Flyers goalie prospect impressive

LONDON, Ontario - One year ago, Anthony Stolarz made his NHL exhibition debut with the Flyers at Budweiser Gardens, the same arena he's called home for the last two seasons with the OHL's Knights.

He split the game with Steve Mason, stopping 14 of 15 shots.

Except after the game, as the rest of the Flyers were packing their bags for a 2-hour bus ride across Ontario, goaltending coach Jeff Reese was waiting for Stolarz at his locker.

Reese congratulated Stolarz, the Flyers' second-round pick in 2012, then quietly broke the news that he would not be accompanying the team on the rest of the trip.

Stolarz was to remain in London, where he would rejoin the Knights in their quest to defend their OHL crown.

His brief taste of the bright lights of the NHL was a tease. His one-half sliver of preseason action was more a reward and feather in his cap, in front of the hometown fans, than anything else.

Last night was different.

This time, Mason was on the bench watching as Stolarz played all 65 minutes. This time, Stolarz was playing to make an important first impression.

It was an impressive introduction.

Stolarz, now 20 and too old for junior hockey, embarked on his first professional season last night, nearly holding off the Maple Leafs in a shootout. The Flyers fell to Toronto, 3-2, in their 10th annual preseason tuneup when David Booth beat Stolarz with a far-side shot in the skills competition.

"I think it was a good start for me," Stolarz said. "From the start, going out, you're a little nervous. Especially me. It was my first game since the Memorial Cup [with London last season] and hip surgery [this summer]. I definitely got more comfortable as the game went on."

Stolarz was sharp early, even if he wasn't comfortable. He kept the Leafs at bay when the Flyers were outshot, 6-0, to start the contest.

In a strange twist, Stolarz was opposed by Cal Heeter, in camp with the Maple Leafs on a tryout after dressing for the Flyers' Stanley Cup playoff games last spring. The Flyers essentially let Heeter walk as a free agent to make room for Stolarz on the Phantoms.

The only two goals Stolarz allowed were on the penalty kill. He certainly didn't have much help from his defense on one of them - after he stopped the first three attempts from point-blank range before succumbing.

Stolarz underwent hip surgery in July, a procedure Flyers general manager Ron Hextall described as a "routine cleanout." He spent August working on-ice with Reese, the goaltending coach, who made a few technical changes to Stolarz' stance in net.

"I thought he played very well," said new Flyers assistant coach Gord Murphy, who helped run the bench in the absence of Craig Berube, who was in Philadelphia with the other half of the squad. "For him to come into this rink, where he played last year, that's a lot of pressure. I thought he played excellent.

"He looked very calm, very poised in net with some of the reads he made with the puck. It was an excellent effort on his part."

The other goal Stolarz allowed was on a cross-ice, bang-bang passing play from Nazem Kadri to Tom Nilsson. He also stuffed Kadri, a former Knight and 50-point scorer for the Leafs, on a shootout attempt.

Before the shootout, his first as a pro, Stolarz received a few words of encouragement from Mason, who watched comfortably with a ballcap from the bench. For the last two seasons in London, Stolarz actually used the same locker that Mason dressed in when he was with the Knights during his junior career.

"I thought he was probably our best player tonight," said Mason, who is now firmly entrenched as the Flyers' starter. "He looked great. He uses his size well, makes himself as big as possible. He reads the play well, often beating the puck over to the post.

"He's got a bright future. There are obviously things to work on, but his base is there. I'm sure he's feeling pretty good about himself after tonight's game."

Stolarz said he's had no discussions with the Flyers' brass so far about where he'll fall on the AHL depth chart. He is battling with veteran Rob Zepp, who is making the jump to the "AAA" level after a decade playing in Germany. He knows that 20-year-old starters in the NHL's top development league are rare.

Last night, like last year, Reese was waiting at Stolarz' locker postgame. This time, it was for a fist pump and congratulations.

"I wanted to go out and make a first impression," Stolarz said. "For me, just being able to . . . remain in camp is a good feeling. I'm just going to keep battling."

Aided by four power-play goals, the Flyers knocked off Washington, 5-4, in their other preseason split-squad game last night at Wells Fargo Center . . . Defenseman Michael Del Zotto was actively engaged in the play and impressive in his Flyers preseason debu . . . London hometown boy Matt Read scored for the Flyers on a wrist shot off the rush . . . Michael Raffl, looking strong on the puck, netted the Flyers' second goal . . . Newcomer and NHL veteran Zack Stortini fought twice . . . Wayne Simmonds was ejected from the game in the third period after a quick fight with Korbinian Holzer. It was Simmonds' first game back in London after a fan threw a banana at him in a racially charged incident exactly 3 years ago earlier, Sept. 22, 2011.

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