By Wayne Witkowski
Anthony Stolarz, who played briefly as a goalie for Jackson Memorial High School’s ice hockey team, has seen his professional aspirations come to fruition the last couple of years.
After playing one semester for NCAA Division I hockey power University of Nebraska-Omaha, Stolarz acted on his selection as a second round pick (No. 45 overall) by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft and pursued his dream of a professional career.
Playing this season for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms at PPL Center in Allentown, Pennsylvania, Stolarz was selected for the Toyota American Hockey League’s (AHL) All-Star Classic Feb. 1 at Onondaga County War Memorial Arena in Syracuse, New York, with teammate Nick Cousins, a forward.
There will be an AHL All-Stars Skills competition the previous day.
Instead of a traditional 60-minute game, the 2016 Toyota AHL All-Star Classic will feature a new format where the league’s all-stars will be divided into four teams, one representing each of the league’s divisions (North, Central, Pacific and Atlantic, where Stolarz is playing). The teams will then play a round-robin tournament featuring six games of nine minutes each; the first half of each game will be played at 4-on-4 and the second half at 3-on-3. The two teams with the best records at the end of the round-robin tournament will face off for the championship in a six-minute game played at 3-on-3.
“That was one of my goals. I was selected by coaches of the other teams who think highly of me, which is a great honor,” Stolarz said. “I’ll do my best to represent the organization and the fans at Allentown.”
And the fans have been crowding the arena with five straight sellouts coming into this week.
“It’s awesome playing in an atmosphere packed with 9,000 people watching a game,” Stolarz said.
He was called up for one game this season and four last season with parent club Philadelphia and worked out with the team, but he did not get into a game.
“I was able to see the players and see how far away from that level that I am,” Stolarz said.
Stolarz feels he is not far from being able to play at the NHL level. He has some innate tools like his size at 6 feet 6 inches tall, as well as his athleticism and agility. He turned 22 on Jan. 20. He also got a little stronger by bulking up to 230 pounds while preparing for this season at the Flyers’ training camp in Voorhees in the fall under goalie coaches Kim Dillabaugh and Brady Robinson — the latter still works with him.
Although the Phantoms are in seventh place in their division at 18-21-2-1, they’re 12-10-3-0 with him in net. He has allowed 57 goals and sports a 2.31 goals-against average that ranks seventh in the AHL. He has made 656 saves for a .920 save percentage that ranks sixth.
Stolarz said better composure and poise are his biggest improvements this season.
“I’ve been focusing on that all year,” he said. “I quieted my game down a lot. I make saves and then I’m in position to make a desperation save and to control the rebounds and not give the other team a second chance to score.”
In a recent game, a 2-1 loss to the Hartford Wolf Pack at home Jan. 16, Stolarz gave up a the winning goal early in the third period on a rebound of a shot that had banked off his mask.
Stolarz said it didn’t take long for him to get comfortable with his defense, which has three returning players and some veterans brought in.
“There was a little adjustment getting to know each other but after a couple of games, we clicked and got to know where each other is,” he said. “They’re telling me where they want the puck.”
Even the offensive end has improved on scoring off power play opportunities.
“I want to continue to work hard and improve to show I can play at that level,” Stolarz said regarding to his goal of joining the Flyers. “I just always play for that shot and make sure I can save it.”
