2023 Rochester Americans Offseason Player Tracker

SEASON SYNOPSIS

The Rochester Americans finished the 2022-23 season third in the North Division with a record of 36-27-6-3 and 81 points. They made it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals before getting beat in six games, 4-2, by the eventual 2023 Calder Cup Champions — the Hershey Bears. 

Rookie forward Jiri Kulich led the team with 24 goals and nine power play goals, while second year forward Lukas Rousek led the Amerks with 40 assists and 56 points. 

Even though the Amerks didn’t make it to the Calder Cup Finals, Michael Mersch and Kulich finished in the top five in the league with postseason goals (Kulich had seven, Mersch had six).

(List accurate as of Aug. 14th, 8:20pm ET)

UNDER CONTRACT AND RE-SIGNINGS

Forwards

• Brandon Biro – Last year of two-way NHL contract
• Filip Cederqvist – Last year of entry-level contract
• Alexander Kisakov – Second-to-last year of entry-level contract
• Tyson Kozak – Second-to-last year of entry-level contract
• Jiri Kulich – First year of entry-level contract (entry-level slide)
• Michael Mersch – Last year of AHL contract
• Isak Rosén – First year of entry-level contract* (entry-level slide)
• Lukáš Rousek – Signed a two-year, two-way NHL contract extension on June 20
• Mason Jobst – Signed a one-year AHL contract extension on July 7
• Brendan Warren – Signed a one-year AHL contract extension on July 7
• Brett Murray – Signed a one-year, two-way NHL contract extension on July 14
• Linus Weissbach – Signed a one-year, two-way NHL contract extension on July 17

Defensemen

• Ethan Prow – Last year of AHL contract
• Zach Metsa – Signed a PTO plus two-year AHL contract on April 13
• Joseph Cecconi – Signed a one-year, two-way NHL contract extension on June 23
• Jeremy Davies – Signed a one-year, two-way NHL contract extension on June 26
• Kale Clague – Signed a one-year, two-way NHL contract extension on July 5

Goaltenders

• Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen – Last year of one-way NHL contract
• Michael Houser – Signed a one-year AHL contract on July 7

* – Contract includes European Assignment Clause, detailed in Article 11 – 11.19 of the NHL Collective Bargaining Agreement — “The SPC of any Player may contain a clause that provides that, in the event his NHL Club Loans the Player to a club outside the NHL, during the period of such Loan, the Player shall have the option to be Loaned to a club of his choice outside North America.”

NEW ADDITIONS

Forwards

• Olivier Nadeau – First year of entry-level contract (entry-level slide; played for the Gatineau Olympiques of the QMJHL in 2022-23)
• Noah Östlund – First year of entry-level contract (entry-level slide; currently on loan to Växjö Lakers HC of the SHL for 2023-24)
• Viktor Neuchev – Signed a three-year, entry-level NHL contract on May 2 (played for Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg of the KHL, Gornyak Uchaly of the VHL, and Avto Yekaterinburg of the MHL [all Russia] in 2022-23)
• Riley Fiddler-Schultz – Signed a two-year AHL contract on June 29 (played for the Calgary Hitmen [WHL] in 2022-23)
• Justin Richards – Signed a one-year, two-way NHL contract on July 1 (played for the Cleveland Monsters in 2022-23)
• Graham Slaggert – Signed a one-year AHL contract on July 7 (played with the Toronto Marlies in 2022-23)
• Damien Giroux – Signed a one-year AHL contract on July 11 (played for the Minnesota and Iowa Wild in 2022-23)
• Anton Wahlberg – Signed a three-year, entry-level contract on July 14 (played for Malmo Redhawks [Swedish Hockey League] in 2022-23)
• Brandon Fortunato – Signed a one-year AHL contract on July 25 (played for ECHL Jacksonville in 2022-23)
• Christopher Brown – Signed a one-year AHL contract on August 14 (played for ECHL Jacksonville in 2022-23)

Defensemen

• Nikita Novikov – Signed a three-year, entry-level NHL contract on May 19 (played for Dynamo Moskva of the KHL and MHK Dynamo Moskva of the MHL in 2022-23)
• Ryan Johnson – Signed a two-year, entry-level NHL contract on May 27 (played for the Univ. of Minnesota [NCAA] in 2022-23)
• Nicolas Savoie – Signed a one-year AHL contract on June 29 (played for the Quebec Remparts [QMJHL] in 2022-23)

Goaltenders

• Devon Levi – Second-to-last year of entry-level contract (played for Buffalo and Northeastern Univ. [NCAA] in 2022-23)
• Devin Cooley – Signed a one-year, two-way NHL contract on July 1 (played for the MIlwaukee Admirals in 2022-23)
• Dustin Tokarski – Signed a one-year, two-way NHL contract on July 1 (played for the Pittsburgh and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in 2022-23)

DEPARTURES

Forwards

• Carson Gicewicz – Signed a one-year AHL contract with the Milwaukee Admirals on July 14
• Kohen Olischefski – Signed a one-year contract with Düsseldorfer EG of the DEL on July 21 (played majority of 2022-23 season with ECHL Cincinnati)
• Sean Malone – Signed a two-year contract with the SCL Tigers of Swiss NL on August 2
• Matej Pekar – Signed a one-year AHL contract with Hartford on August 7 (was not extended qualifying offer on June 30; played majority of 2022-23 season with ECHL Cincinnati)
• Josh Passolt – Signed a one-year AHL contract with Abbotsford on August 8 (played almost all of 2022-23 season with ECHL Cincinnati)

Defensemen

• Lawrence Pilut – Signed a two-year contract with Lausanne HC of the Swiss NL on June 6
• Mitch Eliot – Signed a one-year contract with the Iserlohn Roosters of the DEL on June 9
• Zach Berzolla – Signed a one-year AHL contract with the Hartford Wolf Pack on July 13
• Peter Tischke – Signed a one-year AHL contract with the Henderson Silver Knights on July 13
• Austin Strand – Signed a one-year AHL contract with the Chicago Wolves on July 18

Goaltenders

• Malcolm Subban – Signed a one-year, two-way NHL contract with the St. Louis Blues on July 1
• Beck Warm – Signed a one-year AHL contract with San Jose on August 11 (played two games for Rochester and 43 games for ECHL Cincinnati in 2022-23)

FREE AGENTS

Defensemen

• Matt Bartkowski – UFA (AHL)

(Special thanks to CapFriendly and Elite Prospects for all the contract terms and definitions for this offseason player tracker!)

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Other 2023 AHL Off Season Trackers :

Links will be updated as articles are released.

Central

• Chicago Wolves
• Grand Rapids Griffins
• Iowa Wild
• Manitoba Moose
• Milwaukee Admirals
• Rockford IceHogs
• Texas Stars

Pacific

• Abbotsford Canucks
• Bakersfield Condors
• Calgary Wranglers
• Coachella Valley Firebirds
• Colorado Eagles
• Henderson Silver Knights
• Ontario Reign
• San Diego Gulls
• San Jose Barracuda
• Tucson Roadrunners

Atlantic

• Bridgeport Islanders
• Charlotte Checkers
• Hartford Wolf Pack
• Hershey Bears
• Lehigh Valley Phantoms
• Providence Bruins
• Springfield Thunderbirds 
• Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins

North

• Belleville Senators
• Cleveland Monsters
• Laval Rocket
• Rochester Americans
• Syracuse Crunch
• Toronto Marlies
• Utica Comets