JUNE 28-29: NHL ENTRY DRAFT
The 2023 NHL Entry Draft will take place on Wednesday, June 28 and Thursday, June 29 in Nashville, Tennesee. The Buffalo Sabres currently own the 13th-overall pick.
Keep track of key offseason dates, player signings — from the 2022-23 team and how the 2023-24 squad is shaping up — in the official Amerks Player Tracker.
2022-23 AMERKS ROSTER TRACKER
Last updated August 8, 2023
| PLAYER NAME | POSITION | TEAM | TRANSACTION |
| Matt Bartkowski | D | Unrestricted Free Agent | |
| Mitch Eliot | D | Iserlohn (DEL) | Signed One-Year Contract |
| Carson Gicewicz | C | Milwaukee (AHL) | Signed One-Year Contract |
| Sean Malone | C | SC Langnau (NL) | Signed Two-Year Contract |
| Kohen Olischefski | RW | Düsseldorfer (DEL) | Signed One-Year Contract |
| Josh Passolt | LW | Canucks (AHL) | Signed One-Year Contract |
| Matej Pekar | C | Hartford (AHL) | Signed One-Year Contract |
| Lawrence Pilut | D | Lausanne HC (NL) | Signed Two-Year Contract |
| Austin Strand | D | Chicago (AHL) | Signed One-Year Contract |
| Malcolm Subban | G | St. Louis (NHL) | Signed One-Year Deal |
| Peter Tischke | D | Henderson (AHL) | Signed One-Year Contract |
| Beck Warm | G | San Jose (AHL) | Signed Contract |
The following players are currently under contract with the Rochester Americans (AHL) or Buffalo Sabres (NHL) for the 2023-24 season:
| PLAYER NAME | POSITION | 2023-24 CONTRACT | TERM (YEAR EXPIRES) |
| Brandon Biro | C | Sabres (NHL) | Two-Year Contract (2023-24) |
| Christopher Brown | C | Amerks (AHL) | One-Year Contract (2023-24) |
| Joseph Cecconi | D | Sabres (NHL) | One-Year Contract (2023-24) |
| Filip Cederqvist | LW | Sabres (NHL) | Entry-Level Contract (2023-24) |
| Kale Clague | D | Sabres (NHL) | One-Year Contract (2023-24) |
| Eric Comrie | G | Sabres (NHL) | Two-Year Contract (2023-24) |
| Devin Cooley | G | Sabres (NHL) | One-Year Contract (2023-24) |
| Jeremy Davies | D | Sabres (NHL) | One-Year Contract (2023-24) |
| Riley Fiddler-Schultz | C | Amerks (AHL) | Two-Year Contract (2024-25) |
| Brandon Fortunato | D | Amerks (AHL) | One-Year Contract (2023-24) |
| Damien Giroux | C | Amerks (AHL) | One-Year Contract (2023-24) |
| Michael Houser | G | Amerks (AHL) | One-Year Contract (2023-24) |
| Chris Jandric | D | Amerks (AHL) | Two-Year Contract (2024-25) |
| Mason Jobst | C | Amerks (AHL) | One-Year Contract (2023-24) |
| Ryan Johnson | D | Sabres (NHL) | Two-Year Contract (2024-25) |
| Aleksandr Kisakov | LW | Sabres (NHL) | Entry-Level Contract (2024-25) |
| Tyson Kozak | C | Sabres (NHL) | Entry-Level Contract (2024-25) |
| Jiri Kulich | C | Sabres (NHL) | Entry-Level Contract (2024-25) |
| Devon Levi | G | Sabres (NHL) | Entry-Level Contract (2025-26) |
| Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen | G | Sabres (NHL) | Two-Year Contract (2023-24) |
| Michael Mersch | C | Amerks (AHL) | Signed Contract Extension (2023-24) |
| Zach Metsa | D | Amerks (AHL) | Two-Year Contract (2024-25) |
| Brett Murray | LW | Sabres (NHL) | One-Year Contract (2023-24) |
| Olivier Nadeau | RW | Sabres (NHL) | Entry-Level Contract (2024-25) |
| Viktor Neuchev | LW | Sabres (NHL) | Entry-Level Contract (2025-26) |
| Nikita Novikov | D | Sabres (NHL) | Entry-Level Contract (2025-26) |
| Ethan Prow | D | Amerks (AHL) | Two-Year Contract (2023-24) |
| Justin Richards | C | Sabres (NHL) | One-Year Contract (2023-24) |
| Isak Rosen | RW | Sabres (NHL) | Entry-Level Contract (2024-25) |
| Lukas Rousek | RW | Sabres (NHL) | Two-Year Contract (2024-25) |
| Nicolas Savoie | D | Amerks (AHL) | One-Year Contract (2023-24) |
| Graham Slaggert | C | Amerks (AHL) | One-Year Contract (2023-24) |
| Dustin Tokarski | G | Sabres (NHL) | One-Year Contract (2023-24) |
| Brendan Warren | LW | Amerks (AHL) | One-Year Contract (2023-24) |
| Linus Weissbach | RW | Sabres (NHL) | One-Year Contract (2023-24) |
*Please note that this list is not the actual or implied Amerks roster for next season — this list includes players on entry-level or two-way contracts with the Buffalo Sabres.
COACHING CHANGES
Another Amerks graduate! After coaching in Rochester for three seasons, assistant coach Mike Weber was hired by the St. Louis Blues to be their assistant coach under head coach Craig Berube. Read his thank you letter to Rochester. Best of luck, Webby!
Coach Appert doesn't only develop players for the NHL, but he develops coaches, too! After coaching the Amerks for two seasons, assistant coach Michael Peca was hired by the New York Rangers to be their assistant coach under new head coach Peter Laviolette. Read his thank you letter to Rochester. Good luck, Coach Peca!
WELCOME TO THE BENCH!
On Monday, July 10, the Buffalo Sabres and Rochester Americans announced two new hires to serve as assistant coaches under Seth Appert: Nathan Paetsch and Vinny Prospal!
Paetsch, who will oversee the defense, has been a part of the Amerks family and the Sabres organization for a long time: he played for 11 years and has spent the last 2 as a development coach. "The opportunity to be back on the Amerks bench in a different role and work with a coach as experienced as Seth is both exciting and special," Paetsch said in his introductory press conference.
Prospal, who is new to the area but not new to coaching, spent the last three seasons as head coach of HC Ceske Budejovice of the Czech Extraliga. Prior to coaching, Prospal recorded 765 career points (including 255 career goals!) in 1,108 NHL games throughout a 20-year playing career.
"The experience they bring will be invaluable for our players in their development," Appert said of the hirings. "I'm looking forward to having them add to the culture we are creating in Rochester."
IN THE SYSTEM
The Buffalo Sabres signed forwards Matthew Savoie, who appeared in two Calder Cup Playoff games, and Noah Ostlund to entry-level deals on July 15, 2022. The Sabres lent Ostlund to Växjö (SHL) on August 30, 2023.
The Sabres also signed defenseman Vsevolod Komarov to an entry-level contract on May 25, 2023. Komarov was selected in the 5th round of the 2022 NHL Draft.
The Sabres signed forward Anton Wahlberg, selected in the second round of the 2023 NHL Draft, to an entry-level contract on July 14, 2023. Wahlberg was loaned to SHL Malmo on August 13, 2023.
JACKSONVILLE ANNOUNCED AS AFFILIATE
The Buffalo Sabres announced that the Jacksonville Icemen will serve as the organization's new ECHL affiliate. The Icemen set club records for wins (44) and points (93) last season, finishing the season by pushing the Florida Everblades to six games in the South Division Championship series. The Everblades ended up winning the Kelly Cup.