Dustin Tokarski

Dustin Tokarski

Tokarski with the Montreal Canadiens in 2015
Born (1989-09-16) September 16, 1989
Humboldt, SK, Canada
Height 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb)
Position Goaltender
Catches Left
NHL team (P)
Cur. team
Former teams		 Anaheim Ducks
San Diego Gulls (AHL)
Tampa Bay Lightning
Montreal Canadiens
NHL Draft 122nd overall, 2008
Tampa Bay Lightning
Playing career 2009–present

Dustin Michael Tokarski (born September 16, 1989) is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender currently playing for the San Diego Gulls of the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Anaheim Ducks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was born in Humboldt, Saskatchewan, but grew up in neighbouring Watson, which he considers to be his hometown.[1][2]

Tokarski led the Spokane Chiefs of the Western Hockey League (WHL) to the 2008 Memorial Cup, Canada's national junior championship, and was named the top goaltender and most valuable player of the tournament. Tokarski then backstopped Team Canada to their fifth consecutive gold medal at the 2009 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. He was originally drafted by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the fifth round, 122nd overall, at the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. In 2012, he won the American Hockey League (AHL)'s Calder Cup with the Norfolk Admirals, the top minor league affiliate of the Lightning.

Playing career

Minor/junior

Tokarski with the Spokane Chiefs

Dustin Tokarski played midget for the Prince Albert Mintos and led the team to capture the Telus Cup, Canada’s midget hockey championship in 2006. Tokarski had three shutouts and a 1.98 goals against average (GAA) for the Mintos.[3] He was added to the protected list of the Western Hockey League (WHL)'s Spokane Chiefs in December. He played a combined 30 games in his first season with Spokane, posting a record of 13 wins, 11 losses and two overtime losses. Tokarski then took over as the Chiefs' starting goaltender in 2007–08. He played every game for the Chiefs in the playoffs, leading them to the Ed Chynoweth Cup championship by giving up just 31 goals in 21 playoff games.[4] The Chiefs' title earned them a berth in the 2008 Memorial Cup, Canada's national junior championship. With Tokarski in net, Spokane won all three games in the round robin to earn a berth in the championship game. Tokarski made 53 saves in the final as Spokane defeated the Ontario Hockey League (OHL)'s Kitchener Rangers to claim the Chiefs' second Memorial Cup championship in franchise history.[5] His performance earned him the Hap Emms Memorial Trophy as the tournament's outstanding goaltender, and the Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy as the most valuable player.[6] Tokarski was selected by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the fifth round of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.[7]

Professional

Tokarski made his NHL debut on January 19, 2010, against the New York Rangers, replacing Antero Niittymäki in the third period after the latter had surrendered six goals.

Tokarski made his first NHL start on March 8, 2012, against the Washington Capitals. He had 29 saves on 32 shots and let three pucks by for a 3–2 Lightning overtime loss. On February 14, 2013, he was traded from Tampa Bay to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for goaltender Cédrick Desjardins.[8]

On March 5, 2014, Tokarski played his first game with Montreal, a 4–3 shootout victory over the Anaheim Ducks. On March 16, he recorded his first NHL shutout in a 2–0 win over the Buffalo Sabres, stopping all 29 of Buffalo's shots. On 19 May, it was announced that Tokarski would be starting in place of Montreal's Carey Price due to an injury sustained against the New York Rangers.[9] In Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals series against the Rangers, Tokarski made 35 saves on 37 shots to help the Canadiens win 3–2 in overtime, cutting the Rangers' series lead to 2–1. In Game 5, he then led the team to a 7–4 win, staving off elimination and reducing the Rangers' lead to 3–2 in the series.[10] In Game 6, he stopped 31 shots on 32 shots to give his team a chance to win.[11] Although the Canadiens lost the series 4–2 against New York, Tokarski's performance earned high praises.[12]

Following the conclusion of the Canadiens' 2014–15 pre-season, goaltender Peter Budaj was traded to the Winnipeg Jets on October 6, 2014, effectively leaving Tokarski as Carey Price's backup for the regular season.[13]

At the beginning of the 2015–16 season, on October 5, 2015, Tokarski was placed on waivers, ending his tenure as backup goaltender for the NHL club.[14] Other Montreal Canadiens' prospect Mike Condon had a really good training camp, and the team took him over Tokarski.[15] On January 7, 2016, Tokarski was traded by the Montreal Canadiens to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for Max Friberg.[16]

International play

Medal record
Competitor for Canada Canada
ice hockey
World Junior Championship
2009 Canada

Tokarski was named to Canada's roster for the 2009 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. He struggled during the tournament, however, entering the final as the eighth-best tournament goaltender statistically, though he led Canada to thrilling 7–4 and 6–5 wins over the United States and Russia, respectively.[17] Tokarski played his best game in the final, posting 39 saves on 40 shots as Canada defeated Sweden 5–1 to win its fifth consecutive gold medal.[18]

Career statistics

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP W L T/OT MIN GA SO GAA SV% GP W L MIN GA SO GAA SV%
2006–07 Spokane Chiefs WHL 30 13 11 2 1674 78 2 2.80 .903 6 2 4 364 17 0 2.80 .901
2007–08 Spokane Chiefs WHL 45 30 10 3 2543 87 6 2.05 .922 21 16 5 1352 31 3 1.38 .944
2008–09 Spokane Chiefs WHL 54 34 18 2 3264 107 7 1.97 .937 12 7 5 812 23 1 1.70 .947
2009–10 Norfolk Admirals AHL 55 27 25 3 3319 139 4 2.51 .915 — — — — — — — —
2009–10 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 2 0 0 0 44 3 0 4.06 .813 — — — — — — — —
2010–11 Norfolk Admirals AHL 46 21 20 4 2691 119 2 2.65 .901 6 2 4 355 13 1 2.19 .924
2011–12 Norfolk Admirals AHL 45 32 11 0 2583 96 5 2.23 .913 14 12 2 866 21 3 1.46 .944
2011–12 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 5 1 3 1 244 14 0 3.45 .879 — — — — — — — —
2012–13 Syracuse Crunch AHL 33 18 8 4 1881 77 3 2.46 .900 — — — — — — — —
2012–13 Hamilton Bulldogs AHL 15 6 8 0 836 31 3 2.22 .927 — — — — — — — —
2013–14 Hamilton Bulldogs AHL 41 20 16 3 2375 94 1 2.38 .919 — — — — — — — —
2013–14 Montreal Canadiens NHL 3 2 0 0 163 5 1 1.84 .946 5 2 3 300 13 0 2.60 .916
2014–15 Montreal Canadiens NHL 17 6 6 4 1005 46 0 2.75 .910 — — — — — — — —
2014–15 Hamilton Bulldogs AHL 2 1 1 0 119 5 0 2.52 .919 — — — — — — — —
2015–16 St. John's IceCaps AHL 10 3 3 4 613 29 0 2.84 .909 — — — — — — — —
2015–16 Montreal Canadiens NHL 6 1 3 0 226 12 0 3.18 .878 — — — — — — — —
NHL totals 33 10 12 5 1682 80 1 2.85 .904 5 2 3 300 13 0 2.60 .916

Awards and honours

Tokarski with the Syracuse Crunch in 2012
Award Year Ref
Telus Cup Championship 2006
Memorial Cup Championship 2008
CHL Memorial Cup All-Star Team 2008 [19]
Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy 2008
Hap Emms Memorial Trophy 2008
Calder Cup Championship 2012

References

  1. ↑ Marc DeFoy (2014-05-25). "Chicane de clochers". Le Journal de Montréal (in French). p. 104.
  2. ↑ "Canadiens Dustin Tokarski thrills hometown fans". CBC News. 2014-05-23. Retrieved 2014-05-25.
  3. ↑ "Dustin Tokarski prospect profile". hockeysfuture.com. 2012-04-03. Retrieved 2012-04-03.
  4. ↑ Flett, Cory and Watts, Jessie (ed.). 2008–09 WHL Guide. Western Hockey League. p. 122.
  5. ↑ Bell, Aaron. "2008 Mastercard Memorial Cup history". Canadian Hockey League. Retrieved 2009-01-10.
  6. ↑ Beasley, Mike. "Spokane captures second Memorial Cup championship". Hockey Now. Retrieved 2009-01-10.
  7. ↑ "Dustin Tokarski player card". Tampa Bay Lightning. Retrieved 2009-01-10.
  8. ↑ "Canadiens acquire Tokarski from Lightning". Montreal Canadiens. 2013-02-14. Retrieved 2013-02-14.
  9. ↑ "Dustin Tokarski makes NHL playoff debut". CBC. 2014-05-19. Retrieved 2014-05-19.
  10. ↑ Tokarski makes believers of Habs, ESPN
  11. ↑ "Canadiens vs. Rangers Game 6 Boxscore". National Hockey League. Retrieved 2014-05-29.
  12. ↑ Basu, Arpon. "Canadiens provide no support for Tokarski". National Hockey League. Retrieved 2014-05-30.
  13. ↑ "Canadiens trade Budaj to Jets". National Hockey League. 2014-10-06. Retrieved 2014-10-06.
  14. ↑ "The Montreal Canadiens place Dustin Tokarski on waivers, finalize roster". Eyes On The Prize, Vox Media, Inc. 2015-10-05. Retrieved 2015-10-05.
  15. ↑ Zwolinski, Mark (2015-10-07). "New Canadiens backup goalie Mike Condon was once focused on Wall Street for his career.". The Toronto Star. ISSN 0319-0781. Retrieved 2016-01-13.
  16. ↑ "Canadiens acquire right winger Max Friberg from the Anaheim Ducks in return for Dustin Tokarski". nhl.com. Retrieved January 7, 2016.
  17. ↑ Love, Noah (2009-01-04). "Canada's Tokarski to start in net against Sweden". National Post. Retrieved 2009-01-10.
  18. ↑ "Canada defeates Sweden to win fifth straight WJHC gold". TSN. 2009-01-06. Retrieved 2009-01-10.
  19. ↑ "Memorial Cup All-Star Teams". Memorial Cup. 2014-05-23. Retrieved 2014-05-23.

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