Adam Krause vs Utica Comets 10/21/2017 (Grade F)

If one thing is certain it’s that the Amerks will welcome the chance to face off against a team other than the Comets this weekend. For the second time In a row Utica completely outclassed the Amerks in their home building. Most evident were the teams short comings in special teams. Rochester went 0-6 on the power-play, while giving up 4 power-play goals to the visitors. The massive disparity brings up something that could become a real issue for the Amerks this year; And it’s not the first time we have seen it under coach Taylor. In his previous stint as the Amerks special teams coach they faced similar struggles.

Like the majority of the roster, Adam Krause struggled against utica. In fact, he was down right awful, and might have played his worst game as a pro. He took two bad penalties in the first period, but instead of amping up his game to atone for the mistakes he continued to spiral. I’m going to rate his performance an F.

Offensively, Krause was completely ineffective. Clean zone entry was not something his line was ever able to accomplish, so he needed to rely on a physical presence and workman like effort to win pucks deep. Unfortunately, those were not aspects of his game on this night. Krause only finished checks well in the first period of the game. As it wore on the power and speed slowly flickered out of his game until he was simply going through the motions. He did have one great opportunity to score on 2 on 1 but, mishandled the puck and wasn’t even able to get off a shot. It was certainly a night to forget.

Defensively things were not any better. Krause looked slow and lazy on the forecheck for much of the night. He wasn’t able to put any pressure on the Comets, and the two penalties he took early further compounded Rochester special teams woes.

I chose to scout Krause against the Comets because I thought he played a fantastic game the night before against the Checkers. He certainly doesn’t have elite speed, but if he is going to make up for that he will have to play smart physical hockey going forward. With young players like Danforth, Kile, and Muzito-Bagenda waiting in the wings in Cincinnati, as well as Rodrigues and Nylander, out injured, it is very possible Krause could wind up on the roster bubble soon.

Steve Moses vs Charlotte Checkers 10/20/2017 (Grade C-)

Brendan Guhle said it was key for the Amerks to start fast after Friday morning's game day skate. Hopefully tonight they can focus on 60 minuets of good hockey instead. After getting out to an early 2-0 lead Rochester surrendered five straight goals agains a very good Checkers team. Charlotte did a phenomenal job applying pressure and getting into passing lanes. They were able to lock the Amerks into the defensive zone for long stretches and made zone entry a nightmare. The entry plays coach Taylor had his team running were far too basic and extremely predictable. Compounding that was poor execution making it a rough night all around.

However, Steve Moses was a breath of fresh air on the breakout. As a left wing he entered the zone from all areas of the ice tonight often creating an overload. It could also be looked at as a lack of positional discipline, but on a night the Amerks struggled to get set up I appreciated the creativity. Despite that, there was some holes in Steve’s game that prohibited him from being as productive as he needed to be. I am going to rate his performance a C-.

Offensively, I was very impressed by the ability of Moses get on the puck in dangerous situations. After a handful of games this year, being in the right place at the right time is becoming a Hallmark of his game. It was especially evident on the power play where he was able to set up Redmond for the second goal of the night and draw a big penalty in front of goal to create a 5 on 3. Unfortunately, he was not able to match that success at even strength. In fact strength on the puck was a big issue for him. Moses had a difficult time receiving passes in traffic as well as getting the puck off his stick while under pressure. His inability to clear the zone directly led to a turnover that created a goal for the Checkers. It was also the main reason he finished the night with a -3 ratio; The other being his lack of elite finishing ability in front of net. Moses had two great chances to score but missed the net on a one-timer,  and put a backhand right into the goalies logo on the other.

Defensively, Moses helped create turnovers in the offensive zone with a couple of nice forechecking plays. However his effort to harass defenseman was not consistent enough for my liking. On a night where Charlotte defensemen looked particular shaky on the puck and tunrovers led the the Amerks’ best chances, he should have smelled blood in the water and been more active. Moses also made a couple mistakes on tired legs that hurt him. Instead of busting down the ice to leg out an icing he pulled up at the blue line to try and get a change (keeping him on the ice even longer). And then later in the game when trying to change he sent a lazy outlet pass long that went for icing.

Overall I think Moses is a very creative player who has a chance to be very successful in an Amerks sweater this season. As of right now, I don’t think he has the talent to play at the next level. If that is going to happen he needs to work on his finishing ability and get much stronger on the puck.

Hudson Fasching vs Utica Comets 10/13/17 (Grade F)

Friday night the Amerks played a very underwhelming brand of hockey against the Comets. Zone entry was once again very sloppy, and they weren’t able to dig pucks out well either. Chemistry continues to be an issue for this new roster, and swapping Baptise and Moses on the first two lines only seemed to worsen matters. Aside from Justin Bailey the entire team looked very slow and as a result they were shut out 2-0.

Unfortunately, Hudson Fasching was no exception. He continues to slump early on in the season, looking nothing like the player he’s been in the past. My issues with his performance go far beyond a chemistry fit. The lack of effort and physicality he put for are completely unacceptable for a player of his skill set. I’m going to rate him an F.

Offensively, Fasching was non-existent; he was consistently behind during the breakout and wasn’t able to win puck battles on the boards as a result. Even arriving late, he had opportunities to take advantage of his big frame to keep the puck in the zone. Instead he refused to play physically passing up on several checks that could have dislodged the puck and created some momentum for his team. There were also two occasions entering the zone where he was clearly offside and was lucky the play wasn’t blown dead. It was completely unacceptable to see from a returning player who should be a veteran presence.

Defensively, Fasching has always been a strong player due to a high motor and a physical presence. Without those elements in his game, Hudson was extremely frustrating to watch. While forechecking he was flat footed far too often, applying no real pressure to defenders on the breakout. This was a common theme in his game, and was the same while in the defensive zone. He looked lost at times and was not able to eliminate options on the point by getting in passing lanes.

So far this season ice time for Hudson Fasching has gone way down. Maybe part of his slow start is due to frustration of the way he is being utilized by coach Taylor. However, the role of a 3rd line winger matches perfectly what will be expected of him at the NHL level. If he can’t execute as a physical high energy forward then his days within the organization will be short lived.

CJ Smith vs Syracuse Crunch 10/6/2017 (Grade A-)

After a long and very active offseason, the Amerks look to have taken the first step back to AHL glory. They appeared far in a way the better team when facing off against the Crunch on opening night. Most notable were the performances of Justin Bailey, Kevin Porter, and Linus Ullmark. Bailey was able combine his lethal speed with clinical finishing that has not been a part of his game in the past, leading to two fantastic goals. Porter was every bit of the captain the Amerks need him to be this year. He was great in the faceoff circle, looked to have a solid chemistry with line mates Baptiste and Bailey, and handled his defensive responsibilities exceptionally well. This was capped by a goal saving play to clear the puck of the line after it snuck past Linus. And that was just about the only puck that Ullmark didn't have under control all night. His rebound control was exceptional and he was also able to produce a few acrobatic saves that fans have come to expect from him. The Crunch were lucky to get the breakthrough they needed to avoid a shutout, only after capitalizing on an exhausted Amerks unit that had worked tirelessly to kill off a 6 on 4 in the dying embers of the game. 

Like most Amerks, rookie CJ Smith put together a very impressive performance. I had high hopes for him after a strong preseason debut, but he was able to match expectations. If not for a few pinpoint shots from Bailey, his line featuring newcomers Criscuolo and Moses (who had a snipe of his own) would have been the most productive of the night. For his efforts, I am going to rate his debut an A-.Offensively, Smith showed some very creative stick handling in the neutral zone that led to consistently successful zone entry. It was an area many other units struggled with due to a lack of early chemistry (especially on the power play). On his first shift CJ was so effective on the wing that he was able to skate in clean and deliver a perfect centering pass across the face of goal. His playmaking ability was on display even more in the second period. After dancing into the zone he made a nice drop pass to Criscuolo who set Moses in the slot for what would be the game winning goal. Later in the period Smith was able to fly passed a defender once more forcing him to take a penalty, eliminating a clear scoring chance. There is something special about Smith when he gets the puck in space, and I can’t wait to see more of it going forward.

Defensively, Smith was the best forechecker on the ice. He was able to keep the pressure on during the breakout, and generated 3 turnovers in the offensive zone that directly led to chances. I was also very impressed to see him covering for Guhle at the point on a few occasions. Guhle has potential to be a special type of player when getting forward and he will only get more opportunities to showcase that if trailing forwards are aware enough to cover for him. It also speaks a lot to the job that coach Taylor has done this offseason to see a rookie winger and an aggressive point-man consistently on the same page. My only real criticism of Smith is that I would like to see him get a bit higher and cut off more passing lanes in the defensive zone. He wasn’t able to make things difficult or create any turnovers inside of his own blue line. 

Going forward I have very high hopes for CJ. I think his offensive creativity can play a big role for the Amerks this year. Once the team irons out some their zone entry issues on the power play I think Smith will be a dangerous weapon when things are set up. I would also like to see a few more entry plays that give him a chance to skate the puck with a man advantage. With so much talent on this roster I think he has an opportunity to flourish this year.