AHL Profile: Mike Kostka

Mike Kostka has made his rounds around the AHL, spending last season with the Calder Cup-winning Norfolk Admirals. Now, he’s off to another new start: the defenseman signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs on July 1.

The 26-year-old Etobicoke native began his minor league hockey career with the Ajax Axemen of the Ontario Provincial Junior Hockey League in 2001. After spending three seasons, Kostka attended The University of Massachusetts Amherst and played there for four seasons.

During his college career, Kostka was named UMass-Amherst Most Improved Player (’05-’06) and was named to the Hockey East All-Academic Team the following season. He was also a candidate for the Hobey Baker award and named to the 2007-08 Hockey East Second All-Star Team in 2007-08.

Despite the successful college career, Kostka was never drafted by an NHL team. Instead, in March 2008, he was signed as a free agent by the Buffalo Sabres and was assigned to the Sabres’ AHL affiliate at the time, the Rochester Americans.

He’d play his first AHL game that season – the only one that season – before the Sabres affiliation would change. Kostka would then relocate to the Portland Pirates as a member of the Sabres organization.

There, he saw little success in scoring but mananged a respectable number of assists in two season, particularly for a defenseman. In 156 games over two seasons with the Pirates, Kostka had 57 points (6-51).

Despite this, the Sabres allowed Kostka to become a free agent, and he returned to the Rochester Americans. That year, 2010-11, would be his best offensive season to date.

In 80 games with Rochester, the defenseman scored 16 goals and 38 assists. He’d also end his time with Rochester with 199 shots on goal and 46 penalty minutes.

When December 2, 2011 rolled around, it was time for another AHL change for Kostka. The Panthers – who had signed him to an NHL contract earlier in the year – traded him to the Tampa Bay Lightning, and it was then that Kostka joined the Norfolk Admirals.

The rest, of course, is history.

Just kidding – but there is a Calder Cup involved, so that has to count for something, right?

Kostka proved to be a powerhouse defenseman and became especially important in the playoffs. In 52 regular season games, he scored 7 goals and 25 assists and ended the season with a remarkable plus-28 rating.

When playoffs rolled around, Kostka kept on his grind. In 18 games, he had 12 points (6-6) and ended the playoffs with a plus-14, 51 shots on goal and just eight penalty minutes.

Known previously as a “Marlies killer,” Kostka scored the infamous “goal-off-the-stanchion” during the Calder Cup finals against Ben Scrivens.

The defenseman, who has never played in an NHL game, signed a one-year deal with Toronto just after the free agent marked opened at noon on July 1.