Served as head coach of USHL’s Green Bay Gamblers the past two seasons
As part of the Buffalo Sabres coaching reshuffle, Seth Appert was promoted from AHL Rochester to an assistant on Lindy Ruff’s staff, which meant that GM Kevyn Adams had to final a replacement for Appert as the Amerks bench boss.
On Thursday, the Sabres announced the hiring of Michael Leone as the 34th head coach in Rochester history.
The 36-year-old Michigan native served as an assistant coach for USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program from 2019-20 to 2021-22 and the last two seasons served as head coach and general manager of the USHL’s Green Bay Gamblers and posted a 66-41-10-7 record in his two seasons, leading the Gamblers to back-to-back 30-plus win seasons as well as consecutive playoff appearances for the first time in over a decade.
“I am pleased to welcome Mike Leone as the head coach of the Rochester Americans,” Adams said in a press release. “The Amerks head coach plays a crucial role in the overall success and growth of our organization, and after a rigorous interview process, it became clear that Mike was the right individual for the job. His development mindset and professional versatility over the course of his career were just some of the many qualities that stood out as we searched for an individual to continue focusing on combining both winning and development in Rochester.”
Appert has been integral to the development of prospects such as J-J Peterka, Jack Quinn, Ryan Johnson, Jiri Kulich, Isak Rosen, and Devon Levi over his tenure in Rochester, and Leone’s job will be to continue that with youngsters just as Noah Ostlund, Matthew Savoie, Anton Wahlberg, and Vsevolod Komarov.
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