It was great for the sport of hockey that the AHL was able to have their season this year along with the NHL. There was a lot of doubt surrounding the AHL and if they were going to have a season at all earlier this year. Even though the Buffalo Sabres’ AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans, had a less than stellar season, it was an excellent opportunity for younger players to develop their game at a pro-level.
The Americans had a shortened season that only amounted to 29 games on the year. They finished with a record of 11-15-3 and in sixth place in the North Division. The Hershey Bears won the North Division with a record of 24-7-2. It probably did not help Rochester that so many young players that may have played for them ended up getting time in the NHL playing for the Sabres towards the end of the season.
In the shortened season, the 99th overall pick in the 2016 NHL Draft to Buffalo, Brett Murray, finished with the most points for Rochester with 20. He tallied nine goals and 11 assists in 27 games played. Remi Elie had the most goals scored on the team, with ten goals scored in 28 games. Oskari Laaksonen had the most assists for Rochester with 15.
Highly regarded Sabres prospect Jack Quinn played in 15 games before getting injured. He tallied two goals and seven assists in his first season in the AHL. Quinn is someone that the Sabres expect to develop nicely and join the team in Buffalo sooner rather than later.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen started the most games in net for Rochester this season with 14, but Luukkonen eventually made his way to Buffalo to start in some games at the end of the season before he was injured while playing for the Sabres.
Stefanos Lekkas started the second-most games in net for the Americans with seven. His stats were very underwhelming, with a 4.32 goals allowed average and a save percentage of just .863%. Lekkas signed a one-year deal late in the season with Buffalo after Luukkonen got injured, but he never played in a game at the NHL level.
Although the season was not as successful as the Americans and their fans would have hoped, it was still great for them to have a season. A lot of players got to experience pro hockey in a year that they may have figured they wouldn’t, which could prove to be very valuable to their development