Tokarski's Time In NHL Last Year Providing AHL Penguins A Safety 'Net'

WILKES-BARRE, Pa. - As cliché as it is, great goaltending can be the ultimate equalizer in the game of hockey. And Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins goaltender Dustin Tokarski is certainly making a strong case to keep that cliché hockey quip alive and well with his performances so far this season.

Tokarski, in his 14th season of pro hockey, is atop the American Hockey League (AHL) in most goalie statistics - with his 1.70 goals-against average (2nd in AHL behind Hershey's Hunter Shepard 1.69 GAA, albeit with four fewer games played) and .940 save percentage (tied for 1st with Shepard) among the best in the league.

He is also one of 15 goalies to record a shutout so far in 2022-23, with his 4-0 blanking of Hershey on November 18 marking his 28th career AHL shutout - moving him into ninth all-time in league history for perfect games.

Furthermore, the Penguins are one of just two teams to date that have allowed 40 or fewer total goals on the season, but their offensive output ranks 21st out of the 32 teams in the AHL - meaning lots of tight-checking, low-scoring games where the defense and goaltending are heavily relied upon.

So far in 2022-23, that seems to suit Tokarski just fine.

"When he's seeing the puck the way he is, it's hard to put it by him," Penguins head coach JD Forrest said of Tokarski's calm and cool demeanor. "It starts with him, and then everyone kind of fed off that. There's no panic, and he reads the play like an expert."

Last Friday's 4-0 win over Hershey is a perfect example of Tokarski's value in being able to shut down the opposition and keep his team in games. The Pens managed an early 1st period goal that night, and rode Tokarski and the 1-0 lead all the way into the final six and a half minutes of regulation before breaking the game open in the closing minutes to score three late goals to complete the 4-0 final score.

"But just like anything you never know, I guess, maybe when stuff comes together at different times," Tokarski explained of his early-season success. "People can keep on developing and getting better no matter what your age is or how many years you've been in the league. I'd like to, hopefully, say it's a consistent work effort towards my game that's maybe getting some more results this year."

Fast forward to this Friday, and the Penguins' comeback from a 2-0 deficit that they turned into a 3-2 win in a shootout that Tokarski stopped all three shooters he faced, and Tokarski secured his 200th career AHL win - just the 16th goaltender in the league's history to reach the 200-win plateau.

"That's definitely a cool honor," Tokarski said of AHL win #200, being sure to mention the incredible support from his family. "I have an incredible family - a beautiful wife and two beautiful daughters, Mom and Dad to thank for supporting me ever since it started, so to get to a milestone like this that shows a little bit of longevity. It's pretty cool."

This year with the Penguins is Tokarski's second stint with the organization as he joined Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on an AHL contract in the 2019-20 season before propelling that into an NHL contract with the Buffalo Sabres where he spent this past season entirely in the NHL for the first time in his career.

Tokarski has just about seen it all as a goaltender - from winning gold with Canada at the World Junior Championships, to winning a Memorial Cup title in juniors and earning tournament MVP honors, playing in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for Montreal in a matchup of original-six teams at the infamous Madison Square Garden against the New York Rangers. Tokarski has also been a part of two AHL championship-winning teams, winning the Calder Cup in 2012 with the Norfolk Admirals and again in 2019 with the Charlotte Checkers.

Getting back to the NHL in his 13th year at the pro level is a testament to the continued belief and hard work that Tokarski still possesses despite turning 33 years old prior to the beginning of this season.

"Between the AHL and NHL, there's a lot of ups and downs - everyone's trying to get to the NHL. But do your part, do the right things and good stuff will happen if you keep on pushing," Tokarski said of trying to stay in the moment throughout his career.

Though he is back in the AHL this season as the Penguins third goaltender on the depth chart, Tokarski still brings the same focus and preparation that he did while in the NHL last year.

"He's got a great way of preparation. He just gets so dialed in for these games mentally," Forrest said of Tokarski, mentioning he thinks the Penguins' goaltender is an even calmer presence with the Penguins this second time around. "I mean, I don't know if that's just experience - he's got a ton of it, that's for sure. When you have a year like he did last year, all the games in the NHL, I think it's confidence. And I think that just carries over here. He knows he's an NHL-caliber goalie."

While Tokarski knows he's just an injury in Pittsburgh away from a phone call back to the NHL, he's taking pride in the fact that he can have a major impact in the continued development of his teammates in the AHL while working toward potentially setting both the team and himself up for a strong season with aspirations to play hockey late into the spring.

"It's been a pretty fun career," Tokarski said retrospectively, looking back on all he's been a part of over the past 13 years both on and off the ice. "Some time in the NHL, lots of time in the AHL and I'm enjoying this year. We have a great staff [and] great teammates."