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Anthony Stolarz, Toronto Maple Leafs (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)

Was Maple Leafs’ Anthony Stolarz Snubbed by USA Hockey?

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Rupert McDonald | Last updated Aug 20, 2025 1:45 PM ET

The orientation camp rosters for the 2026 Winter Olympics are starting to be released. Canada released their camp invitations earlier in the month, while the U.S. put theirs out on Tuesday morning. As is the case for these types of lists, there is plenty of fan debate, criticism, and full out frustration over who made it and who was left off.

Many players are being discussed as snubs from the U.S. orientation camp, including the likes of Tage Thompson, Alex DeBrincat, Brock Boeser, Nick Schmaltz, Lane Hutson, Thatcher Demko, and Dustin Wolf. Meanwhile, there were some surprising names to see on the list such as Frank Nazar, Conor Garland, Shane Pinto, Jackson Lacombe, Alex Vlasic, and goaltender Joey Daccord. One potential snub, however, who hasn’t gotten much mention, is Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Anthony Stolarz.

Stolarz Left Off U.S. List

Though he wouldn’t have been considered at all had this tournament been a year ago, there was some discussion that Stolarz was potentially playing his way onto the U.S. roster for the upcoming Olympics in Italy. By no means would have he been the starter given that they have names between the pipes such as Connor Hellebuyck and Jake Oettinger, but there may be reason to argue that he’s the third best available based on recent success.

After spending a few seasons as the backup with the Anaheim Ducks before playing behind Sergei Bobrovsky with the Florida Panthers in 2023-24, Stolarz signed a two-year, $5 million deal with the Maple Leafs to work in a tandem role with Joseph Woll. The 31-year-old was more than up to the task, and was operating as the team’s number-one option before suffering a knee injury that left him sidelined for a significant period of time in December.

The injury wound up limiting Stolarz to just 34 games, though he was absolutely exceptional in his appearance. He finished the 2024-25 regular season with a 2.14 goals against average (GAA) and a .926 save percentage (SV%). In 27 appearances in 2023-24 with the Panthers, he had a very similar 2.03 GAA and a .926 SV%.

A deeper dive into his 2024-25 stats proves even further how great Stolarz was. He ranked second in the NHL to only Hellebuyck with a 31.2 goals saved above expected, and fourth in goals saved above average at 24.22. The only three goalies to rank ahead of him in that category were the three Vezina Trophy nominees in Hellebuyck (41.11), Andrei Vasilevskiy (34.17), and Darcy Kuemper (26.02). Had he remained healthy, he almost surely would have bumped out Kuemper as a Vezina finalist.

Valid Reasons Not to Include Stolarz

Now, while the stats from recent seasons suggest Stolarz has been one of the NHL’s better goalies, there are a few probable reasons as to why he wasn’t included. His elite stats in 2023-24 came against weaker competition as a true back up to Bobrovsky, and came while playing behind the NHL’s best team in the Panthers.

On top of that, Stolarz’s 34 appearances with the Maple Leafs in 2024-25 were a career high and marked the first time in his career he appeared in 30 or more games. That inexperience, paired with the lack of games last season due to injury, likely played a big role in why he wasn’t included on the list.

Another thing working against Stolarz is his age. While he is a year younger than Hellebuyck, Oettinger is just 26 years old and should have plenty more cracks at best-on-best events in the future. Jeremy Swayman, meanwhile, is also just 26 years old, while Daccord is 29. The counterargument there, of course, is that the 24-year-old Wolf also failed to receive an invite.

Strong Season Could Change USA’s Decision

What’s important to remember in all of this is that not receiving an orientation camp invite doesn’t necessarily mean that a player can’t crack the Olympic roster. If Swayman struggles like he did this past season, it could help open the door for Stolarz. Of course, that will be fully dependent on him remaining healthy and playing to a level similar to what we saw last season. Should he be able to come out of the gates strong in 2025-26 , we could start to hear more buzz about him cracking this roster as their third-string goaltender.