Dallas Stars Training Camp: Final Observations From Cedar Park

Dallas Stars training camp in Cedar Park has officially concluded (sad face). From four days of drills and practices, here are our takeaways and observations.

The Dallas Stars concluded their Cedar Park stage of training camp on Monday morning and afternoon with a variety of one-on-one and two-on-two drills, rushes, and blue line entry exercises at HEB Center at Cedar Park. Each of the two groups were on the ice for about an hour and both groups participated in exhausting, energetic training routines to wrap up the camp.

When Dallas Stars training camp rolled into HEB Center at Cedar Park on Friday morning, the feeling was a great unknown. It served as the first time for Ken Hitchcock to see all of his tools as the new head coach of the 2016 Central Division champions, and a coming out party for the myriad of new Dallas Stars that includes Ben Bishop, Alexander Radulov, and Marc Methot.

It was also a chance for players on the cusp of slipping on a Victory Green sweater to insert themselves into the conversation of the roster on one of the most promising teams in the National Hockey League this season. Players like Remi Elie, Julius Honka, and Justin Dowling worked on impressing the Stars front office and coaching staff over the four days in the town north of Austin.

Days one and two consisted of high-tempo drills and extremely physical line rushes with two groups. Day three was split up between a practice with pre-established NHLers who have previously made an impact in the big leagues, and a full, 75-minute scrimmage with Dallas Stars prospects, training camp invites, and those on American Hockey League contracts.

With camp wrapping up Monday in what Hitchcock called a “getaway day,” things were just a little different.

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Like mentioned above, the two groups of 29 and 30 players skated for around 60 minutes in a lot of game-simulation style drills. Obviously, the best players stood out first, however, there were a few killer surprises and shockers amongst the athletes that impressed coaches and writers the most.

Like we’ve done all camp long, we’ll give our classifications for not only today, but training camp in a full scope. Some players were expected to be as great as they were, some stood out for the right reasons, and some slumbered in disappointing ways.

To recap Dallas Stars training camp, here are our categories one more time, complete with all 59 players at the event:

EXPECTED EXCELLENCE

Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn, John Klingberg, Jason Spezza, Alexander Radulov, Ben Bishop, Marc Methot, Dan Hamhuis, Brett Ritchie, Gavin Bayreuther, Stephen Johns, Antoine Roussel, Andrew Bodnarchuk, Mike McKenna

Dallas Stars

Just as we all expected, the best players on the Dallas Stars were exactly that in the third Cedar Park training camp. Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn look to be in the best physical shape of their life, while John Klingberg and Jason Spezza are in line to again rack up a ton of points. New acquisitions Alex Radulov and Ben Bishop gave fans a glimpse into their excellence, while a pair of lockdown defenders in Dan Hamhuis and Marc Methot look primed to be calming forces on the Dallas Stars’ blue line.

Brett Ritchie is back to being the heavy-shooting, massive beast of a goal-scoring winger, as is grinder Antoine Roussel, who both had a camp to remember. Defensemen Stephen Johns, Andrew Bodnarchuk, and Gavin Bayreuther will all be in different roles (Johns with Dallas, Bayreuther as a Texas Stars prospect gaining NHL experience, and Bodnarchuk as a steady AHL rearguard), but all three look ready for what will come next.

Mike McKenna will be the Texas Stars’ starting goaltender this year as the Stars’ front office wanted to shore up the AHL team’s biggest issue from 2016-17 and looks to be, early on, a can’t miss signing.

SURPRISING EXCELLENCE

Julius Honka, Tyler Pitlick, Roope Hintz, Dillon Heatherington, Niklas Hansson, Nicholas Caamano, Gemel Smith, Brian Flynn, Jason Dickinson, Adam Cracknell, Justin Dowling, Sheldon Dries, Remi Elie, Mattias Janmark, Samuel Laberge, Shane Hanna, Greg Pateryn, Patrik Nemeth, Kari Lehtonen, Landon Bow

Thankfully, the Stars had more wonderful surprises than swings and misses in this year’s camp, starting with two players looking to make the jump back into the Dallas Stars’ lineup, Mattias Janmark and Julius Honka, who were both flying out there for the Stars in the best of ways. Young defenders like Niklas Hansson, Shane Hanna, and Dillon Heatherington had a good camp, especially in the prospect scrimmage.

Greg Pateryn and Patrik Nemeth each had a noticeably serviceable and impressive camp, making the decision for the 7th defenseman even harder. Speedy, youthful forwards Roope Hintz, Nicholas Caamano, Remi Elie, Gemel Smith, and Jason Dickinson all looked like NHLers either now or in the near future, making the prospect pool of the Stars look even better. Three veteran forwards with a variety of pro hockey experience, Adam Cracknell, Justin Dowling, and Brian Flynn all showed off their surprising skills this weekend.

Goalies Kari Lehtonen and Landon Bow looked exceptionally composed and big in their nets, which goes to show the massive impact of goaltender coach Jim Bedard. Both netminders have a big year ahead of them as backups in their respective organizational ranks.

UNDERWHELMING

Denis Gurianov, R.J. Umberger, Philippe Desrosiers, Mark McNeill, Jason Robertson, Cole Ully, Ondrej Vala, Jamie Oleksiak

There isn’t necessarily anything wrong with being underwhelming, and often times it’s the expectations that cause these disappointments, but again, these are just players that you’d like to see more assertiveness and consistency out of. Two of the top forward prospects on the Stars, Denis Gurianov and Jason Robertson, could have been a lot better and more involved in the team play aspects of it all. R.J. Umberger, an invitee to camp on a pro tryout agreement, looked old and slow, almost as though he hasn’t played pro hockey in two years.

AHLers Cole Ully and Mark McNeill still can’t tap into the electric junior scoring touch that made the two wingers lethal in their Western Hockey League days. Defenseman Jamie Oleksiak has fallen off the pace of Pateryn and Nemeth in the race for the 7th D spot. Ondrej Vala and Philippe Desrosiers looked generally out of place.

GENERALLY UNNOTICEABLE

Esa Lindell, Radek Faksa, Shaw Boomhower, Curtis McKenzie, Brett Davis, Austin Fyten, Max French, Martin Hanzal*, Colin Markison, Travis Morin, Greg Rallo, Zachary Roberts, Devin Shore, Tomas Soustal, Cole Tymkin, Ludwig Bystrom, Miro Heiskanen*, Matt Mangene, Chris Martenet*, Brett Regnar

It isn’t an issue to be unnoticeable when little is asked of you, which is exactly the case for many of these players. Healthy NHLers like Radek Faksa, Esa Lindell, Devin Shore, and Curtis McKenzie make the list, but again, not necessarily in a bad way, as sometimes you’ll just go unnoticed because of the mass of talent in the pool. AHL leaders like Travis Morin, Greg Rallo, Ludwig Bystrom, and Austin Fyten will still be effective in their roles.

An asterisk denotes injured players that made the training camp roster but didn’t skate in the four-day event.

Next: Stars Fans Should Make Unique Traditions This Season

On Tuesday night, the Stars compete in their first preseason game at American Airlines Center against the St. Louis Blues, their Central Division rivals in the midwest. Jamie Benn, Ben Bishop, and other veterans are slated to suit up in the match for Ken Hitchcock, who rightly says that “fans who pay good money deserve to see them.”

Stay updated on the Dallas Stars with Blackout Dallas as we countdown the days to the regular season opener in Dallas.

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