Karmanos details Rochester coaching search, talks Amerks' season

Buffalo Sabres associate general manager Jason Karmanos said he expects to speak with an array of candidates in searching for the next head coach of the Rochester Americans.

Seth Appert, who spent the past four seasons as head coach of Rochester, was promoted to the role of assistant coach on Lindy Ruff’s staff in Buffalo on Monday. Karmanos said the organization would like to have a new Rochester coach in place by the start of the NHL Draft, which begins June 28.

“We’re not coming into this as an organization with a background preference or anything like that,” Karmanos, who serves as general manager of Rochester, said. “We’re looking for the right person for the job.

“… I’m really looking forward to talking to a diverse group of people, picking the best individual that’s suited to continue the process that we have going here. Someone that can continue to develop our prospects on and off the ice, continue to help the organization overall and someone that can strike that balance, which is a fine line and hard to do, between winning and development. Just looking forward to starting the process and finding the right person.”

Karmanos also confirmed that Rochester assistant coaches Nathan Paetsch and Vinny Prospal will remain with the organization.

“Paetscher and Vinny did a fantastic job in all respects, really right from the start, and, quite frankly, we’ll include them in discussions about the new head coach moving forward,” Karmanos said. “But they’re absolutely staying within the organization.”

The next coach in Rochester will aim to continue the balance between team success and prospect development that Appert was able to accomplish in his four seasons. The Amerks made three consecutive playoff appearances in that span (playoffs were not held during Appert’s first season due to the COVID-19 pandemic) and went to the Eastern Conference Finals last season, the organization’s longest playoff run since 2003-04.

Within that success, prospects bloomed as key contributors. Jack Quinn, JJ Peterka, Mattias Samuelsson, and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen spent seasons in Rochester early in Appert’s tenure. Upon their graduations to Buffalo, first-round picks Jiri Kulich and Isak Rosen became centerpieces in the Amerks’ lineup and led the team this season in goals and points, respectively.

The Amerks could continue to see an influx of youth in the coming seasons. Rosen (21) and Kulich (20) are still young even by the AHL’s standards. Fellow first-round pick Noah Ostlund joined the Amerks late in the season upon the conclusion of his pro campaign in Sweden, as did second-round pick Anton Wahlberg. Matt Savoie, yet another first-round pick, is eligible to play in the AHL next season.

“We continue to have more top, young players arrive in the organization and show up ready to get better in Rochester,” Karmanos said. “We need to find a new leader, a new voice at the top in making sure that happens. It will be a very important hire for the organization and the process has already begun.”

• Read: Shared vision with Ruff brought Appert to Buffalo

Karmanos said he will lean on Appert as a resource in the coaching search as the organization looks to build on the culture he helped create – a culture that Appert is confident can continue.

“I think culture’s not about one person, and if it’s only about one person, then it’s not culture,” Appert said. “And so, I think that we’ve created this culture, not me, and I believe it can continue to sustain going forward.”

Here’s more to wrap up the Amerks’ season.

1. Karmanos said he would like to limit turnover where possible among Rochester’s leadership group. Brett Murray, Linus Weissbach, and Brandon Biro – all veteran prospects who have established themselves as key contributors in the Rochester lineup over the past three seasons – are scheduled to become unrestricted free agents. So are captain Michael Mersch and forward Mason Jobst, who were on AHL contracts.

“Are we going to bring back every single individual? Probably not,” Karmanos said. “That’s not how the business works. But are we happy with our veteran leadership and what they’ve brought to the table? Absolutely. They’re a key part of what has gone on in Rochester that’s been positive.”

2. Kulich managed to lead Rochester with 27 goals in 57 games despite what he described as an up-and-down sophomore season. Appert and Karmanos both said they saw growth in the 20-year-old, who dealt with the demands of playing in a No. 1 center role for the first time.

“Jiri was asked to be a driver this year and not just like the year before when he was a rookie and kind of any offense he provided was almost gravy,” Karmanos said. “This year he was expected to be among the leaders of the team, so that’s a big burden for him to carry at his age. I thought he did it extremely well.”

Kulich was held without a goal in Rochester’s five-game playoff series against Syracuse, an experience Appert likened to Quinn’s playoff run in 2022. Quinn was held scoreless in that postseason after being among the team’s leading scorers during the regular season. He made the Sabres’ roster the next fall.

“That put Jack Quinn on a mission over the summer to change that,” Appert said. “And the same is going to be with Jiri Kulich. He knows that this playoffs wasn’t his best. He knows the feeling now being a first-line center, the go-to guy with the target on you, and some of that failure is going to fuel his growth over the course of this offseason.”

3. Rosen tied with Jobst for the Amerks lead with 50 points and ranked third on the team with 20 goals, but Appert pointed to the strides he made in his defensive game as his biggest area of improvement.

“(He) became one of our best defensive wingers,” Appert said. “Earned the right and the opportunity to be out there 5-on-6, and usually my first choice going out 5-on-6. And became one of our best penalty killers. That’s just massive growth for a guy who was considered to only be an offensive player two years ago.”