Every hockey player, in the late stages of their career, wants pretty much the same thing: To go out as a champion, having just played a phenomenal season, and to call it quits on their own terms.

Shawn Szydlowski acknowledged this week that as much as he wants that for himself, it may not be something that’s still attainable. But he’s going to see how the summer plays out.

“Every athlete, you want to leave on your own time. I’m starting to realize it’s not realistic for everybody,” said Szydlowski, who starred for the Komets from 2013 to 2022 and was back in town this week at the SportONE/Parkview Icehouse to help at the Anthony Petruzzelli-run Komets Summer Hockey Camp.

As he was at this time last year, Szydlowski is a free agent in the ECHL.

“I’m just taking my time and seeing if teams reach out. If something works out, great. And if not, then I’ll have a decision to make myself toward the end of the summer,” said Szydlowski, 32.

Szydlowski skated for the Komets for nine seasons. That’s an eternity with one team in minor league hockey. And there’s a good chance his No. 27 will be raised to the Memorial Coliseum rafters someday.

In 486 regular-season games with Fort Wayne, Szydlowski had 179 goals and 487 points. In the postseason, he has 27 goals and 78 points in 83 games, helping the Komets to the 2021 Kelly Cup. He was the ECHL’s leading scorer and MVP in 2017-18.

Of course, things felt unfamiliar when he arrived in Orlando, Florida, last year to begin his time with the ECHL’s Solar Bears, after the Komets no longer put him in their plans.

“It was definitely a little bit weird at first. Even being an older guy, you feel like a rookie going to a new team because it’s your first time meeting a bunch of people and you’re not familiar with the area. It’s a lot of learning,” said Szydlowski, who played 46 games with the Solar Bears and totaled 14 goals and 29 points.

The Solar Bears didn’t protect the rights to Szydlowski last week, yet he raved about his time in Orlando – even if the team missed the postseason, something that never happened to him in Fort Wayne.

He loved the big crowds in Florida; the Solar Bears averaged 6,033 fans, sixth most in the ECHL (Fort Wayne was second with 7,740). And his roommate was Matthew Barnaby, a Fort Wayne teammate in 2021-22.

“You do kind of feel like it’s an NHL-type atmosphere each night, playing in an NBA arena that’s in downtown Orlando. It was a cool experience,” Szydlowski said. “Obviously, the team struggled a little bit and didn’t have the results that we necessarily wanted, but it was fun being around a new group of guys and getting thrown into a new city and new experiences. …

“I got treated really well by the coaching staff and management, and I was pleasantly surprised by the fan support each night. It was a good atmosphere to play in. It was one of those situations where you’re standing on the bench for the anthem at the start of games, and you’re looking around and we’d have a decent crowd on most nights. It really does feel like an NHL atmosphere. They always have the music pumping and the game-day employees do the (NBA’s) Magic games, too, and are very professional about that stuff.”

There were many adjustments to be made off the ice, whether it was finding grocery stores or activities that might take a long drive to check out. But don’t feel too bad for him because, as Szydlowski said: “It was a little bit easier than most cities to go enjoy yourself outside of the rink. You can’t help it when it’s 90 degrees and sunny each day when you get out of the rink. It was fun. A lot of guys liked to get out and golf, stuff like that, and the beach is an hour drive. There were just attractions everywhere and it was overwhelming at times.”

Injuries, namely to his back, helped end his time in Fort Wayne, where he’d eclipsed 60 games played only once after 2015-16. His back felt better in Florida – “The warm weather each day really helped my back out,” he said, “and I didn’t feel too stiff or anything like that on most days” – but he broke his foot blocking a shot in March. When he returned six weeks later, the Solar Bears were out of the playoff hunt.

The South Division probably eclipsed the Central as the ECHL’s toughest last season with teams like the Florida Everlades, who won their second straight Kelly Cup, and the South Carolina Stingrays. As an old-school player who likes to fight and check, Szydlowski noticed differences playing in the South right away.

“In the Central, there were a lot more guys who were willing to fight but they weren’t always heavyweights. That’s where it’s different in the South: A lot of heavyweight tough guys and you’d better know who’s on the ice at any given time because you’ve got the Kyle Neubers and the Travis Howes, and having one of those guys on each team is kind of the mantra it seems like in the South,” said Szydlowski, who dropped the gloves to fight three times last season.

Free agency in the ECHL opened June 23, so it’s early in the process of teams putting together rosters. A market could develop for an offensive-minded player like Szydlowski, depending on the price. As an example, last year the Komets needed a playmaker near the season and brought on veteran Joshua Winquist, who became one of their top players.

“I’m just taking my time and seeing if anything just hits me right,” said Szydlowski, who’s from St. Clair Shores, Michigan. “I’m getting older. A lot of my former teammates are either retired or going to Europe. My whole thing is, of course, I want to be competitive whenever I play. But I really want to enjoy the next year.”