AMERKS OF THE PAST HELPING JR. AMERKS IN THE PRESENT
NAHL Jr. Amerks eyeing second straight trip to Robertson Cup National Championship
May 7, 2026By Andrew Mossbrooks | @ Mossbrooks48
Meaningful hockey is still being played in the Flower City. While the lights have gone out at Blue Cross Arena, a group of teenage hopefuls down the road at Rochester Ice Center are trying to bring new hardware to town, leaning on past experiences from those that have been there before.
“I don’t know what it is about the Amerks,” said Francois Methot, head coach and general manager of the Rochester Jr. Amerks. “The bricks that were laid before us were what made it something special.”
Methot spent five seasons and over 300 games wearing an Amerks jersey with the AHL club from 1998-2003. The French-Canadian forward would go on to play a decade overseas before returning to where his pro career began, only this time to help the next generation of hockey players.
“I thought I was done with hockey,” said Methot following his retirement in 2015. “I was tired of it and decided to start in real estate before Scott Nichol and Rory Fitzpatrick connected with our ownership group. They were looking for a youth hockey director and they called me out of the blue. That’s what brought me back here.”
And after several seasons in development, the next step came. Ahead of the 2023-24 season, the North American Hockey League (the top tier-II junior league in North America) granted an expansion franchise to the city of Rochester. A team under the same name had last been here for only one season in the NAHL in 1999-2000. That year, Methot had been part of an Amerks’ group that made it to the Calder Cup Finals.
The NAHL is now a 34-team league focused on player development and advancement with more than 4,500 commitments to various NCAA programs over the last 20 years. Several noteworthy names have gone on to make it to the NHL, most notably Sabres and Amerks Hall of Famer Ryan Miller.
A total of 20 teams across four divisions qualify for the playoffs, with the winner of each division advancing to Blaine, Minnesota in the spring for the Robertson Cup National Championship. In just their second season, the Jr. Amerks made it to the dance. Last May saw NAHL-Rochester represent the east in the final four.
“It was very surprising because we really started from scratch. When we got into this league and I got the job, I hadn’t seen one game from this league. It was a lot of watching video and games to try and learn the level. From there, we basically had to sell something that didn’t exist to players in Canada and all over the United States and hope they’d sign up. The main thing for me was to start with the right staff to attract players.”
Methot focused on staff first and knew exactly where to go. It was time to go back down the Amerks’ well and call up some old friends. Among them were Brian Gionta and David Leggio, a pair of U.S. Olympians who had worn the red, white, and blue for this city before.
Gionta serves as an associate head coach, while, naturally, Leggio is the team’s goaltending coach. Gionta, who spent over 1,000 games in the NHL, has the dual task of balancing coaching with parenting. His son, Adam, finished third in team scoring with 42 points (16+26) in 44 games this past season.
“I’ve always been able to do that (separate the two sides),” said Gionta. “When we’re at the rink, it’s all about coaching. He (Adam) has known that from a young age and with Methot being the head coach, I get to be the fun assistant coach that hangs around the boys.”
That’s not to say Gionta doesn’t have some nerve-wracking moments when he sees his name on the back of his son’s jersey in games.
“When you’re watching your kids, your anxiety is for sure more than when you’re the one going through it.”
After consecutive 57-game campaigns, Adam’s third season with the Jr. Amerks was reduced to 44 contests due to injury. The dreaded I word decimated the AHL’s Amerks throughout the team’s historic 70th season. Turns out the NAHL version of this club suffered a similar fate.
The Jr. Amerks have, at times, been forced to play with only nine forwards in their lineup. Only one player (Stone Rolston) appeared in every game for the club this season.
The AHL Amerks were without their captain on defense, Zach Metsa, for well over half the season. NAHL Jr. Amerks’ captain and fellow blueliner Dexter Kichline has missed 28 games.
“You sit out all that time and all you can think about is how bad you want to be back,” said Kichline.
Next man up changed from a mentality to a lifestyle at Blue Cross Arena this season. That message was mirrored at Rochester Ice Center.
“It’s the people we bring in here,” said Kichline. “Everybody wants to be a part of something bigger. We didn’t want to be just an average team. It’s great to see guys that maybe don’t normally get those opportunities step in there and just run with it. Those guys are ready to go.”
“We’re going through it,” said Gionta. “Some defense have filled in on forward lately, but we are just making it work. The boys have done a great job of preparing themselves.”
The willingness to persevere has led this Jr. Amerks team to yet another chance at something more. They are in the East Division Finals yet again, this year facing a Maryland Black Bears squad that finished atop the NAHL. In two road games, Rochester earned a much-needed split. The scene shifts to Rochester Ice Center for Games 3 and 4 in this best-of-five series on Thursday and Friday, respectively.
Players aged 17-20 are tasked with trying to pull off an upset. No, this isn’t pro hockey, but at this point in their careers, this is their Stanley Cup.
“The same principles apply no matter what level you’re at,” says Methot. “I really believe that, no matter what sport you’re in. Whether it’s an individual sport or with a team, to be able to compete in playoffs and for a championship, you need the same type of recipe to do it. The level becomes irrelevant when the principles come to place. I’m applying those that I learned from the Amerks and in Europe. There’s a certain way to go about winning.”
“This is basically a brand-new group this year,” continued Methot. “It took a little bit of time to get the players to gel, but somehow with all our injuries, the guys got closer. They realized they had to rely on each other and that’s built that belief within the group. We’ll face whatever is coming at us.”