GAME PREVIEW: AMERKS OPEN 70TH SEASON AGAINST MARLIES ON HOME ICE
Five things to know as historic season begins with home-and-home series against Toronto
Oct 9, 2025By Andrew Mossbrooks | @ Mossbrooks48
The curtain raises on the 70th season of Rochester Americans hockey Friday night at Blue Cross Arena, with the Amerks playing host to the Toronto Marlies in the front half of a home-and-home weekend.
Here are five things to know heading into Rochester’s home opener:
MARLIES AND ME
Tonight marks the first of six matchups between Rochester and Toronto, with the teams having faced each other half a dozen times last season as well. The Marlies were one of two North Division teams Rochester did not post a winning record against, going 1-3-2-0 when facing the Toronto Maple Leafs’ AHL affiliate.
The Amerks’ lone win against the Marlies came on home ice in shutout fashion via a 1-0 shootout victory back on Feb. 22.
The Amerks pick up where they left off as far as regular season play is concerned. Their first two games of the 2025-26 campaign come against Toronto; the same team they played their final pair of regular season games against some six months ago.
Over the past five seasons, Rochester yields an 11-11-2-2 record against its foe from north of the border.
Since the start of the 2023-24 campaign, there have been five games decided beyond regulation, including each of most recent get-togethers between the two teams dating back to April 19, 2025. Five of the last eight games between the two clubs dating back to 2023-24 have been decided by one goal.
In 31 of the last 48 meetings between the two teams dating back to the 2016-17 season, the team that scored first has come away with the victory.
IT STARTS WITH ONE
This weekend's opponent with Toronto marks the second time in the last five seasons Rochester has begun its campaign with a home-and-home versus the Marlies. Additionally, it will be the third time the Amerks have had a home-and-home with the Marlies in the first month of the slate.
Rochester's first 11 games of the season will come against North Division opponents, with seven coming outside the Flower City.
The Amerks enter the new season with a 34-28-7 all-time record in season-opening games, outscoring the opposition 253-237 dating back to when the puck first dropped on Rochester’s inaugural season on Oct. 14, 1956. That night saw center Mike Nykoluk score the first goal in Rochester Americans history over 25,000 days ago.
Rochester is also 41-22-6 all-time in home openers over the previous 69 years and have outscored its opponents 279-217 over that span.
Tonight marks the fourth straight year and 13th time in the last 14 years in which the Amerks opened the regular season on home ice.
Rochester has scored five or more goals in five of its last nine home-opening victories dating back to a 6-5 shootout win over Syracuse to open the 2012-13 campaign.
Z GETS THE C
On the eve of opening night, the Amerks named their leadership group for the 2025-26 season, fronted by third-year defenseman Zach Metsa, who serves as the 65th captain in franchise history.
Metsa is no stranger to being in a leadership role, having captained Quinnipiac University to its first-ever National Championship in 2023.
Metsa, 26, becomes the fifth-youngest captain over the last 30 years for Rochester and the youngest in 18 years, having been slightly edged out by 25-year-olds Clarke MacArthur and Drew Larman who co-captained the 2007-08 Amerks.
Metsa finished third in team scoring last season, leading all Amerks’ defensemen with 46 points (7+39). His point totals ranked ninth across all AHL defensemen and his 39 assists finished fourth highest. Across two seasons and 123 games, Metsa has amassed 14 goals and 70 points.
Off the ice, the Amerks’ newest captain has been the team’s winner of the AHL Man of the Year Award back-to-back seasons. The award is given annually by the AHL to players with outstanding contributions to the local community and charitable organizations.
In addition to Metsa, the Amerks named four alternate captains, with forwards Josh Dunne, Carson Meyer, Brendan Warren and defenseman Jack Rathbone each earning letters.
ROSÉN TO THE OCCASION
Friday begins year four for Isak Rosén in an Amerks jersey. Since being drafted 14th overall by Buffalo during the 2021 NHL Draft, Rosén has spent the bulk of his time developing in Rochester, amassing 142 points (62+80) over 194 games wearing red, white, and blue.
The Swedish forward topped team scoring each of the last two seasons, including a career-best 55-point campaign in 2024-25 that saw Rosén finish 10th in goal-scoring across the AHL with 28. When Rosén scored, the Amerks carried a nearly impeccable 21-1 record over the course of last season.
The 22-year-old is in the final year of his entry-level contract with the Sabres and has appeared in 15 NHL games over the past two seasons. Rosén is a two-time AHL All-Star and has found success against the Marlies during his career, scoring seven goals and posting 13 points over 20 contests.
SHAW SHANK REDEMPTION
For a fourth consecutive season, veteran center Logan Shaw will captain Toronto, making him the longest tenured captain in Marlies history. The power forward celebrated his 33rd birthday at the start of the week and embarks on his 13th professional season.
Shaw remains one of the most dominant active players in the AHL, posting 330 points (146+184) across 517 games.
The 2024-25 season saw a drop in point production for Shaw, who finished with 42 points. His 12 goals were the fewest Shaw has ever scored in a full AHL season.
The Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, native has skated against 39 different AHL teams across his decade-plus playing career, posting better numbers against Rochester and Laval than any other team. Shaw has 37 points against both the Amerks and Rocket. When facing the Amerks, Shaw has seven goals and 30 assists, marking his highest assist total against any team he has ever faced in any league.