John Klingberg Showing No Signs Of Sophomore Slump

It’s officially November 20th, and one thing is clear: the 2015-2016 Dallas Stars are much stronger and more determined than the 2014-2015 Dallas Stars.

While the Stars struggled through the early parts of 2014, their performance ended up keeping them out of the playoffs. But this season, the Stars have overpowered their opponents and as a result sit first place overall in the entire NHL.

One year ago today, the Dallas Stars boasted a disappointing record of 6-9-4 with 16 points. This record included a seven-game winless streak and plenty of leads given away in the final period.

But this year, the Stars sit on a record of 16-4-0 with 32 points and have 29 NHL teams looking up at them. It is their best start in franchise history and they show no signs of slowing down as they continue their drive to reclaiming a playoff spot.

When success begins to blossom, people are eager to understand how it came to be. In the Dallas Stars case, it is rather simple: the offense, defense, and goaltending.

Can I get a resounding “duh”? But the fact of the matter is that everything the Stars did right last year they are continuing to do, while everything they did wrong they improved over the offseason and are now doing right.

So this Dallas Stars team is no longer running on fumes, but instead decimating their opponents one-by-one. This performance is why they deserve to be atop the NHL at the moment.

The offense has been good since the beginning of last season and shows no signs of slowing up. After finishing second in the NHL last year in goals scored, the Stars added the services of Patrick Sharp along with some promising rookies and picked up right where they left off last year.

The goaltending was somewhat of an embarrassment last season, to say the least. With the backup position being multiple times between goaltenders last season, Kari Lehtonen was forced to do a majority of the heavy lifting. The only downside was that Lehtonen himself had an off year and the Stars suffered as a result of their play in the crease. By the end of the year, the two goalies remaining on the roster (Lehtonen and Jhonas Enroth) boasted an average save percentage of .905.

But their defense was no attractive sight either. Though the Stars blue line got progressively better as the season went on, it was filled with youth that frequently made common errors.

One of the efforts that GM Jim Nill tried in order to stop the bleeding was by calling on AHL prospect John Klingberg.

The Dallas Stars drafted John Klingberg in the fifth round of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, and he had spent all of his time in the minor leagues up until November 11th when Nill called him up.

Klingberg had undergone hip surgery in the summer before the 2014-2015 offseason and was still getting back to form, which is part of the reason why he missed out on an initial roster spot at the beginning of the year. Still, there was plenty of hope and promise in the then 22-year-old that he could potentially turn the Stars blue line around.

He did so in a very big, if not monumental way. Klingberg had a career rookie season, scoring 11 goals and tallying 40 points in a mere 65 games. His wisdom on defense was hard to match and he rarely allowed an opposing offense to overtake him. Even in the mess that was 2014-2015, Klingberg was still able to salvage a +5 plus-minus rating.

Klingberg ended up finishing fifth in voting for the Calder Memorial Trophy, which is awarded to the rookie who puts on the best performance in his first year of NHL competition.

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This season, the Stars had their blue line strengthened by some additions and returning veterans, Klingberg being one of them. But there was some speculation that Klingberg may be in for a sophomore slump year. He had a lot expected of him and not many were sure if he would be able to pull it off.

By now, it should probably be a rule that no one should ever doubt John Klingberg. Klingberg currently leads all Stars defensemen with four goals (2 GW) and 22 points in just 20 games. He is on pace for over 80 points around 89 points, which is unheard of for a defenseman. He helps run the power play, tallying ten points on that alone. His defensive skills are sharper and he put on some muscle over the offseason in order to use his physicality.

Klingberg is currently tied for fourth in the NHL for points tallied. Funny thing is, he’s third when it comes to Dallas Stars point totals.

Next: Dallas Stars Waltz Out Of D.C. In Sole Control Of First Place

But John Klingberg went from being a sophomore slump candidate to a potential Norris Trophy winner. If he can keep his scoring abilities up and his defensive game locked down, he should not have any trouble securing another trophy for the Stars this year. What a difference a year makes for these Dallas Stars. Not just the players, but the team overall.