Johansson, Pilut named to AHL All-Star team

A win over Belleville on Friday and a loss in Toronto on Saturday this past weekend has the Amerks two points ahead of the Utica Comets for first place in the AHL's North Division standings to begin the week.
Despite the loss in Toronto, the Amerks are sporting a 16-6-1-1 record over their last 24 games dating back to Nov. 1, earning points in 18 games over that span. Additionally, Rochester has picked up points in 23 of the last 31 contests overall, going 19-8-2-2, while also earning 46 out of a possible 68 points through its first 34 contests of the season.

Rochester's nine regulation losses are the second-fewest in the Eastern Conference and are tied for fifth-fewest in the league.

Scoring leaders

| Player | GP | G | A | PTS | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1. Jean-Sebastien Dea | 32 | 11 | 13 | 24 | | 2. Zach Redmond | 31 | 5 | 17 | 22 | | 3. Lawrence Pilut* | 29 | 5 | 16 | 21 | | 4. Kevin Porter | 30 | 6 | 14 | 20 | | 5. Andrew Oglevie | 28 | 10 | 9 | 19 | | *Recalled to Buffalo |

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Goaltending leaders

| Player | GP | W | L | OTL | GAA | SV% | SO | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Jonas Johansson | 16 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 2.07 | .930 | 2 | | Andrew Hammond | 20 | 10 | 7 | 2 | 2.48 | .906 | 4 |

News and notes

Defenseman Lawrence Pilut and goaltender Jonas Johansson have been named to the North Division All-Star roster for the 2020 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Ontario International Airport. The annual event will take place Jan. 26-27 at Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, Calif., home of the Ontario Reign.
The Swedish duo will also be joined by Amerks head coach, Chris Taylor, who clinched the honor of coaching the North Division squad earlier last week.
Pilut was recalled by the Sabres on Tuesday.

And in news from Buffalo's ECHL affiliate... The Cincinnati Cyclones, in conjunction with the ECHL, announced Monday that goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has been named the Cyclones' representative for the upcoming 2020 Warrior/ECHL All-Star Classic.

Luukkonen, Buffalo's second-round pick ( has skated in 18 games for the Cyclones this season, accounting for a record of 11-4-3-0, and ranks third with a 2.08 goals-against average, to go along with a .909 save-percentage. He is also tied for second in the ECHL with three shutouts.

Jean-Sebastien Dea leads the team in both goals (11) and points (24) in 32 games this season. Dea has seven points (2+5) in his last nine games heading into the first full week of 2020.
Rookie forward Brett Murray comes into the matchup with two goals, seven assists and a pair of multi-point efforts over his last 19 games. He's currently tied for 18th in scoring among all AHL rookies with 16 points (4+12) in 29 games.

Former Buffalo Bills quarterback and legend Jim Kelly will make a special guest appearance for Seneca Legends Night on Friday, Jan. 24 when the Amerks host the Laval Rocket at 7:05 p.m. at The Blue Cross Arena. The National Football League Hall of Famer is scheduled to sign autographs from 5:45 to 7:00 p.m. prior to the game, which is presented by Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino, in the upper concourse and will meet with fans throughout the night.
Individual game tickets for the 2019-20 season start at just $16. Amerks 2019-20 Season Ticket Memberships, which start as low as just $14 per game, are on-sale now. For more information, visit Amerks.com or call 1-855-GO-AMERKS.