AHL Rochester Americans

Three Amerks Alumni Win Gold, Silver At 2009 IIHF World Championship

Published on May 11, 2009 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Rochester Americans News Release


(Rochester, NY)... Three former Rochester Americans players have something new to add to their professional hockey resume after earning medals at the 2009 IIHF World Championships. The sport's premier annual international event concluded Sunday in Switzerland. Defenseman Dmitri Kalinin took home the gold with Team Russia, while forward Derek Roy and goaltender Dwayne Roloson each won silver medals with Canada.

Kalinin and the Russians won their second consecutive IIHF World Championship after a 2-1 win in the gold medal game over Canada Sunday afternoon. With the victory, Russia takes over the top position in the 2009 IIHF World Ranking, its first time since its establishment in 2004 that Russia is first in that category.

Kalinin finished the tournament second among team defensemen in scoring with five points (2+3) and a plus-four rating while playing in all nine games for Team Russia. Further, his five points were 10th best among blueliners participating in the tournament.

A native of Chelyabinsk, Russia, Kalinin played parts of three seasons (1998-2000, 2002-03) in Rochester, collecting 22 points (2+20) and 66 penalty minutes (PIM) in 79 games. He also went onto capture 11 points (2+9) in 28 postseason contests for the Amerks and helped guide the team to the Conference Finals in the 2000 American Hockey League Playoffs. Kalinin earned AHL All-Rookie Team honors in 1999-00 in just his first full season with the Amerks. A first-round selection (18th overall) by the Buffalo Sabres in the 1998 National Hockey League Entry Draft, the 6-foot-3, 206-pound defenseman has registered 162 points (36+126) in 539 total NHL games with the Buffalo Sabres, New York Rangers and more recently, the Phoenix Coyotes.

Roy and Roloson were each awarded the silver medal following Canada's 2-1 loss to Russia. Roy finished the tournament scoring four goals while assisting on four others for eight points for the Canadians, averaging just over 17 minutes of ice time per game. Roy played three seasons (2003-06) in the red, white and blue, where he amassed 107 points (33+74) along with 90 PIM in 101 games. He also posted 25 points (12+13) in 25 playoff games for the Amerks. He posted his best season in Rochester during the 2004-05 campaign, recording career highs in all offensive categories in goals (16), assists (45), points (61) and PIM (60) in just 67 appearances. The 5-foot-8, 188-pound Ottawa, Ontario, native was the Buffalo Sabres' second-round selection (32nd overall) in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft. In 354 career games with the Sabres, Roy has tallied 279 points (108+171) and 22 points (7+15) in 34 playoff games.

Roloson spent the most time between the pipes for the Canadian goaltenders throughout the tournament, playing just over 300 minutes en route to earning 147 saves while allowing just 11 goals against. Roloson completed the tournament as Canada's top netminder and finished third among all goaltenders with .930 save percentage and a 2.17 goals-against average. The Simcoe, Ontario, native had a brief stint in Rochester during the 1998-99 season, recording a 2-0-0 record with a 2.00 goals-against average and a .922 save percentage in just two games for the Amerks.

Check out the Rochester Americans Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



American Hockey League Stories from May 11, 2009


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.

OurSports Central