Stargazing: C Matt Tassone Signs AHL Contract

So much for that busy news cycle we were anticipating. Sure, the signing of Matt Tassone makes me happy, because we think he's a swell kid, but the headlines we hoped for have been slow to materialize. Doesn't the rest of the world know about our lust for instant gratification where the sale of the team and James Neal are concerned? Instead we endured a report about the sale possibly being delayed due to considerations for potential new bidders. Not as sexy.

Ah, well. The month is just getting started.

In the mean time, catch up on your Stars reading with many fine entries from the Stars blogosphere...

• Mike Heika continues his series on the various sects of the team with skilled forwards. This is the brightest spot for the Stars, but it is tempered with the realization that they are heavy with left handed shots. Loui Eriksson tells Mr. Heika he's resigned to the fact that he'll be playing the right side with his left handed shots for the duration. Check out the whole entry here.
• Thomas Frazee, of the Moose Jaw Warriors will be in Traverse City playing for the Stars next weekend. "Discovermoosejaw.com" has a closer look.
  
• After a long, long road of injuries, Matt Tassone has signed his first AHL contract with the Texas Stars. It's a one year deal, as Tassone is considered a little bit of a project. In 5 years with the Swift Current Broncos he's played less than 200 games. Hat tip to Ben at Big D Hockey, whose Tweet we saw first this afternoon...

Official release:

Cedar Park, TX – The Texas Stars announced on Wednesday the signing of forward Matt Tassone for the 2010-11 season.

Tassone will turn pro after playing the last five years for the Western Hockey League’s Swift Current Broncos. Tassone played in 187 regular season games, scoring 73 goals and setting up 46 others for 119 points, as well as racking up 343 penalty minutes. The 20-year old forward had his best season for Swift Current in 2008-09, scoring 36 goals and totaling 55 points in 52 games. The 6-foot-2, 205-pounder also added 100 penalty minutes. The St. Albert, AB native also played in 12 playoff contests for the Broncos, totaling three goals and eight points, to go along with 12 penalty minutes in 2007-08. The Dallas Stars drafted Tassone in the sixth round (#176) of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.

• A good Stars preview can be found here at AOL Fan house. They focus on Kari Lehtonen and remind us all that his health is a thing of extreme volatility.
  
• John over at DallasStars.com has a good piece on the as-of-yet unsigned Matt Niskanen. Nisky is determined to make a statement this year and show that he is better than what was on display in 2009-2010.
• Mark Stepneski of ADSP updated us on which players are skating in Frisco, which includes nearly all of them, with a few notable exceptions. Still, it seems training camp has unofficially started early for the vast majority of the Stars roster. [ADSP]
• Hat tip to 8thegreat for pointing this out: Mexico is attempting to start their first semi-pro hockey league (first that I've heard of anyway.) Check out the photo here. The players might be that short but there are some beautiful women hanging around at least.