Buffalo Sabres three key players are departing from the club after series of…
Jason Karmanos had over 100 coaching candidates reach out to him expressing interest in the Rochester Americans’ head coaching job, which he said is a testament to what the Buffalo Sabres’ organization has been building.
The Sabres’ associate general manager and Amerks’ general manager talked at length with “probably 25 of those individuals” and narrowed it down to five final candidates that he, Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams, and Sabres assistant general manager Mark Jakubowski interviewed before they found the one they believe is right for the job.
The long and rigorous process culminated with Michael Leone being appointed as head coach of the Americans last Thursday.
“Proud to see so many people really interested in this job,” Karmanos said during Leone’s introductory press conference on Monday. “We took a wide lens to the process. We didn’t pigeonhole ourselves into thinking that the next coach of the Amerks had to be someone with a certain background.
“Couldn’t be more excited about the person that we’re bringing in.”
Karmanos was looking for a coach who could build strong relationships with his players in order to continue building on the culture and winning environment in Rochester that Seth Appert had shaped in his four seasons as head coach of the Amerks. Appert was promoted to the role of assistant coach in Buffalo last month.
Karmanos said it was Leone’s personality and experience that made him stand out from all the rest.
“I think the type of person he is, the communication skills that he possesses, how he builds relationships talking to people that he’s crossed paths with over the years,” he said. “I think in talking to him, you hear a person that listens very well, that learns from the people that he’s around. You could say that’s good fortune to cross paths, but I don’t believe it’s just that. I think a person like Leo ends up putting himself in those positions by the way he impacts the people that he works with prior.”
