Dallas Stars Recall D Philip Larsen From Texas

As was theorized by many (most?) last night, the Dallas Stars have recalled defenseman Philip Larsen from the Texas Stars as a reaction to the hand injury suffered by Alex Goligoski in a loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins last night at Consol Energy Center.

The extent of Goligoski's injury is not yet known, nor is it known if Larsen will play against the Wings tonight. The young Dane played in Cedar Park last night in the Stars' 3-2 shootout loss to the Abbotsford Heat, but will join the team in Detroit today before they all travel back to Dallas tonight, so it stands to reason the might use him.

Call-ups depend on the player injured and Larsen is a natural fit for the kind of offensive play Goligoski provides, at least in theory. From the official Stars press release...

Larsen, 21, leads all Texas defensemen in scoring, with nine assists and 10 points in 10 games. He is also tops in power-play assists among defensemen, setting up six extra-man advantage tallies. Larsen is currently fourth among AHL defensemen in points and fourth overall in assists.

Full press release after the jump...

Frisco, Tex. - The Dallas Stars announced today that the NHL club has recalled defenseman Philip Larsen from the Texas Stars, Dallas' primary affiliate in the American Hockey League (AHL). He will join the Stars in Detroit today.

Larsen, 21, leads all Texas defensemen in scoring, with nine assists and 10 points in 10 games. He is also tops in power-play assists among defensemen, setting up six extra-man advantage tallies. Larsen is currently fourth among AHL defensemen in points and fourth overall in assists.

The 6-1, 190-pound defenseman from Esbjerg, Denmark has appeared in 11 career NHL games with 3 points (3 assists) with a +2 rating. The Stars' fifth-round selection in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, Larsen has appeared in three games this season with Dallas, averaging 13:30 time-on-ice per game. Larsen spent the majority of the 2010-11 season with the Texas Stars, appearing in 54 games and collecting 22 points (4 goals, 18 assists).

The Stars are in Detroit tonight to take on the Red Wings (6:00 pm CT, TXA 21, Sports Radio 1310 The Ticket). Dallas is 11-4-0 on the season, ranked first in the Pacific Division standings.