Once Max Milosek was released by the Toledo Walleye, he figured his career might be over.

“I didn’t even know if I’d start another game in my life again,” the 29-year-old goaltender said.

But the Komets were able to promise a couple of things: He’d be close to his home in Lapeer, Michigan, and he’d get playing time. So he signed with the Komets on Dec. 21, six days after their biggest rival released him.

Naturally, his first start – and only start so far – came Dec. 30 at Toledo, Ohio, where he stopped 24 of 26 shots in the Komets’ 6-2 victory at the Huntington Center.

It was weird playing against recent teammates. He got love from many fans, taunts from others. He “tuned everything out,” and did so while donning his Toledo mask and pads.

“Once the puck drops, it’s game time and you’ve got to be ready to go,” Milosek said. “It doesn’t matter who’s against me, I’ve got to stop more pucks than (the other team’s) guy.”

Milosek collected the puck after the Komets sealed the victory– Fort Wayne’s eighth in a row, though a 4-3 loss to the division-leading Indy Fuel on Saturday at Memorial Coliseum snapped that. He’s expected to start one of Fort Wayne’s next two games, 7:10 p.m. today against the Wheeling Nailers in Wheeling, West Virginia, or 7:30 p.m. Saturday against the Walleye at the Coliseum.

“A couple weeks ago, I didn’t even know if I’d be playing anymore,” Milosek said. “My head was all over the place and I obviously got an opportunity in Fort Wayne. I took it and it felt really good.”

Milosek played only one game this season with the Walleye, stopping 17 of 19 shots in a 2-0 road loss to the Kalamazoo Wings on Oct. 29.

Last season, he was 13-3-1 with a 2.87 goals-against average, a .903 save percentage and one shutout for Toledo. He was the backup as Toledo reached the Kelly Cup finals, after he’d ascended from the Southern Professional Hockey League, where he was the Playoff MVP in 2019 for the Huntsville Havoc.

Fort Wayne’s other goaltender, Rylan Parenteau, also started the season with the Walleye, which had to make some tough roster decisions in net because it had Sebastian Cossa, on a contract with the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings, and John Lethemon, on an American Hockey League deal with the Grand Rapids Griffins.

Parenteau, a rookie who played for Toledo, was traded to Fort Wayne for an undisclosed amount of cash Nov. 17. He is 8-2-2 with a 3.12 GAA and a .894 SP since. Fort Wayne’s third goalie, Colton Point, who has an AHL contract with the Bakersfield Condors, is on injured reserve with a head injury.

Having two former Toledo goalies may feel a smidge weird, but it brings a level of comfort for Milosek and Parenteau, who pushed each other as they tried to make Toledo’s season-opening roster and had a good rapport that they’re trying to carry to Fort Wayne.

“(Parenteau) is a great guy. He works really hard, has a great attitude, is always busting his butt,” Milosek said.” It’s good. We feed off each other, we’ve learned a couple things in practice, and there are little things we still work on to try and get our games up. He’s always got a great attitude and it makes it fun.”

Parenteau agreed.

”It’s nice to have a familiar face,” Parenteau said last month. “Sometimes you and your goalie partners, it can feel like you’re left off on an island, so it’s nice to have a familiar face. We were able to build a good camaraderie over there in Toledo, and we’re planning to carry that on here.”