The Sabres and Amerks each sign one player.
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Rochester Americans head coach Chris Taylor has clinched the honor of serving as coach of the North Division All-Star team for the upcoming 2020 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Ontario International Airport, to be held Jan. 26-27 at Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, CA.
Taylor becomes Rochester’s first All-Star coach since John Tortorella in 1997.
“We are very happy for Chris to have earned this opportunity,” said Amerks general manager Randy Sexton. “His tireless commitment to our players and staff, and passion for player development, have rightfully generated recognition as one of the very brightest young coaches in our game.”
Currently in his third season as Amerks head coach, Taylor earns his first AHL All-Star coaching selection after guiding Rochester to a 20-6-2-2 record and 44 points in 30 games this season. The Amerks lead the North Division and rank third overall in the American Hockey League with a .733 points percentage and are one of just four teams to reach them 20-win mark.
Taylor, who spent the first two months of the 2019-20 season assisting the Buffalo Sabres coaching staff, boasts a 91-65-8 record as Rochester’s bench boss while also leading the Amerks to back-to-back playoff appearances.
Sabres sign Dalton Smith
The Buffalo Sabres announced on Monday that the team has signed forward Dalton Smith to a one-year, two-way contract for the remainder of the 2019-20 season.
Smith, 27, has played each of past three seasons with the Rochester Americans on an American Hockey League contract, recording 14 points (4+10) and 240 penalty minutes in 114 games, including four points in 21 appearances with the Amerks this season.
In his AHL career, the 6-foot-2, 210-pound forward has totaled 54 points (26+28) in 340 career contests between Rochester, Providence, Lehigh Valley, Syracuse and Springfield while also racking up 646 penalty minutes.
Before joining the Amerks in 2017, Smith spent the 2016-17 campaign with the Florida Everblades of the ECHL, recording 23 points (10+13) in 60 regular-season contests while serving as an alternate captain.
Prior to turning pro, the Oshawa, Ontario, native played four seasons with the Ottawa 67’s (OHL), where he produced 105 points (50+55) in 196 career games. In his final season with Ottawa, Smith helped the club claim the Leyden Trophy as East Division Champions for the third consecutive year.
Smith was originally a second-round selection (34th overall) of the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2010 NHL Draft.
Amerks sign Vail to PTO
Rochester Americans General Manager Randy Sexton announced on Saturday that the team has signed forward Brady Vail to a Professional Tryout (PTO).
Vail, 25, appeared in seven games with the Amerks earlier this season, tallying two points on one goal and one assist. He has also skated in 22 games with the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL this season, recording three goals and 13 assists for 16 points. The Palm City, Florida, native spent the entire 2018-19 campaign with the Cyclones, where he ranked third on the team in assists (38) and points (68), both pro career-highs, in 68 games. Additionally, he skated in 11 postseason contests, adding nine points (2+9).
In 298 career ECHL games with Orlando, Fort Wayne, Norfolk, Atlanta and Cincinnati, the 6-foot-1, 196-pound forward has collected 220 points on 89 goals and 139 assists. Vail has also registered eight points (3+5) in 48 career American Hockey League contests, including four points (2+2) between a seven-game stint with the Amerks this season and an 18-game stretch during the 2016-17 season.
Prior to turning pro, Vail spent the 2009-10 campaign with the Waterloo Black Hawks (USHL) before joining the Windsor Spitfires (OHL) the following year. In four seasons with the Spitfires, he totaled 200 points (77+123), including a career-best 83-point campaign in 2013-14 that placed him inside the league’s top 20 scorers.
Vail was drafted in the fourth round (94th overall) by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2012 NHL Draft.