VOORHEES, N.J.When all was said and done, it didnt matter that goalie Anthony Stolarz wasnt exactly able to achieve the goal hed set for himself at prospect camp.
At the beginning of camp, which concluded Sunday morning, the netminder the Flyers selected in the second round (45th overall) of last months draft said he had simple objectives for the week: play as well as possible, and not give up any goals during scrimmages.
Well, in the pair of scrimmages held this weekend, Stolarz did, in fact, let up some goalsone on Saturday morning and three on Sunday, to be exact.
But even after giving up a few, Stolarz is pleased with how things went for him in his first on-ice experiences as a member of the Flyers organization. He was happy with the way he performed in both scrimmages.
It was definitely a good week, Stolarz said. I thought I played well. I definitely learned a lot this week. Goalie coach Jeff Reese was on the ice with me constantly, just one on one helping me out on things I need to do, and Im going to take that back to the University of Nebraska and apply it to my game.
For an 18-year-old whose highest level of competition has been the North American Hockey League, Stolarz did play quite well. He eased into his game in both scrimmages, looking particularly confident late in his time in net Sunday morning.
Hes got a lot of work to do, of course, and that was apparent this weekend, as well. His reaction time could use some speed and his game will have to mature as the quality of the competition he faces improves. Stolarz said there were a few key pointers Reese told him to keep in mind going forward.
NHL
Just patience, he said. Its a big thing. For young goalies, its important to be calm and relaxed and just move around the creaselittle movements, power down, sliding across.
Stolarz will now head directly from Voorhees to Omaha, Neb., to begin taking some summer classes and participating in twice-weekly skates with some of his Mavericks teammates. His game will no doubt benefit from all he took in during his week at Skate Zone, but it wasnt only on-ice skills that he learned while in town.
I learned that Im happy to be a Flyer, he said with a smile. Im looking forward to the future, and hopefully playing professionally for the organization one day.
In the two scrimmages, Stolarz split time on Team Orange with Cal Heeter, 23, a goaltender out of Ohio State University the Flyers signed last March. Heeter, a St. Louis native, is expected to play with the AHLs Adirondack Phantoms this season.
He, too, was satisfied with his performances this weekend.
Scrimmages were all right, Heeter said. Playing half the game, its a little tough to get focused out there and be ready to go, especially with the setup we had. But it was good. I felt like I played well both days. I was happy to get out there and get a chance to skate with all the guys.
More experienced and older than most of the attendees at this weeks prospect camp (ages ranged from 18-24), Heeter spent his week getting adjusted to Skate Zone and becoming acquainted with some of his future teammates.
But it was the Flyers fans that packed the stands during both scrimmages that stood out during his time at camp.
It was great to see that kind of support from the fans, even here in July with a group of 20-year-old guys that dont really mean anything to the Flyers, he said. But its cool to see them come out, and having that kind of support, it makes you feel like youre doing something important.
E-mail Sarah Baicker at sbaicker@comcastsportsnet.com