As we were drawing close to the end of this hockey year, it was looking like it was going to be a year to forget for Alan Łyszczarczyk. It was not the follow-up year that many had expected out of the Polish Prince.
In 2020, the Podhale native lit up the ECHL as a rookie. He racked up 46 points in 57 games before the rest of the season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Not only was he offensively on fire, but during the year he gained the trust of his coaching staff to earn opportunities late and in more defensive situations. The only thing that was missing was an American Hockey League call-up that never came.
The pandemic created a rocky offseason with no one knowing who was going to be playing or what opportunities would actually be there. The Komets had made Łyszczarczyk a restricted free agent, but later traded his rights to the Idaho Steelheads. As those transactions were happening in the ECHL, Łyszczarczyk was making moves back in Europe. He had signed a tryout deal with HC Litvinov in the Tipsport Extraliga.
This was Alan’s second tryout in the top level of Czech hockey. It ended like the first with no deal in place. Podhale Nowy Targ then brought him home, signing him to a deal with the knowledge that he would be opting out eventually to play in North America.
Despite the fact that his time in Poland may be short, as there was a lot of uncertainty in the United States. It seemed like a star signing for Podhale, especially given how players with even less ECHL success had performed in the PHL. While he was definitely one of the team’s better forwards, he often was stuck on the lower lines of the team. Not getting many chances to truly break out. Can you blame the team though? They knew he wouldn’t be there late in the year. Still, during his 23 games, the Polish prince managed 10 goals and 8 assists.
I don’t want to call his time in Poland a disappointment, but it felt like it should have been a bigger deal. The best Polish player of this generation was in the PHL. Especially in a year where players like Dziubinski, Kolusz, and Zygmunt played outside of Poland. The PHL lacked some Polish star power.
2020 had come to an end and on January 2nd, it was a new chapter for Łyszczarczyk. It was announced by Podhale Nowy Targ, that he would be leaving the club and returning to North America. Łyszczarczyk was declared a free agent by the ECHL, after the Idaho Steelheads opted out of playing in the 2021 season. The soon-to-be 23-year-old signed with the Orlando Solar Bears, the ECHL affiliate of the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Lightning are one of the best at developing through all levels of the minors. It seemed like a great fit. Łyszczarczyk was also off to a hot start scoring two goals and an assist in his first five games. He would then go scoreless in his remaining eight games with the club. He often found himself a healthy scratch during this time as well.
On March 14th, the young Pole found himself on his technically fourth club of the year as he was traded to the Tulsa Oilers for future considerations. It was probably a welcomed change, as Łyszczarczyk struggled to get into the lineup in Orlando.
Things would get even worse though in Tulsa. Łyszczarczyk was snake bitten, as he rocked a 0.0% shooting percentage on 38 shots. He would record a whole 4 assists in 18 games with the Tulsa Oilers, three of the assists coming in his final three games. Those final three assists were the first sign of life in his ECHL campaign in a while.
Earlier in the year, Podhale brought Łyszczarczyk back home to where he was born. On April 19th, Fort Wayne brought him back to his ECHL home. Trading defenseman Curtis Leonard for Łyszczarczyk in a one-for-one deal.
Ben Boudreau, the Fort Wayne Komets head coach, was once again in charge of Łyszczarczyk. The pairing worked out really well the previous year, as Łyszczarczyk’s all-around game took a huge step forward. In 2021, it was like the Polish Prince never left. In 19 regular-season games for the Komets, Łyszczarczyk recorded 7 goals and 9 assists, over double his point total with the Oilers and Solar Bears combined.
His production continued into the playoffs, where he has recorded another three goals and four assists in the opening rounds. One of those three goals being the magic goal to send the Fort Wayne Komets to the ECHL finals. After such a long and daunting season, Łyszczarczyk secured the Western Championship for Fort Wayne.
His dominance continued into the finals, where he posted five assists in a three-to-one series win over the South Carolina Stingrays. The Fort Wayne Komets are the 2021 Kelly cup Champions! And one of the most crucial moves in achieving that feat was potentially an all-time franchise trade in reacquiring their Polish fan favorite. In his 30 games with the Komets, Łyszczarczyk recorded 10 goals and 17 assists. Between Poland and his first two ECHL clubs, he had 12 goals and 13 assists in 54 games.
No one has played more than Łyszczarczyk this year, which is insane to think about. A five-team 84 game season, not including the preseason. It is 88 games, if you include his four games at the Ceska Cup with HC Litvinov. It rightfully ends with him as a champion. The first-ever Polish player to win the Kelly Cup. Also, the first to win a championship in North American hockey since Oliwa won the Stanley Cup.
Łyszczarczyk is nicknamed the Polish Prince in Fort Wayne. Poland is his home, where he leads the next generation of the national team. It is clear though that there is just something about Fort Wayne that clicks with the prince. Almost like a second home for Łyszczarczyk.
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