Dallas Stars Being Led By Colton Sceviour Amidst Drought
By Josh Clark
Colton Sceviour has been an effective depth scorer for the Stars since joining the team two years ago. Now the Stars need him more than ever, and he has answered the call.
In the fourth round of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, the Dallas Stars selected RW Colton Sceviour from the Portland Winter Hawks of the WHL. Sceviour was coming off of a 12-26-38 season in 49 games with the Hawks, which helped him to being picked 112th overall.
He was drafted just a few months after his eighteenth birthday, and spent the following two years of his career in the WHL. After an 80 point season in 08-09, Sceviour was called up to the Texas Stars organization in the AHL. He immediately began making an impact, scoring nine goals and tallying 31 points in his first season.
He played his first NHL game with the Dallas Stars on February 5th, 2011 against the Arizona Coyotes. Sceviour would switch back and forth between the AHL and NHL for the following few seasons. But after leading the Texas Stars in scoring with 63 points in 54 games in 2013-2014, Sceviour got the call to officially move him to the NHL level for good.
Sceviour would play 26 games with the Dallas Stars during their 2013-2014 season, along with all six playoff games. In the 32 games played, he scored a total of nine goals and tallied six assists for a total of 15 points.
When 2014-2015 rolled around, Sceviour was put in a less intense role: the scoring depth role. His minutes were cut from 14:53 to 12:43 and he mainly started on the third and fourth lines.
As everyone knows, last season was quite unkind to the Stars. Due to their inexperienced defense and atrocious goaltending situation, the Stars played catchup for the majority of the season and never made it to a wild card spot. As a result, they went home early.
But a late push in March helped the Dallas Stars fan base stay faithful to the end of the season that a playoff spot could potentially happen. In the month of March alone, the Stars went 10-5-0. Sceviour was one of the prime factors in helping the Stars stay afloat through the month.
Skating on the fourth line with Patrick Eaves and Vernon Fiddler, Sceviour put together a strong push that helped round out the depth scoring. By the end of the year, he had nine goals and tallied 26 points in 71 games.
The Dallas Stars entered this season with plenty more firepower and experience in their lineup, and have succeeded heftily so far because of it. The Stars (40-20-8) are one of the three best teams in the league and are looking forward to leaving a mark on this year’s postseason.
Colton Sceviour, whether fans acknowledge it or not, has played an influential role on the team. Though he only has nine goals and 18 points through 60 games, his production on the bottom lines with only 12:32 average on the ice is definitely something special.
Stars head coach Lindy Ruff has him back on the third and fourth lines, primarily partnered once again with veteran Vernon Fiddler. The two are back at it on the ice, playing their roles perfectly and helping the Stars success in the long run.
“We have a good repertoire playing together and knowing what the other person is thinking,” Sceviour said of Fiddler. “He’s a veteran player so you know he’s going to be in the right spot. He takes a lot of the guesswork out which makes playing with him a lot easier.”
Sceviour is successfully filling the depth scoring role for the second straight year, and the Stars are using it to their full advantage right now. Over the past few games, the Dallas Stars’ usually dominant top duo of Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin has gone cold. Benn is now seven straight games without a goal, and Seguin is six.
So where has the offense been coming from? While it has been a team effort from all four lines, Sceviour is putting in his fair share of work. In the past eight games (where Seguin and Benn have experienced their slum), Sceviour has four goals and two assists.
“I think I was too focused on points and production early on, and it was hindering me a bit,” Sceviour said of his recent increased play. “I was so focused on it that when it wasn’t coming, I got down on myself more. But once I started focusing more on other things in the game and little things like effort that I could work on, the chances kind of came and I was a little looser around the net.”
The 26-year old forward is currently in the last year of his 2-year deal with the Stars signed back in February 2014. His cap hit sits at $650,000, and he will be an unrestricted free agent come July 1st.
More stars: Injury Bug Plaguing Stars At Worst Point In Season
There are no guarantees for any Dallas Stars’ players right now in regards to new contracts. GM Jim Nill constantly looks for the most promising talent and spends every penny wisely. With all of the strong prospects in the system eager to play at the NHL level, things are getting a little tight in the Dallas locker room.
But one thing is sure: Colton Sceviour is giving all he’s got right now and proving that he can step up when the Stars need him most. If that is not a prime attribute to use in contract negotiations, I don’t know what is.
Sceviour could be signed to a small-time deal with a pay increase and continue to fulfill the depth scoring role. But we’ll just have to wait on the offseason before talking about all of that. For now, let’s just continue watching him play his heart out on a team that needs all the healthy hearts they can get at this point.
Next: Stars' Chances Against Potential Playoff Opponents
The Dallas Stars start up a five-game home stand tomorrow, and all five teams visiting are playoff bound. They start with the two teams they are tangled in the top of the Central Division with, being the Chicago Blackhawks and St. Louis Blues. With all of the injuries they face, the Stars will need Colton Sceviour to be at his best. So far, he’s proved that he can do it.