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Dallas Stars Bringing Heat To Traverse City Tournament

By Josh Clark |

The Traverse City Prospect Tournament will begin it’s 17th year in just eight days. The eight team tournament is held yearly for any teams that want to participate by sending their prospects up to Michigan for a five-day excursion.

This year, their format will once again be an eight-team league with two division of four. The teams scheduled to participate include the Dallas Stars, Chicago Blackhawks, St. Louis Blues, Detroit Red Wings, New York Rangers, Carolina Hurricanes, Minnesota Wild, and Columbus Blue Jackets. If you didn’t already notice, the Central Division has the highest percentage of attendance, with four of their seven teams participating.

The Dallas Stars participated in the tournament last season, and ended up doing a pretty decent job. They finished in second place of the eight teams, losing in the finals to the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-2 in overtime. Though they couldn’t squeak first place, their farm system proved that they are on the rise.

In the tournament, each team will play the other three teams in their division in a round robin format, before having a crossover on the final day. The best team from each division will then face off in the finals.

This year, it looks as though the Dallas Stars may end up having enough firepower to clench first place. Here is a look at the Stars complete 2015 Traverse City Tournament roster, complete with 13 forwards, eight defensemen, and two goaltenders:

D Julius Honka

C Radek Faksa

LW Jason Dickinson

C Devin Shore

D Esa Lindell

D Stephen Johns

G Philippe Desrosiers

D Patrick Sanvido

D Ludwig Bystrom

LW Remi Elie

G Brent Moran

D Aaron Haydon

C Gemel Smith

C Brett Pollock

RW Branden Troock

RW Mads Eller

D Alex Peters

LW Cole Ully

RW Mattias Janmark

RW Emil Molin

LW Chase Witala

RW Brandon Magee

D Chris Martenet

At first glance, this seems like a regular old lineup that any prospect team could line up against. But as you dig deeper, it’s obvious that the Stars are taking a loaded arsenal to Michigan.

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Primarily, the defense is going to be the sharpest point in their scheme. Julius Honka, Esa Lindell, and Stephen Johns are all considered young and NHL-ready. Honka was the Dallas Stars first round pick in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft and put on an intriguing performance at training camp. Though he fell short of the NHL roster, his skills were difficult to match in the AHL. As an offensive-minded defender, he is considered one of the top players to contend for an NHL roster spot in the upcoming year.

Esa Lindell has been in the Stars system since being selected in the 2012 draft. He didn’t get much of a chance to show off his skills in the AHL this past year, but Lindell is on his way to becoming an elite defenseman. His name will more than likely be seen full time on the Texas Stars roster next year, and Dallas Stars fans are just waiting for his physical, offensive play to reach the NHL level.

Stephen Johns has been quite the talk since he was traded from the Chicago Blackhawks as a part of the Patrick Sharp trade back on July 10th. The big, physical defenseman knows how to pack a punch and was a must have on Jim Nill’s list. Nill would later say after the trade was finalized that it wouldn’t have happened had the Stars not received Johns in the deal. Not only that, but the fact that a Hawks beat writer ended up questioning Chicago’s move of trading Johns is just further reassurance. Johns is striving to make the NHL roster this year, and he could be just what the Stars need. A great first step would be proving himself at the tourney.

But the defensemen are only the first layer. There are plenty of prospective Stars that have something to prove at this tournament. Cole Ully, Remi Elie, and Chris Martenet are recent draft picks over the last three years that continue to shine and show all they can do. Philippe Desrosiers is trying to earn a spot at the AHL level in the crease. Jason Dickinson, Radek Faksa, and Devin Shore are considered the Stars three best offensive prospects, and with an NHL club full of scoring talent they could use the opportunity to show  off.

Overall, there are plenty of storylines to follow over the five day tournament. With everything that is on the table at the moment, it would seem odd for the Stars to not sweep the tournament, right?

Next: Stars News: Seguin Touching Hearts, Countdown Is On

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