The Rochester Americans hockey club opens their 2002-03 season in less than
seven hours at home. Two of the biggest off-season acquisitions, goaltender
Ryan Miller and a new video scoreboard, have the Rochester area abuzz with
high hopes following last year's early playoff exit. To break down this ye
ar's roster, here are the men wearing the red, white, and blue at the start
of the season. Much of the player capsules and bios are courtesy of the
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.

#2-Radoslav Hecl, Defenseman: 6' 2", 202 lbs, 27 years old. 7th round draft
pick of the Buffalo Sabres in 2002 draft, veteran of six seasons in Slovakia
and helped his nation capture the gold medal in the 2002 World Championships.

#3-Doug Janik, Defenseman: 6' 1", 210 lbs, 22 years old. 2nd round pick of
Sabres in 1999, appeared in 80 games for Rochester last year, collecting 6
goals, 17 assists and 100 PIMs.

#4-Rory Fitzpatrick, Defenseman: 6' 2", 205 lbs., 27 years old. Alternate
captain and Rochester-area native (Irondeqouit HS grad). Eight year veteran,
signed as a free agent in August 2001; appeared in 60 games for the Amerks,
scoring 4 goals and adding 8 assists. Also played in five games for the
parent Sabres in 2001-02.

#7-Ryan Jorde, Defenseman: 6' 3", 223 lbs, 20 years old. 9th round pick of
Buffalo in 2001, first year in AHL. Played for Tri-City and Moose Jaw of the
WHL last season, collecting 10 assists and 130 PIMs.

#10-Milan Bartovic, Right Wing: 6' 0", 197 lbs, 21 years old. Appeared in 73
games for Rochester last season, 2nd round pick in 1999 by Sabres. Scored 15
goals and added 11 assists for 26 points.

#11-Denis Hamel, Left Wing: 6' 2", 200 lbs, 25 years old. Played past 2
years in NHL, back with the Amerks this year with the hopes of returning to
Buffalo. In 61 games for the Sabres last season, he scored 2 goals and added
6 assists, but is best known for his hard body checks.

#12-Chris Taylor, Center: 6' 1", 189 lbs, 30 years old. MVP of last years'
Amerks team, was a leading scorer with 21 goals and 45 assists for 66 points.
Signed as a free agent in 1999.

#14-Paul Gaustad, Center: 6' 5", 220 lbs, 20 years old. Played for Portland
of WHL last year and appeared in the All-Star series vs. Quebec. Scored 36
goals and 44 assists for 80 points. Also earned 202 PIMs.

#15-Jason Pominville, Right Wing: 6' 0", 178 lbs, 19 years old. Sabres 2nd
round pick in 2001 and first-team QMJHL All-Star with Shawinigan last season,
he scored 57 goals and added 64 assists for 121 points.

#16-Jeremy Adduono, Left Wing: 6' 0", 182 lbs, 24 years old. Played 79 games
for Rochester last season, scoring 15 goals and 20 assists for 35 points, but
will be in street clothes for the season opener. He is currently without a
contract and buried on the depth chart.

#17-Karel Mosovsky, Right Wing, 6' 2", 210 lbs, 21 years old. Injuries
forced him to miss most of last season, but he did appear in 5 games with
Rochester, scoring 1 goal and 1 assist.

#18-Jason Botterill, Left Wing, 6' 4", 220 lbs, 26 years old. Captained last
season's St. John Flames and a veteran of 327 professional hockey games.
Appeared 71 times for St. John, scoring 21 goals and 21 assists for 42 points
and 121 PIMs.

#19-Norm Milley, Right Wing, 6' 0", 195 lbs, 22 years old. Don't be
surprised if he's a mid-season or injury-necessitated call-up to
Buffalo...and stays there. Milley played 74 games for Rochester, scoring 20
goals and adding 18 assists. Also apppeared in 5 games for Buffalo last
season.

#22-Peter Ratchuk, Defenseman, 6' 1", 197 lbs, 25 years old. A player fans
loved to hate when he played with rival Wilkes Barre-Scranton Penguins last
season, Ratchuk could lead the Rochester power-play unit. In 75 Penguins
games last year, Ratchuk scored 16 goals and added 23 assists for 39 points.


#23-Sean McMorrow, Right Wing, 6' 4", 225 lbs, 20 years old. 170 PIMs is his
biggest stat, and should be replace Eric Boulton as the team's enforcer.
Played with two different teams in the OHL last season and was regarded as
one of the league's top fighters.

#24-Ales Kotalik, Center, 6' 1", 217 lbs, 23 years old. Begins this season
in Buffalo, but expected to return to Rochester in the near future. Has the
skills to remain in the big leagues, but needs consistent play to remain with
Sabres. Played 68 games with Rochester last season, collecting 18 goals and
25 assists.

#25-Jiri Novotny, Center, 6' 2", 194 lbs, 19 years old. Buffalo's
first-round pick in 2001, this young man faces much adversity as he begins
his first pro season in a new land (born in Czech Republic). Has the skills
to become an excellent player in the Americas.

#29-Jaroslav Kristek, Right Wing, 6' 1", 195 lbs, 22 years old. Appeared in
43 games for Rochester last season, but look for this season to be better
than last year's 9 point outing. Can utlize his speed to team's advantage as
long as the new obstruction rules are enforced as they are supposed to be.

#30-Ryan Miller, Goaltender, 6' 2", 170 lbs, 23 years old. NCAA standout
with Michigan State throughout his collegiate career and 2001 Hobey Baker
award winner, Miller is touted as yet another stellar netminder for the
Sabres, who have moved previous stars as Steve Shields, Martin Biron and Mika
Noronen into the big show. 40 games played last year yielded at 26-9-5
record with 8 shutouts and a 1.77 GAA.

#31-Tom Askey, Goaltender, 6' 2", 185, 28 years old. Hopes his career
doesn't take a "door-man" turn, as he will backup Miller for the vast
majority of the season. Appeared 34 times with Rochester last season,
earning a 16-15-3 record with 3 shutouts and a 2.52 GAA. Could see more time
if Miller scares early, but that doesn't seem likely anytime soon.

#33-Doug Houda, Defenseman, 6' 2", 209 lbs, 33 years old. Oldest player on
the team and first year as a captain. Has 1,100 professional games under his
belt and is known to be a punishing defender. Collected 6 goals and 22
assists last season.

#38-Andrew Peters, Left Wing, 6' 4", 224 lbs, 22 years old. 2nd round pick
of Buffalo in 1998, finally earning a regular job in the AHL...but it seems
to be sitting in the penalty box, as he led the league with 388 PIMs in 67
games last year. Should make an interesting team with McMorrow if any of his
teammates are in trouble. Not a huge offensive weapon, but could earn a
call-up if the Sabres make a playoff run.

#40-Francois Methot, Center, 6" 0", 197 lbs, 24 years old. Only player to
share the ice with Denis Hamel before he went to the NHL, Methot is entering
his 5th year as an Amerk. Appeared in 59 games collecting 17 goals and an
equal number of assists for 34 points.

Returning as coach for a second consecutive season is Randy Cunneyworth, who
played with Rochester from 1980-1985, had a stint in the NHL, including
serving as captain of the Ottawa Senators before returning to the Amerks from
1998-2000 as a player and assistant coach. Jon Christiano will return for
his 4th year as assistant coach, and also served under Brian McCutcheon from
1998-2000.

Puck drops at 7:35 tonight; a re-cap will be available here following the
game!

Jon LeRoy, Moderator
amerks@yahoogroups.com
Go Amerks!