LEONE COACHED ‘WELL BEYOND HIS EXPERIENCE’
First-year head coach led Rochester to 40+ win season for first time since 2018-19
May 29, 2025
By Andrew Mossbrooks | @ Mossbrooks48
June 6 marks one year to the day the Rochester Americans appointed Michael Leone to the helm as the 34th head coach in the team’s near 70-year franchise history. Had the Amerks won Game 5 of the North Division Finals against Laval, they may have still found themselves playing on the anniversary of the Dearborn, Michigan’s hire.
While the outcome wasn’t the desired one, Leone, the second-youngest head coach in the AHL this past season, was nothing short of remarkable in his rookie season.
“He showed that his ability to coach this team was well beyond his experience at the pro level,” said Amerks general manager Jason Karmanos. “I just think he did a great job. It wasn’t only with the players, but with the staff as well. He just has a way about him that brings the group together. I just like how we played. We played hard and we had a bunch of guys get better and develop and that starts with Leo (Leone) and his staff.”
Whether it was players still in their early years of development or experienced veterans who have been around the game, Leone was behind the bench while several players in front of him had breakout years.
Isak Rosén scored a career high-28 goals and led Rochester in scoring with 55 points. In his sixth season with the team, Brett Murray scored a career best-27 goals. Seventh-year pro Kale Clague registered his best season with 39 points (10+29). Graham Slaggert and Brendan Warren played on a checking line centered by Josh Dunne with the pair of wingers posting career-highs, with Slaggert becoming the first Amerk in 35 years to score five shorthanded goals in a single season.
Tyson Kozak, Noah Östlund, Rosén, and Jiri Kulich all played games for the Buffalo Sabres, with Kulich finishing top-10 in rookie scoring in the NHL with 15 goals. Game 5 against Laval was likely his last in an Amerks jersey. The same may be said for Kozak, who played as a fourth-line center for 21 games with Buffalo.
Devon Levi somehow topped his rookie season by leading the AHL with seven shutouts in year two. He finished sixth in the league in goals against average (2.20) and save percentage (.919), while his 25 wins were third-best in the league and the most by a goaltender under the age of 25. He was an All-Star and had the best numbers of any Amerks goaltender since Hall of Famer Ryan Miller.
Collectively, the Amerks finished the season with 42 wins and 92 points, finishing second in the North Division for a second consecutive campaign. Their wins and points totals were the best by an Amerks squad since the 2018-19 season. Twenty-three of those wins came away from home. Rochester fell only two wins short of tying the all-time franchise record of 25 road wins set twice before (1998-99, 2018-19).
A memorable season full of personal and team milestones, including the franchise’s 2,500th win back on Nov. 9, 2024 against Hartford.
All the wins. All the moments. All the stories. All under the watchful eye of 37-year-old Leone.
“I always dreamed about coaching in this league,” said Leone. “I was fortunate and grateful for the opportunity and it's the best year I've ever had. I wish we were practicing in Charlotte right now, but it’s hockey. That's how it goes sometimes. I’m just really blessed and fortunate to be here.”
Leone spent a season teaching players wearing the red, white, and blue how to play the game the right way. Such is life as a coach. But in order to teach well, you yourself have to be a student of the game. Leone may have been giving instructions and helping players with lessons, but he, too, is a student of the game.
“I think the biggest thing (I learned) is just how hard the league is. Just how competitive it is. You hear about our division, just how, you know, there's different styles and just top to bottom. Even Utica. I know they couldn't make the playoffs, but there was a stretch late in the season where they finished 11 games over 500. I think it hardens you.”
“The American Hockey League is so good. It's the second-best league in the world. And then when you have a chance to live it and you play a 72-game schedule with the travel, I could see why a lot of teams like to send their prospects to the American League.”
Next season marks the 70th for the AHL’s second-oldest franchise. At this point, five months from October, that’s about as much as there is to be known for the 2025-26 campaign.
The AHL is an ever-changing league with rosters always in flux. It can be a grind at times. Bus rides are long, schedules are chaotic, and routine is a foreign concept. It is always changing and evolving. Leone knows that.
A rookie head coach created expectations for an expected sophomore season in the Flower City given how year one went. The bar has been raised. Leone will do everything he can to be ready. He is excited, passionate, intense, but perhaps most importantly, grateful.
“Jason (Karmanos) gave me an opportunity. I was a young coach. I had two years of head coaching experience. A lot of people probably would’ve looked at my resume and said that’s not our guy, but he gave me an opportunity and he put his trust in me. You got to manage guys differently up here and pick your spots when to get on the group and how to manage people. It made me better as a coach and I know I’ll be better next year.”
