going to do everything he can to get a spot with the Coyotes.  The key to success for Meyer is playing alongside other play makers, like a Janis Sprukts.  Meyer lacks speed to be the play maker, but put on a consistent line with others where chemistry can be created could lead to further success for him.

More on Reinprecht from the Amerks Press Release:

“Steve is a smart, high character, hard working player who fits our club’s need for a second line center,” said Sexton. “We are constantly looking to upgrade our team speed and he brings this to our club as part of his skill set. He also possesses an ability to win face-offs, another area our team looked to improve on this off-season. Steve served as an assistant Captain in Phoenix and played an important role with Colorado winning the 2001 Stanley Cup. We look forward to the championship attitude and experience he will add to our team.”

Reinprecht, 33, has recorded at least 40 points in five of his eight NHL playing seasons, including a pair of 50-plus point seasons (2002-03/2005-06) and a Stanley Cup championship with Colorado in 2001. He recorded a career high 52 points (22+30) during the 2005-06 season, while playing for both Calgary and Phoenix.

The Edmonton, Alberta native has played in 552 NHL games for Los Angeles (1999-2001), Colorado (2001-03), Calgary (2003-04/2005-06) and Phoenix (2006-09) scoring 120 goals with 214 assists and 162 PIM. He has appeared in 50 postseason games, all with Colorado (2000-03), recording 20 points (10+10).

Reinprecht played four years at the University of Wisconsin (1996-00). He lead the Badgers and the nation in Division I scoring with 66 points (20+44) in his senior season, earning WCHA player of the year honors, while also being nominated as a Hobey Baker Finalist.

The Panthers immediately announced that Reinprecht signed a three year contract with the team, TSN reported that Reinprecht’s three-year deal has a cap hit of $2.050 million. He will get $1.8 million in the first year and $2.175 million in each of the following two years.

Meyer will never have his Amerks jersey retired, or remembered for much as an Amerk in the history books, but Meyer was my sons first “favorite Amerk.”  My son has proudly wore his Amerks and Panthers jerseys with Meyers name on them for the past two seasons.  Making a positive impression on a young kid who dreams of playing hockey is something an athlete should be proud of, I wish Meyer the best of luck with his continued career out West.

Stefan Meyer Traded is a post from: Let's Go Amerks!. For discussion visit the forums at LetsGoAmerks.com/Forums.