Vanecek Put Together MVP Performance At 2020 AHL All-Star Classic

HERSHEY, PA - Prior to being named to the Atlantic Division’s AHL All-Star roster, Hershey Bears goalie Vitek Vanecek patiently answered questions from the podium January 19, 2020 after backstopping Hershey’s 4-1 victory over the Rochester Americans. That interview included advice to youngster Alex Jones, a goaltender herself that would prove pretty useful to Vanecek in Ontario.

“Just be focused, you know, focus all the time. Focus on the puck and catch everything and then you will be best,” he told her.

Taking his own advice, Vanecek not only helped the Atlantic Division to the All-Star title, he also earned MVP honors a night after sharing CCM Top Goaltender honors with Connor Ingram and Alex Nedeljkovic as all three made 14 saves on Sunday night. It turns out, the hardest part of the weekend for the second-year All-Star selection was actually getting to Ontario.

With the Bears in Providence for a 7:05 start January 25, Vanecek and teammate Matt Moulson, captain of the Atlantic Division, were to head to travel to Ontario. Sounds simple right? Well, things got a bit dicey as the Bears and Bruins remained deadlocked until Hershey finally put the game away in the second round of the shootout. So, at 9:26 PM, Vanecek and Moulson needed to catch some sleep and a pair of flights to make it to Ontario in time for the Skills Competition on Sunday.

“We (were) in Providence,” Vanecek told InsideAHLHockey.com after Sunday's Skills Competition. “After the game I drive to Boston. My flight was like 8:17 and then to Dallas. I got to Dallas as 12:03 and then 12:34 was the flight from Dallas to Ontario. But we get early to Dallas. It was like 11:15, so he was really fast. I told the pilot like, ‘Hey we need to go, eh? Push the gas a little bit.’ So we get there and it’s good. The time here is good.”

Turns out the pilot wasn’t the only one stepping on the proverbial gas pedal. Vanecek made eight saves in the AHLTV Rapid Fire competition, added two more in the Greater Ontario Convention and Visitors Bureau Pass and Score competition, and ended with a solid four saves in five shots in the Upper Deck Breakaway Relay, but he wasn’t done there.

On Monday, he earned MVP honors by allowing no goals in his half of the Atlantic’s 3-1 loss to the Central, one goal in the Atlantic’s 3-2 victory over the Pacific, no goals in the 5-2 victory over the North, and one goal in the 3-1 victory over the Central in the Championship.

Intensely competitive, Vanecek said before being added to the All-Star roster, “I want to win every game, you know, every game all the time.” Adding, “This is my third year in the AHL. I want to push and be better every time and then try to get called to the NHL and get that first start, that will be soon.”

But it’s nice to have experience under your belt when it comes to these events too. “It’s really nice, you know, second time, Vanecek said. “I’m so happy I can be here. It’s fun. I think it’s a good city too, better maybe than Springfield.”

And it doesn’t hurt to have a teammate along for the ride either.

“Man, that guy, he got 1000 professional hockey games,” Vanecek said about Matt Moulson. “That’s huge, you know. That’s something special. He’s such a good guy and he’s still good and can still play good hockey.”

With the AHL All-Star festivities and the insane travel behind them, Moulson and Vanecek can go back to focusing on the strong start Hershey mounted in the first half of the year.

“We started a little bit slowly,” Vanecek said. “We get a couple of rookies, new guys, you know, they didn’t see hockey before in America in AHL, after it we start playing, coach start pushing us, we start playing better, like position and everything. We start scoring goals and it’s good for us right now, we are winning and I hope we will keep going like that.”

With the Bears improving with each outing and a pair of go-to goalies (Vanecek and teammate Pheonix Copley have nearly identical numbers to date), it’s easy to be optimistic, but as Vanecek noted January 19, “It’s hockey, so you never know what will happen.”

One thing is certain though. Vanecek, a man who would rather speak about the contributions of others than himself, is well-loved in Hershey and Bears fans are in no big hurry to see him depart for Washington just yet. After being named to the All-Star roster, Jim Jones, who just happens to be Alex’s father, shared a brief word with Vanecek, the game’s first star on January 21 before handing off the mic to the Czech netminder.

With the trademark Vanecek smile, he addressed Giant Center with, “Hello. I just want to say we love you,” to a roaring standing ovation from those still in attendance.