Amerks name Mair, Weber assistant coaches

Former Sabres teammates added to Rochester’s coaching staff

The Rochester Americans announced Thursday the team named Adam Mair and Mike Weber to serve as assistant coaches on the staff of head coach Seth Appert.

“Adam and Mike are perfect fits to help establish a winning culture and develop our players in the American Hockey League,” Buffalo Sabres General Manager Kevyn Adams said. “They share the same philosophies as Seth in their approach to the game and will be valuable resources for both Seth and our players.”

Appert said, “I’m excited to add Adam Mair and Mike Weber to our coaching staff. Adam has a proven track record in player development and firsthand knowledge of our player pool and how to help make people better. Mike brings tremendous experience helping young defensemen develop and a real passion for developing young men. They both have made their careers as team-first, competitive players and they share a passion for both the Sabres and Amerks organizations.”

Mair joins the Amerks coaching staff following five seasons as a player development coach with the Buffalo Sabres, where he was instrumental in the development of the organization’s top prospects. Mair made his pro coaching debut this past season when he served as an interim assistant coach for Rochester’s first 18 games of the 2019-20 campaign, helping the Amerks go 12-3-1-2 over that span and maintain a first-place standing in the American Hockey League’s North Division.

Prior to serving as player development coach for the Sabres, the Hamilton, Ontario, native spent two years as a coach at the Academy of Hockey and two years as the director of player development at Canisius College in Buffalo, joining the program shortly after his retirement following the 2011-12 season.

A fourth-round pick (84th overall) of the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1997, Mair spent the bulk of his 13-year pro playing career with the Sabres, playing a significant role in the team’s run to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2007. He finished his career with 114 points in (38 goals, 76 assists) in 615 NHL games with Toronto, Los Angeles, Buffalo and New Jersey as well as eight points (3/5) in 35 playoff contests.

He also added 120 points (53/67) over 172 American Hockey League appearances for the St. John’s Maple Leafs, Manchester Monarchs and Springfield Falcons, including a career-high 49-point campaign as a rookie during the 1999-00 season. Internationally, he led Team Canada to a silver medal with two points (1/1) in seven games at the 1999 IIHF World Junior Championship.

Weber embarks on his pro coaching career after spending the previous two-and-a-half years as an assistant coach with the Windsor Spitfires of the Ontario Hockey League. This past season, Weber guided the Spitfires to a third-place finish in the OHL’s West Division with a 34-20-8-0 overall record and what would have been their fifth straight playoff appearance prior to the cancellation of the season due to COVID-19.

A native of Pittsburgh, Weber transitioned into coaching with Windsor midway through the 2017-18 season following an 11-year playing career as a defenseman. A second-round pick (57th overall) of the Sabres in 2006, Weber recorded 53 points (9/44) and 437 penalty minutes while playing all but 10 of his 351 NHL games for Buffalo prior to a brief stint with the Washington Capitals.

Weber also totaled 51 points (8/43) in 237 career AHL games, most recently serving as team captain of the Iowa Wild in 2016-17. He made his pro debut with the Amerks in 2007-08 and would spend a majority of the following two seasons with the Portland Pirates, leading the team to a playoff appearance in 2010 after a career-high 21 points during the regular season.