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Stargazing, A Dallas Stars Puckcast – Episode 270: Texas Stars Fall Forecast 2023

100 Degree Hockey’s Stephen Meserve joins Mark for the latest Cedar Park prospect report.

Defending Big D's Stargazing podcast logo, featuring a Dallas Stars Victory Green cassette tape with tearaway jersey texture and nets over the sprocket holes, designed by Jason Lara
Logo design: Jason Lara | @NHLMaps

100 Degree Hockey’s Stephen Meserve joins Mark for the latest Cedar Park pipeline report.

As a team, the Dallas Stars are building a fine season. But as an organization, they’re building fine seasons in all their affiliates, and over time as well. And a couple of times a year, we like to take a closer look at how that’s working for them.

In case you’ve just met Mark Zimmerman, he can talk about the Texas Stars all day – but it’s more fun to listen when he can bounce off someone who has as much passion for Cedar Park hockey as he does. For that, he’s joined by Stephen Meserve, founder of the seminal T-Stars news site 100 Degree Hockey and co-author of We Win Here: The Definitive Essays You Need About The Texas Stars.

In this episode, they discuss the players to watch, the state of the feeder leagues, and the organizational depth the Dallas Stars organization has been working to build. They also measure the Texas Stars as a Calder Cup playoffs team, and how that will help the big team in Big D during a deep Stanley Cup run.

Been wondering if FloHockey TV is worth getting? We discuss that, too. This is Stargazing – brought to you by BetOnline.

What do you want to know about the Stars organization? Tell us in the comments. We’ll use them in a future cast. (No, really!)

By the way, here’s a link about that “ECHL Unfiltered” series on the Idaho Steelheads. And a trailer, while you’re here.

One more thing: Please give us a rate, review or share wherever you listen. We love you all.

A fair number of Dallas Stars enjoyers have perceived that fan fave Thomas Harley has been doing more, but with less to show for it, since the 2025-26 NHL season began. Is this a problem with his defensive partners? The lingering effects of his injury in November, and the missed games that resulted? The predictable struggles of a still very young blueliner? Something more concerning? Or less? …If only there were some way of measuring it all. You know, with math and stuff. In this episode of Stargazing, Mark sat down for an incredibly specific Stars conversation with Puck Over The Glass founder (and friend of DBD) Aaron Knodell. With Aaron's recent article on Harley's output as a jumping-off point, they take a deep dive into the Stars' defense — the pairings, the performances, the effects of Glen Gulutzan's new system, and so much more. You don't play like an elite NHL defender for two years and just forget how, do you? We’re Stargazing, and we're beginning to think not. Are you looking for Team Canada Thomas Harley in Milano-Cortina? And while we're talking about it, who you got for the men's and women's Olympic hockey hardware? Let’s talk about it at Defending Big D. (And put your picks up now. You don't get to come in on February 23 and say you went 14-0 in the medal rounds.) And please, give us a rate, review, or share wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to Stargazing. We love you. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
  1. Harley Kick
  2. Everything/Nothing
  3. Incremental
  4. Know Your Limits
  5. Built This Way, Part 2

Talking Points