The Dallas Stars have a talented prospect pool, but the clincher is that it’s a talented pool for a contender rather than a rebuilding team, which makes things more interesting. There’s an asterisk to that, however, which is this: rankings go out the window once the puck drops.
The cool thing about this year is that the bulk of Dallas’ prospects are in the AHL. In fact, per my rankings, 13 of Dallas’ top 20 prospects are in the American Hockey League. This isn’t even a matter of subjective opinion. Only seven of Dallas’ top 20 prospects per Elite Prospects — which conveniently orders by points — are registered outside of the AHL. That makes things a little crowded, but it also makes Dallas’ pipeline easier to follow then ever.
Who’s trending up and who’s trending down?
AHL Prospects
Logan Stankoven and Mavrik Bourque are the stars.
There’s no other way to put it. Both players are on a tear. Their point-per-game pace would be a
story on its own, but these aren’t two players who aren’t the product of inflated icetime and special teams. They generate chances almost every time they have possession of the puck. I’ve done a breakdown of what I consider their special chemistry elsewhere.
Thanks to Sunday’s game, both are now top 10 in AHL scoring.
And this was after a massive Saturday night.
But there’s no shortage of highlights. Whether it’s Stankoven’s passing.
The big conversation is whether they’ll ever see time in Dallas. The hard truth is that they won’t, barring injuries. There’s no reason for Nill to abandon the contracts he recently signed, and if they intend to have them fill the spots that Joe Pavelski, Craig Smith, and Matt Duchene potentially leave open, Dallas will want to know for sure how they perform through a full season in a pro hockey league. You don’t have to like it (I don’t), but I can respect the logic.
Lian Bichsel has looked pro-ready with every contest. His game won’t translate into big points, but he’s getting better.
Bichsel plays a heady, territorial game that will benefit the Stars sooner rather than later.
Not every prospect can be on an upward trajectory, and Christian Kyrou is a player I would argue is trending down.
He makes a lot of plays he shouldn’t, and overall has been an awkward fit next to NHL veteran Derrick Pouliot. One thing I want to stress is that these reports are subject to change. Just as players change, so will my impressions. Kyrou is incredibly talented, and I think if his decision-making changes, so will my analysis of him. But right now he’s his own worst enemy.
Matt Murray and Remi Poirier have been solid, particularly Murray, who has an incredible .930 save percentage.
Speaking of the Manitoba game, a lot of the “elder” prospects showed up this past weekend. Chase Wheatcroft finally returned from injury. He hasn’t had a chance to star on the boxscore, but don’t ignore the details of his game.
The two forward prospects I had higher on my list this September but who are struggling are Riley Damiani and Antonio Stranges. Damaini’s confidence shooting the puck looks like it’s at an all time low. No he’s never gonna be an elite player or prospect, but you can tell by his gestures that the mechanics aren’t clicking even when he’s in position. His two points through seven games I’d argue are charitable. His performance has been fine. But he just never looks like a threat. Same thing with Stranges, who covers plenty of ice, but to little effect.
CHL Prospects
Brad Gardiner (C, OHL), Dallas’ third-round pick in 2023, was a head scratcher for me. Especially given the amount of talent I thought was available. But he’s quietly heating up, recently scoring his third goal of the year. That’s 8 points through 12 games; good for a 45-point pace through a 68-game season for the Ottawa 67’s; an increase of 15 points from his previous year. It’s nothing earth-shattering, but a good sign all the same.
Then there’s Tristan Bertucci (LHD, OHL), Dallas’ second round pick from 2023. He has 10 points in 15 games (a far cry from the 23 points that Hunter Brzustewicz has) and that’s thanks to his last six games after going scoreless through his first eight.
Angus McDonell (Center, OHL) is a player who fell on my radar based on his analytics, which were first-rate. Wouldn’t you know it, he’s on a point-per-game pace with the Mississauga Steelheads.
He’s scoring in many different, sometimes incidental, ways.
Lots of scoring (14 points in 14 games).
And ending up on different highlight reels.
But scoring is scoring. MacDonell is by far Dallas’ best CHL prospect right now, so keep your eyes out on this Toronto native.
Dallas doesn’t have much going on in major junior beyond Gardiner, MacDonell, and Bertucci. Justin Ertel (LW, OHL) has six points through 11 games. For a 20-year old, that’s not exactly an encouraging sign, but also not a big deal given where he was picked.
NCAA Prospects
I’m a big fan of Aram Minnetian. With three points through eight games, production isn’t what Stars fans should be looking for, but his overall transition game. Still, he got his first goal of the year last week.
Minnetian is part of an elite group that includes this year’s top five pick in Will Smith, and Philly’s Cutter Gauthier. For Minnetian, it’s gonna come down to how well he can lead a top four that doesn’t include any superstars.
The other big college prospect is Ayrton Martino (LW). With four points in four games for Clarkson University, he’s on another point-per-game pace which is impressive given how much tougher it is to score in the NCAA than the CHL.
European Prospects
Dallas is extremely thin on prospects playing in Europe. Albert Sjoberg and Samuel Sjolund are names that have faded but thin doesn’t mean absent. Daniel Ljungman (C/RW, HockeyAllsvenskan) has 9 points through 15 games, which is a 31 point pace; a massive spike from his previous point totals.
Arno Tiefensee (G, DEL) has a .920 save percentage which is pretty darn good in a professional league. Meanwhile, 19-year old Maxim Mayorov (G, MHL) has a .941 save percentage through his first four games. The Stars have slowly begun to develop a pretty deep pipeline of goalie prospects.