Sabres name Randy Cunneyworth head coach of AHL's Rochester Americans

The Rochester Americans named a familiar face as head coach Tuesday.

The Buffalo Sabres gave the responsibility of leading their AHL affiliate to Randy Cunneyworth, the former NHL forward who served as Rochester's head coach from 2000-08. He's worked in the Sabres organization in a scouting and development capacity since 2013.

"We are happy to have Randy Cunneyworth move into the role of head coach of the Rochester Americans," Sabres general manager Tim Murray said in a statement.

"Randy has already established himself as a valuable member of our hockey department in his previous role as development coach, and his track record for winning in the AHL and developing young players make him the ideal candidate to lead the Amerks."

Cunneyworth compiled a record of 306-273-61 in his previous tenure behind the Americans' bench, making the playoffs in six of the eight seasons. His 306 wins rank second in franchise history.

He spent two seasons in the Montreal Canadiens organization, serving as an assistant coach at the NHL level in 2011-12.