The injury situation with the Buffalo Sabres is starting to have a trickle-down effect on the Rochester Amerks. There are a handful of key players for the Amerks who are in the NHL currently. They’ve had to rely on the depth at the ECHL level, but some injuries have tested that as well.

The Amerks lost two of three games this past week. They fell to the Syracuse Crunch on Wednesday, but rebounded with a win against the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Penguins. The week ended with a low-event 2-1 loss to the Hershey Bears on Sunday.

Matteo Costantini

One of the players that have stepped up with a recall from the ECHL to the AHL is 2020 fifth-round pick Matteo Costantini. The 23-year-old had two goals and seven points in eight games for the Jacksonville Icemen to earn the promotion.

He didn’t look out of place in his two games this week, and he added his first AHL goal in Friday’s game.

Take a look at all four (4) Amerks goals from the first period! #LetsGoAmerks pic.twitter.com/VoEhQG8hjL

— Rochester Americans (@AmerksHockey) November 8, 2025

Trevor Kuntar

Trevor Kuntar continues to be a surprise and key player for the Amerks. The 24-year-old added three goals over the weekend. He’s a good skater and plays a physical style of game. Offensively, he can be a dual-threat forward. He’s not afraid to get a dirty goal around the net, but will also beat you with his skill on the rush.

He has five goals in 13 games this season. You have to wonder if a few more injuries would make the Sabres consider giving him an NHL deal as an option as a call-up, with how he has performed.

Konsta Helenius

A few in the fan base have called for Konsta Helenius to get a chance in the NHL with the injuries the Sabres are going through. He continues to play well offensively by generating quality opportunities. The 19-year-old jumped near the top of our primary shot contributions after this week.

I feel that the Sabres want him to continue to work on other areas of his game, and that’s why he hasn’t been recalled. There are some mistakes in the defensive zone. It’s something they harped on with Jiri Kulich as well when he was playing center in the AHL.

They clearly feel he is continuing to work on that at his current level, which is important.

Devon Levi

After a strong few games two weeks ago. Devon Levi was up and down again in his two starts this week. He allowed nine goals with an .828 save percentage against the Crunch and an .846 save percentage against the Penguins. I don’t think he was as bad as those numbers may look, but there are still a few areas that continue to be issues.

In particular, Levi still has issues picking up point shots with traffic in front of him. The goal below is a good example of that. There’s not even a heavy screen, but he picks up the point shot late. It beats him clean low to the stick side.

Some people have wondered why he’s not part of the Sabres’ goaltending picture at the NHL level. I don’t think he’s performing well enough at the AHL level to receive that opportunity. He needs to continue focusing on succeeding with the Amerks and improve in areas that were concerns in the NHL.

There’s no need to rush it, and I would recommend letting go of any desire to see him get an opportunity in the NHL this season. Outside of a run on injuries or a late-season look with them out of the playoff picture.

All Amerks data charts can be viewed here.

Photo Credit: Rochester Amerks