TACO BELL WRAP-UP: AMERKS EVEN OUT TWO-GAME SET WITH BEARS
Wahlberg turns a corner offensively with goals in back-to-back games
Feb 2, 2026By Andrew Mossbrooks | @ Mossbrooks48
The Rochester Americans (21-15-4-2) continued on with their season-long six-game homestand by splitting a two-game set with the Hershey Bears at Blue Cross Arena.
After a 3-1 loss Wednesday, the Amerks took the inverse of that score 48 hours later, putting together a 60-minute effort to top Hershey by a 3-1 final for their first regular season win against the Bears since Nov. 26, 2022.
Here are some takeaways from a Hall of Fame week in the Flower City.
SWEDE SUCCESS
A pair of Sabres prospects showcased their value as second-year forward Anton Wahlberg scored in back-to-back games for the second time this season, while three-time AHL All-Star Isak Rosén notched his team-leading 20th goal of the season as the game-winning goal Friday night against Hershey.
Wahlberg tallied the lone Rochester conversion on Wednesday, then scored on the empty-net in Friday’s victory. The former of those two snapped a 25-game goalless drought for the Swedish centerman, who Amerks head coach Mike Leone has sung the praises of his defensive game first and foremost. Wahlberg’s commitment to a 200-foot style has led to the 20-year-old playing top line minutes for the Amerks. He leads Rochester with a plus-11 on-ice rating on the season.
Rosén’s goal Friday came in the opening minute of the period, putting Rochester ahead, 2-1 with his 20th of the season. The milestone goal sees Rosén reach the 20-goal mark for a third straight season, becoming the first Amerk since Hall of Famer Chris Taylor posted three consecutive 20-goal campaigns from 1999-02.
Over the course of his four-year run in the stars and stripes, Rosén has accumulated 82 goals and 174 points. He is one of nine players in the AHL with 20 or more goals this season and is now eight shy from his career best 28-goal campaign in 2024-25.
THE WORKHORSE CONTINUES
Another week, another pair of starts for 24-year-old Devon Levi, who continues to outwork his peers. The third-year pro made 19 saves Wednesday, before turning aside 22 Bears bids Friday to pick up his 15th win of the season.
Levi started 10 of Rochester’s 12 games in the month of January, continuing to lead the AHL in minutes and games played, plus posting a league-best 764 saves. The Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Quebec, native is 98 games into his Amerks career, posting a 56-28-14 record in the red, white, and blue.
HALL OF FAME
A pair of Calder Cup champions joined the coveted Rochester Americans Hall of Fame Friday night, as forward Claude Verret and defenseman Dean Melanson represented the Hall of Fame Class of 2026 as the 70th and 71st members, respectively.
Verret played his entire AHL career in Rochester, establishing himself as one of the most prolific scorers in franchise history despite only playing four seasons with the Amerks from 1983 to 1987. In 229 career games with Rochester, Verret produced an astounding 259 (111+148) points, including back-to-back 90-point seasons, while also adding 27 (10+17) points in 31 postseason appearances. He was the AHL’s top scoring rookie during the 1983-84 season and later helped the Amerks win the Calder Cup in 1987.
Melanson spent parts of six seasons with the Amerks, first from 1992-96 and then again from 1997-99. In 353 games with Rochester, Melanson recorded 100 points on 22 goals and 78 assists while racking up 852 penalty minutes, ranking him sixth all-time in franchise history. His 353 games also place him 19th all-time and rank fifth-most by a defenseman.
COMING UP NEXT
The season-long homestand comes to a close this week as the Amerks entertain Belleville Wednesday night before hosting Springfield to wrap up the six-game set at Blue Cross Arena come Friday. Following that, the team plays its final game ahead of the All-Star break with a Saturday evening contest in Utica.
All three of Rochester’s opponents this week are currently seated outside of playoff positioning.