Amerks Update | Kulich, Rosen impressing as rookies

Rochester Americans coach Seth Appert joined Brian Duff and Martin Biron on the Sabres Live Overtime podcast last week to discuss the development of several Sabres prospects and the Amerks' push for the Calder Cup Playoffs.

Catch the full episode here:
Watch: Youtube Video
Here are excerpts from the episode on three Amerks rookies:

Jiri Kulich

Kulich (first round, 2022) has been on a scoring tear since shortly after he returned from the World Junior Championship, where he tallied seven goals and nine points for Czechia and earned a place on the tournament All-Star Team.
Kulich has 10 goals and 14 points in 16 games since the start of February. He scored his 17th goal of the season during an 8-4 win over Hartford last Friday.

The rookie's success is made all the more impressive by the fact that he's just 18 years old. Appert attributed his increased scoring in the back half of the season to his development away from the puck.
"He's growing in those areas," Appert said. "How he's hunting pucks down, forechecking. And he's connecting the dots on the better his habits are away from the puck, the more he gets to have the puck."
Appert also compared the development of Kulich's shot to Jack Quinn's a year ago. Both had elite shots entering the AHL but learned how to add deception.
"His shot is NHL ready, and his shot keeps getting better," Appert said.

Isak Rosen

Appert has high praise for Rosen on Sabres Live.
"As good as Kulich is playing, Rosen might be playing as good or better," Appert said. "It's just not always translating to offense right now."
That changed this past weekend. Rosen had a goal and two assists in the win over Hartford, then added another goal Sunday in a 6-3 loss to Toronto.

Rosen has 29 points (10+19) in 50 games this season.

Aleksandr Kisakov

Kisakov (second round, 2021) has appeared in 41 of 56 games this season, which Appert explained is by design.
The 20-year-old forward has been touted for his skill, which was on display during a 56-point campaign last season in Russia's junior league. The focus in his first North American season has been on adding size and strength to his 5-foot-10 frame.
"Right now we're sitting him in certain games because we need to lift him more," Appert said. "His mind and his stick skill and his creativity are near NHL-caliber, but his body isn't. We need to attack the part that is the biggest thing preventing him from getting there, which is his strength and his muscle mass."
Kisakov has five goals and two assists this season.

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Scoring leaders

| Player | GP | G | A | PTS | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1. Brandon Biro | 46 | 14 | 34 | 48 | | 2. Lukas Rousek | 56 | 14 | 32 | 46 | | 3. Linus Weissbach | 54 | 18 | 20 | 38 | | 4. Michael Mersch | 45 | 13 | 23 | 36 | | 5. Jiri Kulich | 48 | 17 | 18 | 35 |

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Goaltending leaders

| Player | GP | W | L | OTL | GAA | SV% | SO | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Malcolm Subban | 28 | 14 | 13 | 1 | 3.13 | .900 | 1 | | Michael Houser | 16 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 3.09 | .899 | 0 |