DEPTH LEADS HINOSTROZA BACK TO NHL, AMERKS TO PRODUCTIVE WEEKEND
Feb 27, 2023By Suzie Cool
Depth. That’s what teams really start to rely on at this point in the hockey season, especially in the American Hockey League.
At this time last year, the Rochester Americans were in a much different position depth-wise than they are currently. While last year at this time the Amerks faced a lot of injuries and were scratching and clawing for wins with players signed to professional contracts, this year they’re seeing the opposite. A fully loaded roster and having to experience sitting players that realistically would otherwise be in the lineup.
However, with the Buffalo Sabres organization being healthy from top to bottom, every second of ice time is truly earned this season.
“That's an interesting thing,” said Amerks head coach Seth Appert when asked how he approaches this point of the season differently this year than last. “You think, naturally, that health is a good thing, and it is, you don't want to be hurt, but there are some consequences to being healthy both up and down.”
All-in-all, this year is a lot different than last in terms of players being recalled to the Sabres. There have been six actual recalls in goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, defensemen Kale Clague and Jeremy Davies and forwards Brett Murray, Anders Bjork and Vinnie Hinostroza.
These moves give teams hope throughout the year that the work these players are putting in in the AHL is paying off to get them to that next level.
“Last year, I think, over half our team got call-ups to the NHL and that provides excitement and, not just for the player getting the call-up, but also for his teammates,” said Appert. “That's hope. That’s what they're all here trying to do, right? There just hasn't been a lot of that this year.”
A majority of the moves happened at the beginning of the season when both teams were facing a number of defensive issues, however, Hinostroza was just recalled on Sunday morning and was inserted in the lineup later that afternoon against the Washington Capitals. The veteran forward, who totaled nine points in 11 games with Rochester, went on to piece together a two-point performance, including his first goal of the season at the NHL level..
Hinostroza’s return to the NHL not only validates the importance of organizational depth, but further reaffirms how a player like Hinostroza can be so valuable to a team as they’re grinding through such a long season.
Plus, it was well-deserved promotion for Hinostroza, who’s exhibited nothing but professionalism and a positive attitude since his arrival to Rochester.
“We’re really happy for him,” commented Appert when asked how it was to see Hinostroza attack his first game back in the NHL since Jan. 14. “He handled the assignment extremely well. It’s not an easy assignment, especially when you’re on a one-way (contract) and have been in the NHL as much as he’s been.”
“He came down with a good attitude. His play got aggressively better. I think the last five to six games, he was excellent, and he was starting to look like himself with his pace and his energy and his competitiveness. It’s a lot easier to get inserted into the lineup when you’ve been playing 17 or 18 minutes a night for 10 straight games. I think that it showed in his game. He looked game-ready and obviously helped the Sabres get a big win.”
While Hinostroza went on to have a promising finish to his weekend, the Amerks completed theirs with three wins against three different opponents, punctuated with a 5-1 triumph in Providence on Sunday. An impressive finish to the month of February, and something that was needed at this point in the season for Rochester.
More impressively, the Amerks’ depth was again on full display as the team went on to post 20 goals while limiting the opposition to only six. There were 12 different goal-scorers between the games, while forwards Jiri Kulich (3), Michael Mersch (3), Isak Rosen (2), Linus Weissbach (3) and defenseman Jeremy Davies (2) all posted multi-goal weekends.
Not bad for a team that is trying to utilize its depth in the best way possible.
“It was beyond what I was hoping for,” explained Appert when asked about the depth in scoring this weekend. “I think this time of the year, we need depth scoring, but I also think that we are a team that’s built to score by committee more than score by a first line. When we’re playing our best hockey, we’re getting contributions up and down the lineup and from our defensive core and that certainly was the case this weekend.”
Although Hinostroza was with the Amerks to kick-off the weekend, could he have been the spark Rochester needed to fully embark on another playoff push? It seems to be that way after the efforts the team put up in its last three games.
Healthy depth might just be the recipe that the Amerks need at this point in the season as they continue their busiest stretch of the 2022-23 campaign while also looking ahead at their 2023 postseason plans.