PREVIEW: HAMMERS HOST AMERICANS TO OPEN WEEKEND SET
Oct 16, 2026
The Hamilton Hammers (1-2-0-1) host the Rochester Americans (2-1-0-1), the AHL affiliate of the Buffalo Sabres, on Friday night at TD Coliseum. This marks the first of six meetings between the teams this season.
Hamilton will look to earn its second win of the season as it welcomes a new opponent to TD Coliseum. After opening the season with a win over Belleville before dropping three straight games to Toronto, the Hammers will look to turn the page and get back in the win column against Rochester.
Puck drop is scheduled for shortly after 7:00 p.m. ET. Tickets are available at HamiltonHammers.com. Fans can catch the action live on Cable14 and AHLTV on FloHockey.
LEADING THE WAY
Liam Foudy, Mitchell Chaffee and Pierre Engvall are setting the pace offensively for the Hammers through the first four games of the season. Foudy leads the team with six points, including a team-best four assists, while Chaffee tops the squad with four goals after opening the season with a hat trick in Belleville.
Engvall has also found his rhythm, riding a four-game point streak with five points during that span. His consistent production gives the Hammers another reliable option up front as the team looks to build on its early-season offence.
With all three forwards contributing in different ways, Hamilton will look to keep its top producers rolling as they enter the weekend and a stretch of five games in nine days.
A NEW TEST
Hamilton gets its first look at Rochester this season Friday night, giving the Hammers a welcome change after opening the campaign with four games against Belleville and Toronto.
Veteran forward Matthew Peca has been Rochester's most consistent offensive threat early in the season. He recorded at least one point in each of the Americans' first four games, totaling two goals and three assists for five points.
Peca scored Rochester's lone goal in its most recent outing, a 2-1 loss to Utica on October 10. That result ended the Americans' unbeaten start in regulation, but his consistency remains a key matchup for Hamilton's defence.
SPECIAL TEAMS COULD SWING THE GAME
Rochester has already demonstrated how dangerous its power play can be. The Americans scored three power-play goals in a 7-1 win over Syracuse on October 9, with six different skaters recording multi-point performances.
Hamilton, meanwhile, converted three of its first 13 power-play opportunities through its opening two games, showing early potential with the man advantage. Winning the special-teams battle could be especially important against an opponent capable of generating offence in bunches.
PULKKINEN REJOINS HAMMERS
Defenceman Jesse Pulkkinen is back with the Hammers after being reassigned from Trenton (ECHL) to Hamilton on Wednesday. Pulkkinen recorded nine goals and nine assists for 18 points in 36 games with the Worcester Railers (ECHL) last season, while also appearing in 20 games with Bridgeport.
HOMESTAND ROLLS ON
Following the matchup with Rochester, the Hammers will wrap up their four-game homestand Sunday afternoon against the Syracuse Crunch. Tickets are available now at HamiltonHammers.com.
The Hammers hit the road next week for three games, starting with another meeting against the Toronto Marlies on October 21 before heading to Laval for back-to-back games against the Rocket on October 23 and 24.