ROUSEK REFLECTS ON ROCHESTER: ‘IT MEANT A LOT’
Sabres 2019 draft pick played in 212 games over parts of four seasons in Rochester
Jun 24, 2025
By Andrew Mossbrooks | @ Mossbrooks48
A lot can happen in six years.
In 2019, the Buffalo Sabres held six picks in June of that year’s NHL Draft. On Day 2 of the draft, with teams across the league nearing the end of their selections, Buffalo had one pick remaining when it was their turn in round six. Then, with the 177th pick, the team selected 20-year-old Lukas Rousek out of HC Sparta Praha in the Czech league.
Rousek barely knew any english and had never played in North America to that point. A native of Ostrov nad Ohri, the Czech-born forward remained overseas for two additional years, before leaving his town of roughly 16,000 inhabitants to embark on his stateside journey.
Now, it’s time for Rousek to return to Europe.
Following Rochester’s 2025 Calder Cup Playoff run, it was announced that Rousek had signed a contract with HV71 in Sweden, where he will play in the country’s top league next season. Rousek came to America as a young prospect. He has left a proven resume as a quality professional hockey player.
Though he had aspirations of making it to the NHL and staying there as all players do, Rousek spent most of his time as an Amerk. Joined by a group of prospects including Isak Rosén, Tyson Kozak, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Mattias Samuelsson, Jack Quinn, and fellow countryman Jiri Kulich, Rousek was tasked with being a part of Amerks that would not only develop for Buffalo, but win in Rochester. Consider that mission accomplished.
Not only did several of those players go on to become mainstays for the Sabres, but the Amerks continued to win in the Flower City. Rousek played four seasons with Rochester, each resulting in playoff appearances.
“We have a really good team here, and I’m not talking about just the players,” said Rousek. “The whole staff here. The training staff, equipment guys, coaches, and of course the fans, who have supported us and supported me from the start over the last four years.”
Rousek had several memorable seasons with the Amerks. His first full campaign saw the rookie lead Rochester in scoring with 16 goals and 56 points in 2022-23. He posted a 13-game point streak in 2023-24, the longest by an Amerk in over a decade. And this past season, the veteran winger powered through all 72 games, becoming the only Amerk this season and one of 15 forwards in the AHL to go through the 2024-25 season without missing a game.
“I guess I wasn’t bad, but I wasn’t too great either,” said Rousek when describing his last season in Rochester. “I just tried to look out for the team. I’m not looking out for me. I just wanted to do what was best for the team because that’s what matters most to me.”
Rousek’s team-first mentality often meant playing through pain. In the playoffs, he missed one game, that being the deciding one against Syracuse in Game 3 of the North Division Semifinals. At the end of the season, Amerks head coach Michael Leone gave insight as to why.
“Rousek was basically playing with a torn-up knee,” said Leone. “His meniscus was shot. He was basically playing on one leg. A lot of people didn’t know what he was playing through. Hats off to him. He wasn’t practicing. He just showed up for the games. I can’t say enough about him. There were times we didn’t know even before the game if he could play, but he gutted it out.”
He not only gutted it out, but he showed up and showed off. Rousek finished with eight points (2+6) in seven playoff games, marking a second straight postseason of above point-per-game production. He skated in 36 playoff games over four years with the Amerks, helping them get closest to a return to the Calder Cup Finals in 2023 when the team fell two wins shy of the mark in the Eastern Conference Finals.
“It’s tough to beat somebody three or four times in the playoffs. That’s hockey.”
That Hershey series still gets talked about. The North Division Finals against Laval may, too. Game 5 was Rousek’s last game as an Amerk. It could be the lasting memory, but rather than focusing on those two series defeats, Rousek and the Amerks could emphasize the fact that the team has won five series over the past four years. They have arrived at the Division Finals in three of those postseasons.
Rousek played through lingering effects of a global pandemic, an injury-plagued roster, and injuries he himself sustained throughout points during his tenure as an Amerk. Through it all, he managed to smile, cherishing each moment with the red, white, and blue.
“It meant a lot for me (to be an Amerk),” said Rousek. “I just want to say thank you to everybody. I was happy to be here.”
