'Opportunity of a lifetime' | Paetsch, Prospal named Amerks assistants

Nathan Paetsch has spent the last two seasons as a player development coach for the Sabres, providing support and resources for Buffalo's top defensive prospects. The former Sabre will now embark on a new journey with the organization as an assistant coach for the Rochester Americans.

Paetsch and Vinny Prospal will join Amerks coach Seth Appert on the bench for the 2023-24 season, replacing Michael Peca and Mike Weber, who left to pursue assistant coaching opportunities in the NHL.

"Very excited to add Nathan and Vinny to our coaching staff," Appert said during Monday's media availability. "Two just really incredible people. Most importantly, family-oriented guys that have a mindset of lifelong learning and teaching.

"Just immense amounts of character, competitiveness, leadership, and experience that they're going to bring to me and our players. We're excited to have both of them on staff and I'm looking forward to working with them."

Prior to serving as a player development coach, Paetsch appeared in 167 NHL games with Buffalo and Columbus and was a member of the Sabres' Presidents' Trophy winning team in 2006-07. In his final three seasons before retirement, the defenseman served in a mentorship role with the Amerks, playing limited minutes while helping guide young players.

"The last three years (of my career), I barely played. Everybody said, 'What are you doing? What kind of 37-year-old plays 10 games a year and runs around and tries to learn center?' It's because I love the game and I still love it," Paetsch emphasized.

As Paetsch transitions to his new role, he has his friends' and family's full support. The opportunity will allow his family to remain settled in Rochester, the place they already call home.

"There's always a little give and take but this opportunity is an opportunity of a lifetime," Paetsch said.

While the Paetsch family will experience slight changes in its daily schedule and routines, Prospal and his family will be taking in a new environment.

Prospal joins the organization after serving as the head coach of HC Ceske Budejovice of the Czech Extraliga. In his three seasons, he led the team to back-to-back league championships and was named Coach of the Year following the 2020-21 campaign.

"Since the first phone call, I knew that I'll be working with great people and everybody in the organization - Rochester, Buffalo - they've been first class," Prospal said. "So, I'm very much looking forward to this. It's going to be a huge change of scenery for me and my family, but I'm very much looking forward to it and it's going to be great. Very, very excited."

As the 71st-overall pick in the 1993 NHL Draft, the former winger played in 1,108 career games, tallying 255 goals and 765 points over 19 seasons with the Flyers, Senators, Panthers, Ducks, Lightning, Rangers and Blue Jackets.

The NHL experience between Paetsch and Prospal was very appealing to Appert throughout his search process; however, he shared that the most important factors were each candidate's character and personality. Appert believes the three of them will mesh well together which will help strengthen the bond between the players and the culture.

Already very familiar with the organization and its players, Paetsch was an ideal candidate based on his strong relationships with the Sabres prospects, including Nikita Novikov and Ryan Johnson. His connection with the players will be invaluable as the Amerks look to make another Calder Cup run.

"I've had a relationship with both Nikita and Ryan, the last two years," Paetsch said. "So, with Nikita, it's been mostly video and Zoom calls and text messages. Any way you can communicate. We had a monthly Zoom call, so Nikita and I have been able to build a relationship.

"(With Ryan) we've developed a special relationship in the last two years. …We've kind of built this relationship that's to hopefully help him, but it's a friendship, as well, and we lean on each other. Sometimes we just have 30-minute phone calls that we don't even talk about hockey."

In his youth, Prospal came to the United States to follow his hockey dream but had no understanding of the language. His own experience will also be extremely valuable for those on the Amerks who may be going through similar circumstances like Russians Novikov and Viktor Neuchev, who both signed their entry-level contracts this year.

"If you know the language, if you understand, if you can laugh with the players, and if you can be part of that locker room, it makes the transition that much easier," Prospal said.

"I think from my perspective, what Vinny had to go through all those years ago is an added bonus," Appert said. "It's not why we hired him. We hired him because of the kind of person he is and the kind of mentor we think he's going to be for our players.

"But, you know, that's an experience I haven't even come close to living. Coming over from a foreign country, not knowing the language, living on your own. Things that Kulich and Peterka and Rosen and Cederqvist and Kisakov, and next year Nuechev and Novikov, are going through. He's lived that, and those experiences will be very valuable to share with our players."

After coming off a campaign which saw the Amerks fall to the Hershey Bears in the Eastern Conference Finals, Appert and his staff will use this as motivation for the upcoming season while also focusing on helping each player reach his goals and chase his dreams.

"Those things drive you. They motivate you. You put a chip on your shoulder because of that. But at the end of the day, my greatest motivation every day as a coach is to wake up and try to make our players better," Appert said. "So, as much as a Calder Cup would be amazing to bring back to Rochester - and that certainly is our goal - my greatest motivator is try to wake up and help our players chase their dreams."