Stephen Michalek

February 2018 – The big 23 year old goaltender from Hartford has continued to be a solid AHL netminder in the Minnesota system. His career AHL save percentage is above .910, and he’s one of the busier goaltenders in the league. While a daily NHL role seems unlikely, Michalek could be a good option to fill in as a third goalie or AHL stopgap for quite a while. His contract expires this year, and Minnesota may want to retain him for insurance purposes against other options. Goalies are hard to project however, and it’s possible he has another gear waiting to be unlocked.Will Scouch

September 2016 – Don’t be surprised if Stephen Michalek gives Alex Stalock some stiff competition for the backup role with the big club. It is an uphill battle for Michalek given his big league inexperience but he shown that he’s been able to adapt to the pro ranks sooner than expected with his play on a lackluster Iowa Wild squad just last year while boasting some room for growth as well. Edric Joseph

April 2016 – Though he did not end up seeing any playing time during the callup, it was encouraging to see Michalek getting summoned this early in his professional hockey career to understudy with Minnesota during the NHL playoffs. He still has work to do before he sees steady NHL playing time but a strong camp in the fall could make management give him the nod to backup over Darcy Kuemper if Kaapo Kahkonen isn’t ready. Michalek’s off to a good start to his pro career but he has yet to show he has the stamina to handle a full year at this level. Edric Joseph

April 2016 – Stephen Michalek will need to wait for another call-up to make his NHL debut as he was sent back to Iowa upon Darcy Kuemper’s return to the Wild lineup. Hopefully he made good use of his time as an understudy and will come back to Iowa to facilitate a strong finish to the season that complements his impressive start to his AHL career. He should push for the backup role this fall if he can build on his progress. Edric Joseph

March 2016 – In an unexpected move, at least at this stage in his development, Stephen Michalek was called up by the Minnesota Wild. The temporary promotion hasn’t resulted in any playing time as yet with the big club, not a surprise when considering he’s only had nine AHL appearances before filling in for the injured Darcy Kuemper. That being said, it is a pleasing sign of encouragement to see he’s being considered for NHL duty should Dubnyk need relief as the season’s end approaches. Edric Joseph

March 2016 – Since February fourth, Stephen Michalek has managed to stay with the Iowa Wild and has been making the opportunity count, continuing to put up stellar numbers including a 0.934 save percentage when pushing Leland Irving for starts. Still too soon to see if it’s sustainable at this level of competition as yet however he definitely starting to look like a good insurance policy for Minnesota down the road, pulling ahead of Brody Hoffman for the time being on the depth chart. It’s reassuring to see that the coaching change hasn’t hindered his promising output this campaign. Edric Joseph

February 2016 – It’s been a week of ups and downs. Coming off his impressive first-star-of-the-game-worthy debut with the Iowa Wild (a win over the Charlotte Checkers), he was sent down, only to be called up again to Iowa. Iowa being on a roll since the start of the new year sure didn’t hurt but Michalek was impressive nonetheless. With his pleasing start fresh in mind, it’ll sure help his case to get more playing time with the Wild’s primary farm team affiliate.  Edric Joseph

January 2016 – Michalek has managed to make a rather seamless transfer from collegiate hockey to the minor professional ranks, which includes sporting a save percentage of .922. Continued success like this will result in appearances in the AHL or even the NHL sooner rather than later. He’s showing improved lateral quickness and better rebound recovery, which will need to be up to snuff with a faster, more strategic level of competition. Edric Joseph

uly 2015 – It’s official, the Wild have signed goaltending prospect Stephen Michalek to a two-year, entry-level contract. After an inconsistent first two years at Harvard, Michalek came on strong in his junior season while backstopping his team to an ECAC championship and a berth the NCAA tournament. Through three NCAA seasons, he finished with a 33-28-13 record after 79 appearances. A good training camp very well could lead to him starting the year in Iowa. Edric Joseph

April 2015 – Away from the professional hockey spotlight, Stephen Michalek has made impressive strides of progress. In a pleasing senior year at Harvard University, the esteemed program provided a glimpse of Michalek’s sizable potential that enamored NHL scouts. In doing so, Michalek set multiple franchise records including starts and shots against, a testament to their faith in his abilities. Proved he can be a big game goalie at the collegiate level but will need to be adapt to the change of pace in order to do the same in the professional ranks. Edric Joseph