Dallas Stars Power Rankings For Month Of December

The problem with having Marc Methot any higher than last place on the rundown is that… well, he didn’t play a single game in December. The penalty killing big man hasn’t suited up since November 6th, even.

We need Methot to succeed going forward, so if this was a value ranking rather than a power ranking, he would be much higher (especially given his noticeable absence on the penalty kill). However, we need #33 on the ice for him to ascend back into the top-dozen like in October.

Jason Dickinson’s spot remains unchanged on our power rankings because he played just one December game, being recalled from the American Hockey League’s Texas Stars a number of times. It was a hard-fought shootout win on the road against the New York Rangers, during which Dickinson won a few faceoffs, took 13 shifts for 7:30, and fired two shots on net.

It seems underwhelming, but Dickinson’s effort in that game, an extremely physical one, was exactly what you want from a recall option: just play the game. Luckily that isn’t all we’ll see from the former first-round pick going forward, as he remains high on the Stars’ prospect rankings.

As someone who covers the Texas Stars, I appreciate Curtis McKenzie as the captain of a team that carries our future NHL anchors. As for the NHL version of Curtis McKenzie, he isn’t the best, but he isn’t really supposed to be. McKenzie checks in at a suitable #23 on our list because of it.

He played four December games, his lone four major league appearances in 2017-18, but tallied an assist and a 60.7 Corsi For percentage in the small sample size. He had settled into a team-first role in the organization, and that should not go unappreciated. Besides, I won’t complain, working in Cedar Park means I can see that beautiful smile more often.

Jamie Oleksiak had a miraculous two-point game earlier this month, that included a garbage time goal and a fortuitous secondary assist in a loss to Nashville. It was the second-happiest an Oleksiak fact made me this month.

The first was when the former 11th-overall selection was traded to Pittsburgh for a conditional draft pick. It happened. It finally happened. We won.

Stephen Johns has to like playing with a more skilled defensive partner in Julius Honka, right? Well, to a degree. His ice time has gone down a tad since the Oleksiak deal as he isn’t playing power play time anymore (in place of Honka), but it’s like that has made him better. His Corsi For percentage for the last five games of December check out heavily at over 53%, and he has been able to drastically simplify his game.

Sometimes that’s what a third-pairing defenseman needs: a simplicity to their game, which drives effectiveness and confidence. Oh, and not being alongside Jamie Oleksiak… *whispers* which also drives effectiveness and confidence.