Born in Rochester, NY, undrafted 4th year winger Derek Whitmore(21) comes home to the Amerks for 2011/2012.
He started his career with the team fresh out of college in 2008.
Buffalo re-signed him to his fourth one-year, two-way deal that almost assuredly will put most of his playing time at the Blue Cross Arena.
He did put some points up at a decent clip last season, his third in the AHL with Portland.
If he keeps that up, there’s a very outside chance the Sabres could call him up.
9-year veteran center Michael Ryan(14) comes full circle in his career signing a one-year, two-way deal with Buffalo for 2011/2012. He’s expected to play mostly with Rochester in the AHL. He was drafted back in 1999 by Dallas (2nd round, #32 overall) but never signed by them.
He played the first five years of his career with the Sabres (65 games) / Amerks (210 games).
Last season he played a few games for Springfield but mostly with Adirondack Phantoms, where he put up some impressive numbers (52 games played, 25 goals and 16 assists).
Entering his 15th season as a pro (drafted by St. Louis in 1995, round 6 #153 overall), 34-year old vet Denis Hamel(17) returns to Adirondack for another season with the Phantoms.
Not only is he well-liked by the organization but he put up 50 points in 66 games to lead the team in scoring. He’s a leader in every aspect of the game.
