AMERKS APRIL 2025 REPORT CARD
Rochester goes 3-4-1-0 in April to close out 69th season in franchise history
Apr 22, 2025
By Andrew Mossbrooks | @ Mossbrooks48
The Rochester Americans (42-22-5-3) put a bow on the team’s 69th regular season in franchise history and are now playoff bound for a sixth straight AHL postseason.
April wasn’t Rochester’s best month on paper, but a 3-4-1-0 record came as a result of what was at times a depleted lineup and in other instances, a lineup with nothing left to play for, as the Amerks went into the final week of the season knowing where they would finish regardless of the outcome.
PUNCHED TICKET: A+
The Amerks kicked off the month of April with a 4-2 win over the Springfield Thunderbirds on home ice, clinching a playoff berth in the process with seven games to spare.
The following week, the team secured home-ice advantage for the North Division Semifinal round thanks to the teams surrounding them in the standings falling short.
Rochester posted 92 points to finish the season, eclipsing the 90-point mark for the first time since the 2018-19 campaign. The team also finished tied with the second-most points in the AHL on the road at 50, compiling a 23-9-2-2 record. All this while being coached by rookie Michael Leone, who pushed the Amerks to a second-place finish in his rookie season behind the bench. This is the second straight season where Rochester finished second in the North Division.
RAVISHING ROOKIES: A
April was a great month for two of the Amerks’ top rookies and Sabres prospects. Noah Östlund, who had spent the second half of the season centering the team’s top line with Isak Rosén and Brett Murray, received his first call-up to Buffalo, making his NHL debut with the Sabres on April 5 against Tampa Bay. Östlund went on to finish the season with the Sabres, skating in eight games over the month of April.
Prior to that, the Swedish forward had dominated in his last 20+ games with the Amerks, finishing his AHL season with 19 goals and 36 points over 45 games. In March, Östlund registered the first hat trick of the season for Rochester in a win against Syracuse and was later named the AHL’s Rookie of the Month for March.
A second hat trick for the Amerks would be scored by fellow rookie Konsta Helenius. The 14th overall selection by Buffalo from last summer’s NHL Draft put up three in natural fashion in the team’s 4-0 win over Belleville on April 5. Helenius scored five goals over his final five games of the season, finishing his first North American campaign with 14 goals and 35 points.
Both Helenius and Östlund were honored on the night of the Amerks’ regular season home finale at Blue Cross Arena as co-winners of the team’s Rookie of the Year Award.
BEVY OF BREAKOUTS: A+
As the 2024-25 regular season came to a close, several Amerks’ reached new heights in their careers.
Kale Clague posted a career-high in goals (10), assists (29), and points (39). His point total is 10 higher than his previous high set in his rookie season with Ontario in 2018-19.
Murray surpassed his previous best season in terms of goals with a 27-goal campaign here in his sixth season as a pro. The Amerks alternate captain also tied his 2022-23 point totals with 49 and appeared in his 300th game as an Amerk. Murray also scored his 100th goal wearing the red, white, and blue on April 16, and is now 20th all-time in goals for the franchise.
Rosén led the team in scoring with a career-best 28-goal season and 55-point year.
Lukas Rousek was the only Amerk to appear in all 72 games this season and the first forward to play in every game since Eric Cornel in 2018-19.
Zachary Metsa finished ninth in league scoring by a defenseman with 46 points (7+39).
Tyson Kozak registered a career year with 14 points (8+6) in 31 games and was one of Rochester’s biggest success stories, getting multiple call-ups to Buffalo and appearing in 21 games for the Sabres.
Graham Slaggert had a career year both in points (24) and goals (12). Five of those came shorthanded, finishing in a tie for first in the AHL and becoming the first Amerk to score five shorthanded goals in a single season in 35 years.
Brendan Warren more than doubled his previous bests. The fifth-year Amerk had seven points in 2022-23 and surpassed that by a wide margin in 2024-25 with 18 points (9+9).
Felix Sandström went on an impressive road winning streak, getting nine straight victories for a career-best for the 10th year pro.
Devon Levi incredibly surpassed his fantastic rookie season and was an AHL All-Star, becoming the first Amerks goaltender to lead the league in shutouts (7) since Hall of Famer Martin Biron.
PLAYOFF SYLLABUS
For a third straight year, the Amerks and Syracuse Crunch will meet in the North Division Semi-Finals. The Amerks took round one in 2023, but the Crunch retaliated with vengeance, taking the rematch in 2024. The third best-of-five series in the trilogy begins Friday, April 25th with game one at Blue Cross Arena.