Dallas Stars forward Mason Marchment is having a breakout season—and this isn’t the first time he’s done it. As the Stars prepare to face the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday night, Marchment has emerged as a game-changer, combining grit with skill to deliver the best stretch of his six-year career.
How to watch: You can watch the puck drop at 9 p.m. from T-Mobile Arena off the Las Vegas Strip. Watch the live stream on Victory+ and catch the radio call on The Ticket.
Marchment is on pace to shatter his career-best numbers. In 24 games this season, he has 11 goals and 14 assists – more than a point-per-game pace. Now in his third year with the Stars, the 29-year-old has improved each year with the club.
“Mason’s really evolved as a player,” Stars coach Pete Deboer said after the team’s 3-1 win Sunday over Winnipeg. “Even over the time here in Dallas, he’s just getting better and better.”
Marchment, who grew up in the Toronto area, also had a breakthrough year in the 2021-22 season as a member of the Florida Panthers. The undrafted forward had 18 goals, 29 assists and 47 points in 54 games for the Panthers that year. Good enough to earn him a four-year, $18 million contract with the Stars later that summer.
While his on-ice performance garners much of the attention, his value as a teammate and his strong off-ice chemistry are equally celebrated.
During his last year in Florida, Marchment’s found chemistry with linemates Sam Reinhart and Anton Lundell. That trio was instrumental in the 2021-22 President’s Trophy-winning season, combining for an impressive 173 points in a performance that only grew stronger as the campaign progressed.
“The first thing I think of with him is how he was in the room. He’s a personality,” Reinhart said about Marchment in a 2022 ESPN story. “He’s going to be himself no matter what, and guys are drawn to that. He’s such a popular and likable guy. It’s an unbelievable trait to have. No matter how he’s doing on the ice, off the ice, he’s the same. He just carries himself in such an awesome way.”
Driving Marchment’s success with the Stars is the chemistry he’s built with linemates Matt Duchene and the currently sidelined Tyler Seguin. Duchene is putting up career numbers – leading the Stars in both goals (12) and assists (16). The Stars trio has accounted for 39 percent of the team’s goals. Rookie Logan Stankhoven has replaced Seguin on the line.
Perhaps nothing emphasizes Marchment’s breakout campaign better than the incredible spinning backhand goal he had in Sunday’s 3-1 win. DeBoer described the goal as “an unbelievable skilled play.”
WHAT A GOAL FROM MASON MARCHMENT 🌟
— NHL (@NHL) December 1, 2024
He gives the @DallasStars the lead in the third period! pic.twitter.com/llWPZBn4Mv
Marchment’s unconventional path to the NHL began when the Toronto Maple Leafs signed him to an American Hockey League contract in 2016, despite his late start in major junior hockey at age 19. He later inked a two-year, entry-level deal with the Leafs on March 17, 2018, before being traded to the Florida Panthers on February 19, 2020.
“I think he was a late bloomer to start,” Deboer said. “Because of that, he’s still got runway left. Despite the fact that he’s not a young guy – he’s an old guy yet – but he’s still improving every year.”
Dallas Stars Lineup
Jason Robertson (21) – Roope Hintz (24) – Wyatt Johnston (53)
Mason Marchment (27) – Matt Duchene (95) – Logan Stankoven (11)
Jamie Benn (14) – Sam Steel (18) – Evgenii Dadonov (63)
Oskar Bäck (10) – Mavrik Bourque (22) – Colin Blackwell (15)
Miro Heiskanen (4) – Ilya Lyubushkin (46)
Thomas Harley (55) – Matt Dumba (46)
Esa Lindell (23) – Nils Lundqvist (5)
Jake Oettinger (29)
Casey DeSmith (1)
Lineup notes: As noted earlier, Stankoven played well alongside Duchene and Marchment in a 3-2 loss against the LA Kings on Wednesday, replacing the injured Seguin. Stankoven is among rookie leaders with 16 points this season – a number with potential to grow on a potent line.
“Duchene and Marchment are playing at a really high level, so whoever goes in there just has to fit in and keep up.” said DeBoer about Stankhoven joining the line.
Vegas Golden Knights Lineup
Ivan Barbashev (49) – Jack Eichel (9) – Victor Olofsson (95)
Tomas Hertl (48) – Nicolas Roy (10) – Keegan Kolesar (55)
Brett Howden (21) – William Karlsson (71) – Pavel Dorofeyev (16)
Tanner Pearson (70) – Cole Schwindt (22) – Alexander Holtz (26)
Brayden McNabb (3) – Shea Theodore (27)
Noah Hanifin (15) – Alex Pietrangelo (7)
Nicolas Hague (14) – Kaedan Korczak (6)
Adin Hill (33)
Ilya Samsonov (35)
Things to watch
Nils Lundkvist trending up
He played a good game Wednesday against LA with 6 shots on goals. While he’s struggled with points this season, he’s been trending upward. Keep an eye out for a breakout game from the Swede soon. Lundkvist has maintained a +16 rating on the ice throughout his 163-game career, not easy for someone who doesn’t score much.
Wyatt Johnston
The kid’s on a hot streak, finally. While it was a slow start to the season, Wyatt Johnston has recorded points in seven of his last eight games. Playing alongside speedy center Roope Hintz is proving to be a big boost for the third-year forward.
Rivalry Matchup
You could make a case for Vegas being Dallas’ biggest rival. The two teams have met in the playoffs in three of the last five seasons. The Stars took an epic seven-game series last season in the opening round, and Vegas knocked the Stars out of the playoffs the prior year in the Western Conference Finals.