KARMANOS: ‘WINNING THE CALDER CUP’ IS THE GOAL FOR 2025-26 AMERKS
Amerks general manager believes team is in a position to win it all
Sep 28, 2025By Andrew Mossbrooks | @ Mossbrooks48
The day is Monday. All 32 American Hockey League teams have opened training camp in advance of the league’s 90th season starting in two weeks’ time.
Like every season before this one, a similar list of questions begins to be asked.
Who will improve the most? What team got stronger? How many players moved around during free agency? Which team will be the biggest surprise story of the season?
While the answers to these thoughts are worthwhile to uncover, there is only one question that ultimately matters when it is all said and done during the late weeks of June.
Who will win the Calder Cup?
For Amerks general manager Jason Karmanos, the expectation for his team is to fill in the blank.
“I think a realistic goal for this group is to win the Calder Cup,” said Karmanos, who also serves as associate general manager of the Buffalo Sabres. “When you look at our group on paper, I think we are one of the stronger teams in the league.”
And that’s something Karmanos has been building since being tasked with overseeing the development of the organization’s top prospects in Rochester at the tail end of the 2020-21 COVID-shortened season. Entering his fifth full year as GM, the Orchard Lake, Michigan, native has built a winning team in the Flower City. The Amerks have made the playoffs in each of Karmanos’ four full seasons, advancing to the North Division Finals three times and the Eastern Conference Finals once in 2023.
Roster retainment are two words that rarely go together in minor league sports. Players are so often on year-to-year contracts, yet the Amerks have been an exception to the rule for much of Karmanos’ tenure. Despite some of their core players departing the organization over the summer, the Amerks are still expected to ice a team that could have as many as 19 returnees from a season ago.
“We are excited to have a lot of the same group back. You don’t get to see that type of continuity as much at this level and I think we attempted to have some of that. We have players with some experience at the pro level to balance out our young group. Obviously, we have lots of prospects in Rochester, which is great for the organization, but balancing that with the right type of people in that room is what makes the operation successful.”
Yes, the Amerks did say goodbye to some key pieces this offseason. Kale Clague had been one of the most consistently producing defensemen in the league and was a stalwart in the playoffs.
Lukas Rousek was a dish master, leading Rochester forwards with 35 assists.
Brett Murray was one of five forwards in the league to post a dozen or more power-play goals. His leadership, along with that of fellow assistant captain Ethan Prow and team captain Mason Jobst, will be missed.
“Quite honestly, we wish we could have brought all of them back, but we didn't have room for it. Those players really liked playing in Rochester and in our organization.”
When you have the kind of depth the Amerks do, difficult decisions are par for the course. Getting every single player back was impossible, but the returning pieces are plentiful.
Sabres’ prospects and first-round picks Konsta Helenius and Noah Östlund are expected to build off their successful rookie seasons.
Brendan Warren continues to be a mainstay in Rochester, inking a two-year contract that starts next month as he’ll begin his sixth tour of duty in red, white, and blue.
Graham Slaggert scored more shorthanded goals than any Amerk in three decades last season. He, too, is back on a multi-year deal.
And while leadership will look a bit different this season, veteran forward Josh Dunne and point-producing blueliner Zach Metsa have each worn the “C” at the collegiate level. Perhaps one of them takes hold of the reigns here.
“We look for players in our system that are first and foremost good people and good pros,” said Karmanos when asked about what he looks for in a captain. “We want someone that comes to the rink every day looking to get better. Someone that brings a positive attitude every day. Those are important qualities in a leader at any level. But certainly, in the American League, there's ups and downs and it's a grind. There's a lot of young players that aren't used to it, so ideally you want someone in that position that’s been through the grind.”
Another quality to being a leader is to help those around them. The Amerks, as Karmanos mentions, are full of Sabres prospects. While the goal in Rochester is to win a championship, it can’t happen without development.
It’s a big year for several players that have called Western New York home for several seasons. Isak Rosén, who led the Amerks a season ago with 55 points (28+27) is in the final year of his entry-level contract.
Forwards Viktor Neuchev and Olivier Nadeau are in the same boat, as is defenseman Nikita Novikov.
“It's part of the equation. These are players coming off their entry-level contracts and then moving to their second contracts where things like waivers become a part of the process and those things are coming down the pipeline for these guys. It's the next step in their career. It's hugely important, but in my mind, they are all in different situations. Neuchev is coming off a season-ending injury. Most of these players haven’t played any NHL games, whereas Rosén has had a chunk of time with the big club. When you get to that point, you’ve got to make it happen. You’ve got to be playing well at the right time. But from an organization’s perspective, you have internal competition across the board. That’s a good thing. We are deeper at every position than we’ve been in the past.”
That includes the goaltending position. After an All-Star campaign, Devon Levi may find himself in Rochester again (at least for part of the season). His seven shutouts from a season ago were the most by an Amerk since Ryan Miller. Levi narrated the legend’s Hall of Fame induction video for last spring. Over two seasons at the AHL level, Levi, still only 23 years of age, has amassed a 41-19-8 record, possessing a 2.28 goals-against average coupled with a .922 save percentage.
“I don't think he's got really anything left to prove at this point in time. That being said, any position, but particularly with goaltending, you need to play games. You need to feel that pressure and the ups and downs of the season. He did a lot of that last season, but this is extra development that we don’t feel is going to hurt him in any way. He’s a very young goalie. He’s an incredible talent and he’s going to keep getting better. I still see him as a big part of the future of the Buffalo Sabres.”
So much of the Sabres’ future has been entrenched in Rochester. The goal for so many players wearing the Amerks colors to trade their jerseys for the blue and gold in Buffalo. But it’s not just to wear Buffalo jerseys. The goal is to win in those sweaters, and that starts here, in Rochester, New York, as Amerks.
“It's up to us to go show that we are as talented as we look on paper. The old cliche is to focus on what we can control. We're focused on getting off to a good start and playing consistent, hard hockey. That's something that I've been proud of in the American League. The battle level of our team has always been significant. We’ve built that competitive level in our group over the course of several seasons. I think when you add all the factors together, I think it's fair to expect success.”