Amerks add five players
By: John Kucko
Updated: September 24, 2012
(Rochester, NY)... The Rochester Americans announced today that the team
has signed goaltender David Leggio, forward Mark Mancari, and defensemen T.J. Brennan, Joe Finley and Drew Schiestel to American Hockey League contracts.
Leggio (6'0",
180 lbs., 7/31/1984), a native of Williamsville, NY, set career-highs in 54
games for Rochester last season, compiling a 28-24-2 record with a 2.63
goals-against average. Leggio led the AHL in saves (1721) and was named the
team's Most Valuable Player. He joined the Sabres organization when he was signed by
Portland as a free agent in 2010-11 after spending the previous season with TPS
Turku in Finland. Through 92 AHL games, Leggio has earned a 50-38-2 record and a
2.75 goals-against average. The 28-year-old played four years of college hockey
with Clarkson University from 2004-2008.
Mancari (6'3", 225 lbs., 7/5/1986) played in six games
with the Vancouver Canucks and 69 games with their AHL club, the Chicago Wolves,
last season. In 69 games with the Wolves, Mancari tallied a team-high 58 points
on 30 goals and 28 assists. Mancari, originally drafted by the Sabres in the
seventh round (207th overall) of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, played parts of
six seasons with Buffalo and its AHL affiliates, Rochester and Portland. In 42
NHL games played, the London, Ontario, native has recorded 13 points (3+10) and
22 PIM. He enters the 2012-13 season ranked 46th all-time in scoring by an Amerks forward with 156
points (62+94) in 215 games with Rochester from 2005-2008.
Brennan (6'1", 214 lbs., 4/3/89) was Buffalo's
second-round pick (31st overall) in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft. After spending
the 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons with Portland, Brennan finished the 2011-12
season with 30 points (16+14) and 39 PIM for Rochester. His 16 goals were an AHL
career-high and led all Amerks defensemen, despite appearing in only 52 games
for the team. Brennan also scored a goal in his NHL debut on Nov. 23, 2011 vs.
Boston. The Willingboro, New Jersey, native went on to appear in 11 games for
the Sabres last season.
Finley (6'8",
260 lbs., 6/29/87) recorded six points (1+5) in 57 games with Rochester last
season while leading the team with 143 PIM. He also appeared in five games with
the Buffalo Sabres, making his NHL debut on Dec. 2, 2011 versus the Detroit Red
Wings. Finley, who spent parts of the 2008-09 and 2010-11 seasons with the
Hershey Bears, has appeared in 65 career AHL games, posting seven points (1+6)
and 165 PIM. The Edina, Minn., native was originally selected by the Washington
Capitals in the first round (27th overall) of the 2005 NHL Entry
Draft.
Schiestel (6'1", 197 lbs., 4/9/89) was selected by the
Sabres with the 59th overall pick in the second round of the 2007 NHL Entry
Draft. Through three seasons in the AHL, Schiestel has appeared in 156 professional
games, tallying 52 points (8+44) and 71 PIM. Last season, the Hamilton,
Ontario, native notched 17 points (2+15) in 59 AHL games. He was selected to the
AHL All-Star Classic in 2011 while with
Portland.
Full-Season, Half-Season and 12-Game ticket packages,
along with individual game tickets, for the 2012-13 season are now on sale. For
more information, visit www.amerks.com or call
1-855-GO-AMERKS.
