Stankowski’s turn to shine

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This article was published 25/02/2021 (1155 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Carl Stankowski doesn’t know Liam Hughes personally but he’s heard his story.

It’s a narrative the 20-year-old goaltender would like to emulate when he suits up for the Winnipeg Ice next month during the WHL’s East Division return to play hub in Regina.

Hughes, an overage puckstopper in 2019-20, rebuilt his hockey career with the Ice after a lengthy hiatus from the game.

He joined the club in December and soon grabbed the No. 1 job and was putting put up all-star numbers. If the WHL had a comeback player of the year award, he would have been under consideration if not the outright winner.

Now, it’s Stankowski’s turn.

The Calgary product, who has 34 games of WHL experience spread over four seasons with the Seattle Thunderbirds and Calgary Hitmen, was considering his options in the AJHL but he signed with the Ice, which needed veteran help when Slovakian import Eugen Rabcan decided not to play in North America this season.

“It’s a chance for me to close out my 20-year-old year in the WHL, which is ideal for me,” said Stankowski by phone from his home base in Kelowna, B.C., Thursday. “It’s a really great opportunity, a great team and I’m hoping we do a lot of great stuff this year.”

Stankowski hasn’t played since a stint with the BCHL’s Penticton Vees in 2019-20 but he knows something about missing time.

Four years ago, he was diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disease called ankylosing spondylitis, a type of inflammatory arthritis affecting the spine and the sacroiliac joints. And so, after becoming a key figure in Seattle’s playoff run to a WHL championship in 2016-17, Stankowski missed his entire 17-year-old season due to debilitating back and hip pain.

Since his diagnosis, dietary restrictions have become a way of life.

“I can’t have foods like carbs or sugars, like fruits, which for regular people is pretty healthy and ordinary but to me it’s an inflammatory,” said Stankowski. “So doing blood tests there, I found out I can’t have that food. If I do have that, I get pain in my low back, my hips. Those are obviously places that you don’t want pain when you’re in high level goaltending.”

Ice head coach James Patrick expects that accommodating Stankowski’s nutritional requirements won’t be an issue at the University of Regina, where WHL staff and players will be housed during the hub.

“I think it’ll be unique but I don’t think it’ll be hard because we’ve got a couple guys with diet restrictions and I know that every team does,” said Patrick. “The league has taken that into account and the food service people who are going to be responsible for that are aware of it.”

Stankowski, a 5-9, 165-pounder, said he’s learned a lot about managing his disease in the last few years.

“It’s challenging coming back from missing a year of hockey but on top of that I was jumping into my new diet,” said Stankowski. “There were some problems with trying to get energy. I’m used to having pasta right before games and now I’m having a cauliflower rice and some pretty plain chicken. That took an adjustment stage and then last year I felt like in Penticton, it really got that settled and figured out.” 

Patrick said he’s planning for Stankowski to be the No. 1 man in Regina but also serve in a teaching role for second-year puckstopper Gage Alexander and rookie Daniel Hauser.

“I know that Carl’s had a really interesting journey but at the same time, before (GM) Matt (Cockell) and (assistant GM) Jake (Heisinger) brought him here, they did extensive research and had really good reviews about his character, what a good teammate he was and his work ethic,” said Patrick. “So, my feeling is that he can be… a real good goalie, but as important as that is, he’s going to be a great mentor and example to Gage and Daniel Hauser.”

TEPLY WON’T BE BACK: Patrick said the Ice are bringing 26 players to Regina and Czech forward Michal Teply won’t be one of them.

The 19-year-old had an excellent rookie season in the WHL and has played one game with the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs and is currently on the Chicago Blackhawks taxi squad.

Training camp is expected to begin on or before March 6 with games scheduled to begin on March 12 at Regina’s Brandt Centre. 

“I can tell you that we’re all making our own way to Regina,” said Patrick. “We’ll then continue in quarantine in Regina and then after so many days we’re tested and then I think if the tests go as hoped, then we can get on the ice shortly after that.”

Veteran forward Mike Milne is recovering from a shoulder injury but has been skating at home in B.C. and will be with the team. Patrick had no timetable for his return.

COACHING SHUFFLE: Longtime Ice associate coach Jon Klemm has taken a leave from the club to pursue a business opportunity.

Winnipeg has tabbed Josh Green, a former Ice assistant and current GM and head coach of the MJHL’s Winnipeg Freeze, to fill in behind the bench.

Ryan Guenter, the organization’s head scout, will be the second assistant while Winnipegger Byron Spriggs will serve as goalie coach.

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @sawa14