Anthony Stolarz | Practice | October 20, 2025

Anthony Stolarz | Practice | October 20, 2025

Anthony, obviously you were frustrated there after the game Saturday. What sort of conversations have you had with your teammates about where things are at since then? Uh yeah, you know, we’ve uh discussed it and um you know, we’re all competitive guys and um you know, we all want to win. It’s uh it’s pro sports and um at the end of the day uh you know, our goal is to uh to win the Stanley Cup and uh you know, in order to get there, it’s it’s a process and um you know, uh like I said, we’ve had uh some discussions and you know, we love each other. It’s a, you know, a family in here and, um, you know, we’re looking to move on. What was it like with William? He, he didn’t seem to have any issues or what was that conversation like with you? Uh, yeah, you know, obviously I pull Willie aside and, uh, you know, we had a conversation and he’s, uh, you know, someone I admire and someone I respect deeply. I mean, you know, there’s a reason he’s been in this league for so long. He’s, uh, you know, a hell of a player and, um, you know, he pushes me, I push him. You know, you look at his offensive skill, you know, he’s made me a better goalie just by, you know, facing him every day in practice. And um you know like I said we’re a family in here and we’re looking to uh to push each other and uh you know get to our ultimate goal at the end of the day. Things tend to get magnified in overtime more just because you know three on three and the stakes are there and the or the you know the hero goat thing is you know can go either way. Yeah. I mean uh you know like you said it’s three on three it’s overtime and um you know that guy that guy in Seattle barreling down on me you know uh I get paid to stop the puck too. So uh you know at the end of the day it’s on me as well. uh you know for me it’s uh you know simple simple job get in front of the puck and stop it. So um you know there’s uh you know the instances where you know as a goal you got to come up big and you know right there was a prime example and uh you know for me going forward that’s uh going to be my main focus is going out there stopping the puck giving this team a chance to uh you know compete every night and you know I think uh you know the guys are looking forward to getting out there tomorrow. What sort of leadership role do you see for yourself here Anthony? I know for goalending it’s kind of almost a different sport at times like you signed an extension it’s your second year. What sort of leadership role do you see for yourself in this role? Uh yeah, I mean um I’m I’m a vocal guy and I’m going to continue to be a vocal guy. I mean uh you know I guess I’m a competitor and uh you know it’s the reason I’ve gotten to this point in my career. Um you know I’ve uh it’s the hardest league to make and um you know for me it’s just battling not taking it for granted and uh as a competitor every time you go out there you want to win. It doesn’t matter if you’re playing Super Bowl against the other team or you know you’re playing an NHL game you know you want to uh you want to win and you want to beat them. Does being come naturally to you? Uh yeah, it’s something I’ve always uh probably I’ve always been since I was uh you know, a young uh young goalie. Just being able to communicate with the D and uh you know, I think it goes on the ice and it helps out a lot just being able to uh talk to them and show them uh you know, plays that they can’t see. You know, obviously my eyes are up ice, they’re going back in the corner, you know, you can kind of see a little bit more. So that’s just something for me that uh you know, I’ve always had. How difficult of a balance is it, Anthony, for guys to find the the line in terms of defending teammates when they feel liberties are taken, but also not getting in the way of the team, for instance, where a power play um is coming your way. How difficult the balance to be? Uh yeah, I mean, for me, it’s a it’s a little different just cuz, you know, as a goal, you’re not really getting in there too much. I mean, you know, that was uh I kind of looked up at the ref. Uh you know, after I got ran, that’s kind of why I took the look. I looked over, I saw his arm was up and obviously, you know, you think we’re going on or you kind of know you’re going on the power play at that instance. And for me, I kind of, you know, did want some retribution for uh him and I kind of looked down and, you know, he’s kind of vulnerable, you know, as a goalie with my blocker on. You know, you can’t you can’t go and uh, you know, go down on him while he’s on his back. So, uh, hence why I threw the net. But, uh, you know, for me, I just looked around and kind of just saw the rest arm was up and, you know, thought that was, you know, kind of my opportunity to get him back there. But uh like I said, you know, he’s in a vulnerable spot and uh you know, I’m not going to go and uh you know, do anything stupid. So uh you know, hence why I threw the net and you know, that’s up. No, not just you though as well, because I know some of the guys are getting criticized that they didn’t jump in as quickly and from their perspective, do you understand why sometimes guys are a little bit more reluctant when they see the power play than other times? Yeah. I mean, at the end of the day, too, it’s you, like I said, the guy’s on his back and you know, you can’t really, it’s not the UFC. you know, you’re not going to go and start uh start a ground and pound. So, you can’t really do do much there with him, you know, and I know the guys have my back and and I have theirs. I mean, you know, you look at two games ago, Rey put, you know, his arm on Johnny and, you know, you never know what’s going to happen. So, I just went out, put my arm on him just to kind of let him know, you know, hey, like I’m here, too. So, you know, you kind of uh you mess with one of us, you mess with all of us. How much did your season championship season in Florida sort of influence you, make you more aware team bonding, things like that? Uh, yeah. I mean, for me it’s uh you know, why you play the game, you know, you see a team like that and um you know, you see the the leadership and how things went and how they went uh for them last year as well. Like they’re uh you know, just being able to witness that is something you know that I want to bring to this team. Just that that leadership role and um you know, we have it. That’s why I’m so passionate. You look around, you look in in this room and the the veterans we have, the the the youth, the the grit, the grind, everything like we have those uh same intangibles and uh you know that’s why I feel so passionately about everything just because you know you you see the similarities in both teams and uh you know for me we took him to seven games last year and uh you know we were right there we were right there with the uh with the champs. So, um, you know, we’re, you know, on the cusp of of, uh, you know, doing great things and that’s why, like I said, I’m so passionate about it because we’re right there and I feel like we can do, uh, you know, we can do it and go all the way. How much how much was honest communication a part of, you know, your time in that dressing room? I mean, within some teams are better than others, right? Yeah, I mean, like you said, uh, you know, they had vocal leaders and, uh, you know, they still have a lot of guys there as well. So, um, for me, uh, you know, obviously I have a much larger role here on this team. So, I think that’s why I kind of feel a little more comfortable to, uh, to be able to do that and be able to speak, uh, you know, speak up and being able to have that experience, but we also have other guys. You know, you got Wazy, Oel, uh, Stevie, you know, you have guys who played in the Olympics, they’ve played in World Championships, they’ve played on the biggest stages. You know, you got, you know, Tone and Willie have played at four nations. Like, everyone’s played in a big game. Everyone knows, uh, you know, what it takes to, you know, get over the hump. So, uh, you know, for us, we’re going to continue to grow as a group and, um, you know, we’re looking forward to, uh, you know, tomorrow night and getting going here. From your perspective, what have you seen on special teams so far? No, I think it’s been good. I mean, you know, it’s obviously you have a lot of new guys and, uh, it’s continuing to gel and, uh, you know, but, you know, you look at the the last two games, we scored uh, some power play goals. You the penalty kills been good. I mean, you know, I make a save, it goes right to their guy uh, you know, back door and there’s really nothing you do, you know, for anyone there. It’s just kind of uh, one of those plays. So, I think going forward, you know, we’re going to continue to uh, you know, watch film break it down and work hard. You know, we’re doing special teams every day, so uh, you know, it’s going to be a big part of our success here going forward.

Anthony Stolarz addresses the media following Monday’s practice.

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