Rochester Americans 2014-2015 Season in Review

With the Rochester Americans season officially wrapped up, and locker clean out day over and done, it’s time to reflect back on the season. It was an interesting one, filled with injuries and many notable call-ups for the Rochester Americans. Sam Reinhart made his AHL debut and averaged a point-per-game in his small sample size. Goaltending was a conundrum again, and in the end, the Amerks finished 14th in the conference.

Unlike last season, it wasn’t such a unique year for the Amerks. They didn’t participate in an outdoor game or in the Spengler Cup, but they did play in 16 different arenas, facing 15 of 29 other AHL teams.

The Rochester Americans finished the season 14th in the AHL’s Western Conference with a record of 29-41-5-1 and 64 points. They went 2-8 in their last ten games and registered 1,189 penalty minutes on the season. They allowed 251 goals to 209 scored, a higher margin than last season, and went 2-1 in shootouts.

Due to the number of call-ups to the NHL, injuries and signings, just one Rochester Americans player appeared in all 76 games for the AHL club this season.

That would be defenseman Jerome Leduc, who registered 25 points and 59 penalty minutes on the season. Leduc is one of several players on the Amerks roster who is set to become a restricted free agent this summer.

If it’s any indication of the sheer amount of call-ups/etc., an astounding 50 players suited up in at least one game for the Rochester Americans this season. That includes seven goaltenders: Andrey Makarov, Travis Fullerton, Sam Marotta, Pat Nagle, Anthony Peters, Matt Hackett and Nathan Lieuwen.

Throughout the season, 21 players were signed to either ATOs and PTOs, many of whom didn’t stay with the team for very long. Some were released, while others returned to the ECHL’s Elmira Jackals and came back to the Amerks later. (Compare that to 13 players signed to ATO/PTOs in the 2013-2014 season.)

Fifteen different players were recalled to the Buffalo Sabres at some point during the season, with 43 unique instances in which recalls were made. Tim Schaller was recalled eight different times throughout the season; Mikhail Grigorenko went back and forth six times. Johan Larsson was recalled five times, while center Philip Varone had four recalls.

For the second straight season, Varone led the team in points, with 44 in 55 games. He also led the team with 29 assists on the season, while Zac Dalpe‘s 16 goals were most on the team.

Varone, Schaller, Johan Larsson and Dan Catenacci each registered 15 goals on the season.

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Schaller led the team in penalty minutes, with 116 on the season, while defenseman Chad Ruhwedel led the team with eight power-play goals. Joel Armia had a pair of shorthanded goals and led the team in that category before he was eventually traded to Winnipeg in the deal that brought Zach Bogosian to Buffalo.

While Armia and Luke Adam were a few of the pieces departing Rochester, this season saw the return of Evan Rankin to the Amerks after spending last year with the Syracuse Crunch. The 29-year-old ended the season with 15 points in 32 games with the Amerks. Jerry D’Amigo joined the Amerks this season, racking up 19 points in 31 games and earning his first call-up to the Buffalo Sabres.

Throughout the season, the Rochester Americans struggled to put together wins. A win was almost always followed up with a loss; the Amerks only had five consecutive sets of victories.

The team’s longest winning streak lasted three games, from October 18 until October 24. They defeated the Toronto Marlies, Rockford IceHogs and Adirondack Flames, outscoring their opponents 11-4. The Amerks won four of their first five games of the season — not a bad way to kick things off.

But the Rochester Americans’ longest losing streak? Six games, from November 29 until December 12. They were outscored 19-7 and were shut out twice. Three of those games were against division rivals — vital points that the Amerks could have used to help their cause.

Here’s how the Rochester Americans stacked up against each team they faced this season:

vs. Adirondack Flames: 6 wins, 6 losses — outscored ADK 38-37
vs. Binghamton Senators: 0 wins, 4 losses — were outscored by 16-5 margin
vs. Chicago Wolves: 1 win, 1 loss — were outscored by 9-7 margin
vs. Grand Rapids Griffins: 2 wins, 2 losses — were outscored by 14-13 margin
vs. Hamilton Bulldogs: 4 wins, 6 losses — were outscored by 36-27 margin
vs. Iowa Wild: 1 win, 1 loss – were outscored by 6-3 margin
vs. Lake Erie Monsters: 4 wins, 0 losses — outscored LE 19-5
vs. Milwaukee Admirals: 0 wins, 2 losses — were outscored by 10-7 margin
vs. Oklahoma City Barons: 1 win, 1 loss — were outscored by 9-8 margin
vs. Rockford IceHogs: 1 win, 1 loss — were outscored by 9-5 margin
vs. San Antonio Rampage: 0 wins, 2 losses — were outscored by 8-4 margin
vs. Syracuse Crunch: 4 wins, 4 losses — outscored SYR 22-19
vs. Toronto Marlies: 2 wins, 8 losses — were outscored by 31-22 margin
vs. Texas Stars: 1 win, 1 loss — were outscored by 10-8 margin
vs. Utica Comets: 2 wins, 8 losses — were outscored by 32-21 margin

As you can see, it was a struggling season for the Amerks. They often failed to win against divisional opponents, winning just 14 of 42 games against other North Division teams. Those would be crucial points for the team to lose, and it hurt them in the end.

With 14 players who spent time in Rochester set to become free agents, plus a few other Sabres prospects ready to join the AHL team, the squad has the potential to look quite different when they hit the ice at Blue Cross Arena in October.

Next: Is Varone in Sabres' Future Plans?

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