The Dallas Stars may be in the hole for this season, but their future is definitely a bight one, primarily because of the players that they currently have on their roster.
In June 2014, the Dallas Stars were on cloud nine. They had just broken a five-year playoff drought, given the Pacific Division champions a run for their money in a six-game series in the first round, and had a team stacked with young and promising talent.
And then, surprisingly enough, they took it a step further. The Stars drafted defenseman Julius Honka with the 14th overall pick in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.
Luckily, Dallas got a little taste of everything with their 2013-14 season. A promising run to the playoffs at the end of the season, a playoff berth that ended a long skid, and a confident team going forward. Everything seemed to be in perfect alignment.
Honka turned out to be the extra sugar in the tea that made it even sweeter. The Stars picked him up as a means of revamping their defensive group and getting a skilled two-way defender with a right-handed shot was just the way of doing that.
Dallas Stars
After two seasons in the AHL, Honka finally made his long-awaited NHL debut this past November against the Minnesota Wild. After his first game, it was clear that the Stars had lucked out on yet another top draft pick.
Honka’s confidence was imminent from his first shift and left Dallas Stars fans wondering why he hadn’t been called up earlier. He can play high-pressure offense, shutdown defense, and can run a power play like nobody’s business. All in all, he’s one of those “complete package” defensemen. Like a younger version of John Klingberg (if that’s even possible).
But after a mere eight games at the NHL level, the Stars did something strange: they sent him back down to the AHL. His call-up was solely in response to Johnny Oduya‘s injury in mid-November that left him sidelined for six weeks, and Oduya’s return sparked the reassignment. But Honka proved over that span that he was prepared for the NHL style of play.
He went back down to the Texas Stars to get maximum playing time and experience and continued to play as he had before: fast paced and a step ahead.
Since then, the Dallas Stars have struggled substantially on defense. They are among the highest in the league in goals against (3.14 per game) and cannot seem to help the struggling offense out in any way. A bad defense and stalled offense is one of the worst combinations that a team can have in the NHL, and that’s exactly what the Stars have right now.
As the Stars’ season continued to tumble in early March, it was clear that the playoffs were nothing but a dream. That being said, they began preparing for the inevitable early offseason.
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Though they made a few call-ups over the past few weeks to get different prospects some playing time, Honka’s name was never mentioned. But on Wednesday evening, he was brought back in and flown to Massachusetts in time for the Stars to take on the Bruins.
Now that Honka is up along with a few other Texas Stars’ teammates, it’s time for GM Jim Nill to make a decision on him. That decision is based on whether it is time to Honka keep around at the NHL level for the long haul or not.
Honka has already proven to his teammates that he can play a solidified two-way game. He’s prepared for either offense or defense at any moment. Just the other day, Honka made an impressive play happen in Cedar Park and made it seem almost entirely effortless. It just goes to show that he’s ready to move up.
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This needs to be the last call-up for Honka in his career. As of now, he should be considered a full-time NHL player with no thought of ever returning to the AHL. It would simply be another waste of time.
The Dallas Stars did not have a lot go right for them this season, but they were able to use this “test run” year to make some changes and see if they worked. Honka was one of those excellent changes. And though it may seem premature, next year could be their year. With a kid like Honka at the reins, it’s not too far-fetched of a thought.