Story by
Niagara Gazette, Niagara Falls, N.Y.
Kuntar raises his game with the Rochester Amerks
- Story byNiagara Gazette, Niagara Falls, N.Y.
- Kuntar raises his game with the Rochester Amerks
ROCHESTER — For one night, Trevor Kuntar struggled. Forget that the ultra-competitive Americans winger recorded a couple of points. He lost battles and looked off his game.
Normally, the Williamsville native is the guy dragging his teammates into the fray alongside him.
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So following last Wednesday's 5-3 home loss to the Utica Comets, coach Mike Leone told Kuntar he needed to raise his standard.
"We have a great relationship, and I really challenged him," Leone told GNN Sports prior to Wednesday's game against the Hershey Bears in Blue Cross Arena.
Kuntar, 25, responded by showcasing the skill and tenacity that could help him earn another recall to the Buffalo Sabres.
"I certainly took it personal," he said of Leone's challenge.
Kuntar hit, fought and scored Friday in Syracuse, leading the Amerks to a 3-2 overtime victory against the Crunch.
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After his open-ice hit near the goal line dropped Tomas Kralovic in the first period, he answered Michael Callahan's challenge and fought his former teammate with the Providence Bruins.
Kuntar scored a highlight-reel goal in overtime, zooming down the left wing, beating a defender and charging to the net. When the puck slid to him in the slot, he buried it.
Leone said the 6-foot, 200-pound Kuntar looked like a "beast" as he moved with authority to create the game-winning goal.
"I thought he was from the drop of the puck arguably our best forward, and he got rewarded in overtime," he said.
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Kuntar has quietly established himself as one Amerks' drivers and most important assets. He began Wednesday's game having scored four goals and eight points in the first eight contests, offensive numbers that tied him with captain Matthew Peca for the team lead.
"His production has just been a result of his competitiveness, honestly," said Amerks assistant coach Scott Moser, a Tonawanda native. "He pushes our practice intensity on a daily basis. I just think that makes him ready for what games entail."
Fresh off a breakout 21-goal season in which he earned an NHL contract early in the campaign and his first big league action, Kuntar has established himself as perhaps the Sabres' top recall option among forwards.
Veterans mostly comprise the Amerks forward corps. Kuntar, a third-round pick by Boston in 2020, 89th overall, could be considered an older prospect.
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He has already signed four contracts, including an AHL deal with Rochester before the Sabres awarded him a two-way NHL contract almost a year ago. His latest contract, a two-way, two-year deal worth $200,000 per season in the minors, according to Puckpedia.com , illustrates how highly the Sabres think of him.
General manager Jarmo Kekalainen said after Kuntar inked the deal July 1 that he believes the Boston College graduate can play in the NHL.
Kuntar plays an aggressive, sandpaper style that enhances his talent. Realistically, if he's summoned to Buffalo, he would likely skate on the fourth line, where that style would fit nicely.
Over the years, he has become more aggressive, morphing into a bit of a rat, a role he relishes.
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"It gets you emotionally invested into the game," he said. "So that's a side of it that I really like. … It's just not really something I did when I was younger, but it's something I kind of grew into just from the way that I played."
Leone wants Kuntar to toe the line – "It's a game within the game with Trevor," he said – as he tries to agitate opponents. For example, he said some of the NHL's best pests like Sabres winger Zach Benson and Florida Panthers winger Brad Marchand have a unique feel for the right time to try to get the other off its game.
"That starts with competing, being the hardest worker on the ice," Kuntar said of toeing the line. "And I think for me to be effective, especially at the next level, I need to hone into my unique skill set, which is getting underneath the other team's skin.
"I think that's when I have the chance to hit somebody, you hit them and you hit them hard. I think it's being hard on the puck, winning your battles. I think it's taking pucks to the net."
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Right now, Kuntar could be on Buffalo's radar. He played one NHL game last season before returning to Rochester.
"I want this more than anything," he said. "… But I'm also focused on making the most out of every single day and being where my two feet are because I know if I do that, then good things will happen and eventually that time will come.
"But, yeah, I mean, the dream feels alive."
