Seth Appert joins Buffalo Sabers coaching staff, leaves Rochester

The Rochester Amerks lose head coach Seth Appert to the Buffalo Sabres.

Appert, 49, was promoted to his parents’ Buffalo Sabers to become one of new coach Lindy Ruff’s assistants.

“One of my main priorities over the last few weeks has been finalizing the hiring and roles of the coaching staff,” Ruff said on the Sabers website. “After conversations with Seth, he reaffirmed what I already knew: he is ready to seize this opportunity. As we enter next season, I am excited about the staff we have assembled, and the work has already begun to prepare for training camp and the entirety of the upcoming season.

This is a well-deserved advancement for Appert who came to Rochester during the difficult Covid season of 2020. The Amerks made the playoffs in the final three seasons of his tenure compiling a record of 123-94 -22-10.

Last year was the high point for Appert as he guided Rochester to the Eastern Conference finals where they lost in six games to eventual Calder Cup champion Hershey.

This season, a late surge allowed the Amerks to finish tied with Cleveland atop the North Division with 88 points. The Amerks lost in a tiebreaker, then were beaten by Syracuse in a close five-game series that ended their season Friday night.

Appert had never coached professional hockey before being hired to coach the Amerks. He spent three years as head coach of the U.S. National Team Development Program, then 11 seasons as head coach of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, a top Division I college hockey program. This followed nine years as as an assistant at the University of Denver, where he was part of two Division I national championship teams.

“Seth should be immensely proud of the culture he has built in Rochester and the success that has come with it,” Sabers general manager Kevyn Adams said. “While his addition to the NHL coaching staff is a loss for Rochester, there is no doubt that he has earned this position. Under his leadership, the Amerks achieved excellent results as a team and he also played an important role in the development of several NHL players. We will immediately begin searching for his replacement in Rochester.

Appert has coached several members of the current Sabers team, including Jack Quinn, JJ Peterka, Ukka-Pekka Luukkonen, Mattias Samuelsson, and he groomed top prospects such as Jiri Kulich and Isak Rosen, among others, in Rochester.

Obviously, he will have expertise in training camp and Ruff will lean on him to determine which players can stay with the Sabers and which should return to Rochester for more experience next year.

“I believe the experiences of success or failure that you go through help define you and shape you if you’re willing to learn from them and grow for them,” Appert said Friday night after the 5-1 loss. 2 on his team against Syracuse. “It’s usually adversity that fuels the most growth and that’s the secret sauce to developing as a human being, not just as a hockey player.

“You go through harder things and miserable things. You go through failures, you look in the mirror and you decide to attack the areas you need to improve to grow from the experiences you have had. And that is what these young people must do.

Appert will join a staff that includes returning assistants Mike Bales, Matt Ellis and Marty Wilford; video trainer Justin White; and Mike Ansell, ice rehabilitation and skating instructor. Appert is expected to replace Ellis behind the bench on game nights.

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