Devils’ left winger’s fight gets 4-game suspension
- Myles Stoesz
TROY, NY — As he sat at his locker stall Tuesday at RPI’s Houston Field House, Myles Stoesz sported a badge of his role for the Albany Devils. The area around Stoesz’s left eye was discolored, and just above the cheekbone he sported a gash.
“This was from the (helmet) visor,” he said, pointing to the gash received in a fight with Toronto’s Kyle Neuber, “and this (left eye) is the one punch that hit me.”
Stoesz, a 24-year-old from Steinbach, Manitoba, is in his first full season as the Devils’ enforcer. He is on the ice to protect teammates, which is what he was doing Saturday afternoon in Toronto when his actions got him 27 penalty minutes and an ejection.
The incident also earned him an unwanted break. The American Hockey League announced late Tuesday afternoon that Stoesz has been suspended for four games “for leaving the players’ bench on a legal line change for the purpose of starting an altercation.”
“I thought his gloves were off first,” Stoesz said before learning of the suspension.
Game referee Geno Binda gave Stoesz two minutes for instigating, five for fighting, a 10-minute misconduct for instigating and a game misconduct for leaving the bench.
“I had asked Neuber to fight the shift previous,” Stoesz said. “I asked him in a polite manner, and he respectfully declined. Then he tried to hit me with an elbow, then he went and hit another one of my players, and then he tried to hit me again on that shift.
“The next shift he took a run at (Devils forward Nathan) Perkovich. The whistle blew. Perkovich was coming off the ice and I came on. There were a few seconds that passed, and then Neuber cross-checked (Mike) Hoeffel right when I was in front of him. I’m not the kind of guy who’s going to let that happen. I just did what came naturally to me and gave him a shot back, and we ended up fighting.”
Devils coach Rick Kowalsky said: “The guy (Neuber) doesn’t fight, and that’s fine, but from that point on, the guy runs around. In my opinion, the official can take care of that, and he didn’t, and it escalated into what it did. Did we make a line change? Yeah, a legal line change. It’s clear on the video.”
Sticking up for teammates is part of the deal for Stoesz, a 6-foot-2, 208-pound left wing who spent most of his first four pro seasons in the ECHL. He wanted to be Albany’s enforcer last season, but Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond and Louis Robitaille filled that role. Neither is with the Devils this year.
“That’s one of the reasons last year why I couldn’t make it into the lineup as much as I wanted,” Stoesz said. “I wanted the opportunity to be the go-to guy to take care of my teammates. I want them to feel comfortable when I’m on the ice with them that they’re not going to get any cheap shots. That’s the role I wanted, and that’s what I signed up for.”
A player in Stoesz’s role will do whatever he can to get into the lineup. Earlier this month he practiced as a defenseman, a position Stoesz played before his junior coaches changed him to forward.
“I have fun doing both,” he said. He was back up front for Tuesday’s practice, but for the next four games Stoesz won’t play either position. He is eligible to return Wednesday, Dec. 21, for a home game against Binghamton.
Myles Stoesz, a native of Steinbach, is the son of Doyle and Raquel Stoesz, and grandson to Joyce (Kehler) and Corny Stoesz. Myles plays for the Albany Devils in New York. Stoesz was acquired by the Devils’ organization from Atlanta on March 2, 2009. Born February 15, 1987 in Steinbach, Man., he began his pro career by appearing in 64 games with Gwinnett (ECHL) in 2007-08. He was Atlanta’s eighth choice (7th round), and 207th overall selection in the 2005 Entry Draft. Stoesz played four seasons in the Western Hockey League with Spokane, Chilliwack and Regina.