Amerks Clean Out Lockers And Reflect On Season
Published on April 28, 2010 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Rochester Americans News Release
(Rochester, April 28)... The Rochester Americans' 54th season ended last night with a Game 7 loss to the Abbotsford Heat in the North Division Semifinals. Despite the loss, there were signs that the second oldest franchise in the American Hockey League is headed in the right direction.
"I am excited about the direction Ted Nolan, Curt Styres and Jody Gage have the organization headed," said veteran right wing Graham Mink. "That's the reason I signed here."
The turnaround was remarkable as the Amerks went from second last in the AHL to second in the North Division in one season. Rochester registered a 44-33-2-1 record (91 points), which was a 25-point spike from last season. The offense was also the second best in the North Division, scoring a total of 253 goals.
The second-place finish returned the Amerks to the Calder Cup Playoffs for the first time in three seasons and marked the 40th playoff appearance overall in the 54-year history of the franchise. The Amerks benefitted largely from the investment of Owner and CEO Curt Styres. Yet, even before the players were brought onboard, the Amerks added former Amerk and NHL Coach of the Year Ted Nolan to the front office as the VP of Hockey Operations. The move was one of the keys to re-establishing the Amerks as a top flight franchise.
"He brought another level of credibility to the organization," said Amerks President Lewis Staats.
With Nolan and Director of Player Personnel Jody Gage working behind the scenes, the Amerks lured high-profile players Jeff Taffe, Chris Taylor, Clay Wilson, Jamie Johnson, Mike York and Mink to Rochester. The players brought in to bolster the Rochester lineup did exactly that. Taffe paced Rochester's offense with a team-high 28 goals and captured personal bests in that category.
Taylor played in all 80 games and was second on the team with 61 points (17+44). Johnson earned team MVP honors and led the way offensively with a team-high 71 points. Two-time Calder Cup champ Graham Mink netted his 20thgoal in the last game of the season. He also collected 17 assists for 37 points in 67 games. Wilson had the best offensive performance of his career and earned 2009-10 AHL Second All-Star Team honors. He captured career-highs in all offensive categories: goals (14), assists (46), points (60), penalty minutes (58) and games played (75). He was also second among league blueliners in scoring. York played in 45 games and registered 41 points (14+27). In the playoffs, he led the Amerks with 12 points (2+10) in seven games.
"I would definitely consider coming back. We had a good group of guys in the dressing room and had a great start to the year," said York about the team's record-tying 11-game winning streak. "Then we had call ups and injuries. First five games of the series I think we played well."
Rochester finished the season one win away from advancing to the second round of the playoffs for the first time since the 2005 season. The Amerks at one point led the series three games to one, but lost three straight to the Abbotsford Heat.
"Some of the younger guys got a perspective on how their careers will go and got a harsh dose of reality in the playoffs on what a good team can do if they work hard," said Taffe. "It's more frustrating."
The season was something to build on, according to Nolan, who is determined to make the Amerks brand one of the strongest in the City of Rochester and the American Hockey League again.
"This is a town that deserves a very competitive, good team year after year. The two previous years haven't been the greatest," he said. "Although we made some big steps this year, there are a lot more to go. We're going to continue to get a real good team on the ice and get people involved in the community. We want to make this a community-based team again. Make it a place where people want to come."
The emphasis remains unchanged, according to Staats, as Curt Styres and his management team enter their third season in 2010-11.
"Curt wants to win a championship and that is the reality. That what's we are focused on," said Staats. "We will continue to make the decisions that allow us to keep that goal."
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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
