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Dallas Stars Daily Links: Dowling, Caamano Impress in Scrimmage

Ken Hitchcock decided to take a different approach to day three of training camp than he normally does: he split the players into two groups, veterans with more or less guaranteed roster spots, and players and prospects on the bubble. While the first group had a fairly standard practice, the latter held a friendly scrimmage between two teams. Hitchcock and the coaching staff were hoping to see some players take the scrimmage as an opportunity to step up and separate themselves from the crowd. They were not disappointed.

“The tempo of the scrimmage was excellent and we were surprised by some of the people that emerged, people that weren’t on the radar that came through,” Hitchcock said. “For me, Dowling stepped up, Smith stepped up, and Caamano stepped up. They put themselves back on the radar. It was nice to see.”

With all due respect to Gemel Smith, it was Justin Dowling and Nick Caamano who really stood out. Playing on opposing teams, Dowling (White) and Caamano (Green) both found the back of the net twice during the scrimmage, which eventually ended in a 5-2 victory for Green. While Caamano will most likely return to the Flint Firebirds in the OHL, Dowling’s performance could set him aside as a potential NHL call up in case of injuries.

“It felt good,” Dowling said. “It was nice to finally get into a game situation. I think it took a couple shifts to get into it, but I played with two really good players and it kind of made it easy.”

The AHL veteran has played 5 seasons with the Texas Stars, and scored two assists in nine games last season with Dallas. You can read more about his performance among other scrimmage observations from Mike Heika here.


Sean Shapiro talks about the third day of training camp, including an update on Mattias Janmark as he returns from a season on IR. [Wrong Side of the Red Line]

Mark Stepneski and Scott Burnside also give their training camp insights, as well as an interview with Tyler Seguin about his week long trip to China. [DallasStars.com]

Here were the line combinations and pairings from the veteran’s practice:

Note: Martin Hanzal is still sitting out due to injury.

We also got a glimpse into some potential Power Play lines:

Mike Heika takes an in depth look at all these line combinations and what that might mean for the preseason and beyond. [SportsDay DFW]


Around the League

The Arizona Coyotes made a trade with the Florida Panthers yesterday, sending Left Winger Jamie McGinn in return for Defensemen Jason Demers, who reunites with another ex-Stars player in Alex Goligoski. [TSN]

Here’s what Arizona GM John Chayaka had to say about acquiring the former Star:

James O’Brien makes the argument that with Demers now bolstering an already strong blue line, the Coyotes might be a dark horse playoff pick. [NBC Sports]

Speaking of former Stars, Alex Chiasson and Jyrki Jokipakka are both trying to make the Washington Capitals on PTOs. [Washington Post]

Looking for some help drafting your fantasy hockey team? Matt Larkin identifies 10 players who are being way overvalued in drafts. [The Hockey News]

While we’re sure to see tweets like this again once the regular season starts, it’s still fascinating to watch history be made:

The Golden Knights went on to win 9-4 against the Canucks.

Some NHL stars speak up about what it’s going to take to ensure the Pittsburgh Penguins don’t win the Cup yet again this year. [NBC Sports]

Finally, some serious accusations from Joffrey Lupul, who claims the Toronto Maple Leafs are cheating the system with their LTIR moves. [Sportsnet]

Talking Points