Amerks promoting a winning culture
By Amy Moritz, The Buffalo News, N.Y. | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
Their role as an
The first priority for coach
"We always want to put a winning product on ice," Cassidy said. "It's important we teach our players at this level to not only become better players and better citizens, but also they need to learn how to win. It's an important part of what we do here.
"Our biggest emphasis right now is on our prospects and how they need to be developed. We need to make sure those guys are making steps, that we're preparing them for the
A big part of that rebuild comes from veteran leadership with the Amerks. It's that perpetually difficult line for players to straddle. They want to be in the
The leadership group includes veteran forwards
Varone led Rochester in assists (43) and points (61) for the second time in three years, while Adam matched his career high with a team-best 29 goals.
Varone made his
Ruhwedel split the season between Rochester and
"For all three the first thing they feel is disappointment and maybe a little frustration," Cassidy said. "You expect that from your best players. They expect to play in the
"At the same time, they realize their responsibility when they come back to us. They not only need to be good players on the ice but good leaders for the rest of the young players."
Among the young players who caught Cassidy's eye in the first few days of Rochester's camp were forwards
"You look for guys to jump out with spunk out of the gate," Cassidy said. "A couple guys have done that."
The goaltending tandem of
The team also had 11 invitees when they opened Monday, many looking to make impressions in their first
The Amerks finished last season with 37 wins, 28 losses, six overtime losses and five shootout losses. Those 85 points were enough to qualify for the playoffs for the third straight year, although the Amerks didn't advance out of the first round.
Last year saw improvement as Rochester won its first postseason game since 2010 and forced a decisive Game Five before losing to the
"That was a big step forward for us," Cassidy said. "Having been in the playoffs the two previous years and sent out by
The Amerks open the season Friday, hosting Adirondack.
Besides Rochester, there are plenty of other places to catch the current group of prospects at the junior, college and international level, all within driving distance of Western New York. Want to see the future of hockey? Here's your guide:
The major-junior system boasts one of the biggest prospects in the game -- Erie's
The league also has some
Erie Otters
McDavid has three goals and five assists in the Otters' first three games.
Home rink: It's about a 90-minute drive from
Tickets: Advance prices range from
Schedule highlights: You can catch the Otters in
Website: www.ottershockey.com
Box office: (814) 452-4857.
Barrie Colts
Home rink: The Barrie Molson Center, a 2 hour, 20 minute drive from
Tickets:
Schedule highlights: Home games --
Website: www.barriecolts.com
Box office: (866) 943-8849.
Kitchener
Home rink: The Aud in
Tickets:
Schedule highlights: Home-and-home with Erie
Website: www.kitchenerrangers.com
Box office: (800) 265-8977.
London
Nikita Zadorov returns to his junior team, where he has 55 points (17 goals and 38 assists) in 99 career OHL games. The defenseman was a first-round draft pick of
Home rink:
Tickets: Range from
Schedule highlights: Home vs. Barrie
Website: www.londonknights.com
Box office: (519) 681-0800, Ext. 1.
Niagara IceDogs
They play in
Home rink: The Meridian Center in
Tickets:
Schedule highlights: Home games vs. Erie
Website: www.niagaraicedogs.net
Box office: (905) 687-3641.
College hockey
The No. 1 spot in the draft doesn't necessarily belong to
The closest Eichel gets to Western New York is Troy, when
Among the
-- JT Compher, Michigan. The Wolverines (ranked No. 8 in the preseason polls) play at Penn State on
--
--
-- At Notre Dame, a pair of freshmen were
World Juniors
The 2015 IIHF World Junior Championship comes to
The Canada-U.S. preliminary round showdown will be at
Group B, featuring
Both semifinal games will be played
Ticket packages are available for
Individual game tickets will be available for sale close to the event with information at www.hockeycanada.ca/2015juniors.
email: [email protected]
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