Anton Wahlberg is a player not defined by his offensive production but rather his complete, 200-foot game.
That’s the assessment second-year Rochester coach Mike Leone provided in December when talking about the 2023 second-round draft pick.
Wahlberg has bounced between wing and center in the Amerks’ lineup this season, a byproduct of their constantly changing roster. Now, he’s become their first-line center and is providing pivotal two-way play up the middle with three previous Rochester centers – Josh Dunne, Noah Ostlund and Konsta Helenius – currently in Buffalo.
“Asking him … to play the center position in the American League level and playing 1C right now is really difficult,” Leone said. “There’s hard matchups, but he's got a really good defensive stick. He can kill plays when he's playing physical. That's when he's at his best. He has the ability to impact the game without getting points.”
Wahlberg’s effectiveness is most prominently evident in the defensive zone where his 6-foot-4, 205-pound frame provides play-cancelling reach and a potency for physicality.
The 20-year-old has played 36 of a possible 38 games for the Amerks despite battling injuries at the outset of this season. He has 18 points with a team-high plus-9 rating.
Wahlberg has often featured on the wing this season with Helenius at center. Helenius recorded his first NHL goal on Tuesday and Dunne, Ostlund and defenseman Zach Metsa – who started the year as Rochester’s captain – have all played key roles for the Sabres. The Amerks have also navigated injuries to forward Carson Meyer, defenseman Vsevolod Komarov and goaltender Topias Leinonen at various points this season.
Despite the roster fluctuation, Wahlberg and fellow versatile centerman Riley Fiddler-Schultz have been stabilizers for the Amerks, who are just six points out of first place in the North Division.
“I don't know where we would be at right now if we couldn't put those guys in the middle,” Leone said.
Leone added that Wahlberg’s plug-and-play ability as a smooth-skating power forward with offensive upside has become “invaluable” for the Amerks.
Wahlberg not only feels more confident in his second full season in North America, but he’s grown accustomed to flipping back and forth between the two forward positions and the differing responsibilities at each.
Wahlberg at center is responsible for playing lower in the zone, taking faceoffs and supporting defensemen in coverage or along the wall. This is when Wahlberg’s defensive instincts shine as he’s able to use his size and physical edge to win pucks back in all three zones.
"I want to be a 200-foot player,” Wahlberg said. “I want to be a two-way center or forward, wherever they're playing me. You play a lot in the D-zone. You always play more there than you do in the offensive zone, so that just comes in hand. I think playing in Sweden, the biggest focus there is playing in the D-zone. I think I learned a lot from there.”
Wahlberg has recently been placed on the top line between Meyer and Isak Rosen, the latter of whom said he’s noticed more of an intentional approach by Wahlberg to use his extensive reach and frame more effectively.
Rosen noted that Wahlberg’s willingness to win wall battles and retrieve pucks helps the rest of the line.
“He’s trying to be responsible all over the ice and use his stick and body to win the puck back to get to use it more,” Rosen said. “I think that's an understanding from himself too, that, ‘If I do that, I'm going to have the puck more and make more plays.’ It's been fun to see.”
Playing a physical style as a 20-year-old in the rugged American Hockey League is no easy task with fellow centermen potentially lining up seven to 10 years older than Wahlberg.
This challenge extends to the offensive zone, where Wahlberg is looking to take a step forward despite often facing an opponent’s top defensive pair.
“The thing I gotta do is score more goals,” Wahlberg said. “That’s the biggest thing I gotta get better at.”
Leone said Wahlberg has been “extremely coachable” in this area. He’s directed Wahlberg to use his body to attack the net and be an imposing presence to tip pucks, create screens and attack rebounds.
Wahlberg becoming an effective power forward will require more time in the gym. Leone compared Wahlberg to Dunne, who has a similar composition at 6-foot-4, 208-pounds. With Wahlberg’s athleticism, getting bigger can unlock that offensive potential.
“I think when you look at him, his body's almost like a tennis player,” Leone said. "Like a long, rangy guy where his bottom half, he can get bigger,” Leone said. “He can put more size on to where now, his checks are a little harder, he's hanging on to pucks more down below the goal line, not getting knocked off pucks as much.
“It's like Dunner. He can win a lot of shifts because of his puck protection ability, how strong he is down below the circles. Getting to the net front, not getting knocked off guys. To have that size and strength is really important.”
Wahlberg said he’s liked the direction of his game lately with the way he’s generated scoring chances despite being held without a goal since Nov. 15.
Leone believes Wahlberg has the skillset of being a high IQ forechecker, penalty killer and someone who plays well away from the puck. It’s simply putting all the pieces together and doing it regularly.
“With a young player, to play that kind of game, he has to play on a consistent basis,” Leone said. “There's spurts of it, there's good games, there's games where he can be better, but he has a big-time toolkit. Now it's, how is he able to use those tools consistently every day?
“He's taken huge strides in his game, like his ability to kill plays down low in the zone. He's got a really good defensive stick when he's forechecking. When he's skating and he's engaged, he has a huge impact on the game. ... It's a hard game that you have to play to be physical, to skate, to be above the puck all the time and he's making huge strides.”
