Amerks Update | Rochester opens season on Friday

Looking to follow up on a deep playoff run, the Rochester Americans will open the 2022-23 season on Friday at home against the Toronto Marlies.
Last season, the Amerks were eliminated in triple overtime in Game 3 of the North Division Finals after earning points in 15 of their final 21 regular-season games to clinch a playoff spot.
Faceoff on Friday is set for 7:05 from Blue Cross Arena. Tickets are on sale now.
As the new season begins, here are a handful of Amerks that Sabres fans should keep an eye:

Brandon Biro

Biro is entering his third professional season after signing a two-year deal with the Buffalo Sabres. Biro tallied 41 points (12+29) in 48 games last season and added three points (1+2) in 10 playoff games.
Biro made his NHL debut with the Buffalo Sabres on February 23, 2022. He was named the Most Improved Player and Unsung Hero of the Amerks for the 2021-22 season.

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen

Luukkonen was loaned to the Rochester squad ahead of the NHL opening night roster deadline on Monday. He suited up for nine games with the Sabres last season, earning two wins and recording a .917 save percentage. With the Amerks, he recorded a .900 save percentage in 35 games played.
This will be Luukkonen's fourth professional season with the organization. He signed a two-year contract with the Sabres in July.

Lawrence Pilut

Pilut was also assigned to Rochester on Monday before NHL opening night rosters were due. He spent the last two seasons in the NHL and returned to the Sabres organization when he signed a one-year deal in the summer.
Originally undrafted, Pilut split both the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons between Rochester and Buffalo. He appeared in 46 NHL games for the Sabres and has suited up in 67 AHL games for the Amerks. In two AHL seasons, Pilut tallied 49 points (10 goals, 39 assists).

Lukas Rousek

Rousek is still officially entering his rookie season, after appearing in only 19 regular season games for the Amerks last season. Rousek, the Sabres' 160th overall selection in the 2019 NHL Draft, tallied four points (1+3) in that span, but added six points (2+4) during 10 playoff games.
Rousek stood out during the Prospects Challenge in Buffalo. He appeared on a line with Jiri Kulich and Isak Rosen, tallying two of the trio's six points in their first game. The trio certainly developed an instant chemistry that could be an exciting addition to Rochester.

Linus Weissbach

Originally picked in the seventh round (192nd overall) by the Sabres in 2017, Weissbach spent four full seasons at the University of Wisconsin before joining the Sabres organization.
In his first professional season last year, he recorded 37 points (16+21) in 67 games with Rochester.
And as a bonus, here are five rookies who will make their AHL debuts this year:

Filip Cederqvist, Aleksandr Kisakov, Tyson Kozak, Jiri Kulich and Isak Rosen

Cederqvist signed his entry-level contract in June after being drafted 143rd overall by Buffalo in 2019. He has spent his career playing in Europe, and to coaching staff acknolwedges that there will be a slight adjustment for him to the North American game.
Kisakov was the 53rd overall pick by Buffalo in the 2021 NHL Draft. He signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Sabres in May 2022 after posting 56 points (26+30) in 51 games with Dynamo Moscow of the MHL, Russia's junior hockey league.
Kozak was selected with the first pick of the seventh round in 2021, but Amerks assistant coach Michael Peca had high praise for the forward during Buffalo's development camp in July.
"Watching him out there, you'd think he went in the top three rounds, to be honest with you," Peca said. "The kid's impressive. He's quiet, he's unassuming, but he's a real hockey player. He does everything right on the ice."
Kozak spent last season with the Portland Winterhawks, recording 69 points in 66 games. He signed his three-year entry-level contract with the Sabres in August.
Kulich was drafted 28th overall by the Sabres in July. He put up a nine-goal performance at the U-18 World Championship before the draft and impressed again more recently at the World Junior Championship in August, where he tallied eight points in seven games.
Isak Rosen was drafted 14th overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2021 NHL Draft, spending his time with Leksands in Sweden for the last few seasons.
Rosen made his debut in the Swedish Hockey League after leading all 17-year-olds in the junior league with 35 points (21+14) in 38 games. In August, Rosen scored the game-winner at World Juniors to help Sweden capture bronze.
For more on Rochester, check out Amerks.com and their helpful Training Camp Primer.