There isn’t any Dallas Stars action going on currently, per say. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t news going on around the organization as a whole. Here’s a quick update on the World Championships, Calder Cup Playoffs, and more.
The Dallas Stars are an interesting case when it comes to mid-May hockey action. While the NHL team isn’t participating in postseason action like some other squads, there is still plenty of hockey action to keep up with in the franchise.
On April 19, the Texas Stars (the AHL affiliate of Dallas) began their Calder Cup Playoffs run. In early May, rumors eventually transitioned into the hiring of Jim Montgomery as the Stars’ new head coach. And on May 4, five Dallas Stars players/prospects headed for Denmark to compete in the World Championships.
Most of this action is still holding true as it continues developing and building on itself. So here’s a quick reference to catch you up on all that is going on in the Dallas Stars world right now.
Klingberg, Janmark heading for gold medal game
It was a good Saturday morning for John Klingberg and Mattias Janmark as the pair chipped in to help Sweden defeat the United States at the World Championships. Sweden won the game in a 6-0 routing and will now move on to the finals to face an underdog Swiss team.
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Klingberg had an assist in the game and Janmark tacked on a goal as Sweden cruised to an impressive victory against one of the top teams in the tournament. With the win, the Swedish team is a perfect 9-0-0 in both pool and playoff action and is one win away from a perfect tournament and a gold medal.
The Swedes have dominated throughout the tourney, and both Dallas Stars representatives are chipping in. With the goal this morning, Janmark now has four goals and 10 points in nine games. Klingberg picked up his sixth point (1G, 5A) of the tournament against the US this morning as well.
Sweden will play for its second consecutive gold medal at the World Championships on Sunday, May 20. We’ll see if they can cap off their grand performance with one more victorious effort.
Texas Stars knock off Rockford IceHogs in game one of WCF
It was a pretty terrific Friday night for hockey action in Cedar Park. The Texas Stars, fresh off of a 4-1 round two victory over the Tucson Roadrunners, started the Western Conference Finals off with a bang against the Rockford IceHogs.
The Stars jumped out to an early 2-1 lead at first intermission in front of their home crowd and didn’t stop. They capped off a 4-2 win and handed the IceHogs their first loss of the Calder Cup Playoffs. Remi Elie and Roope Hintz tallied a goal and an assist each and Mike McKenna turned aside 31 of 33 shots on the way to the victory.
Texas is having themselves quite a playoff series and is catching fire at the right moment. Game two is on Sunday night and if it’s anything like game one, Texas might be looking at a commanding lead by the beginning of next week.
Rick Wilson announces retirement
And finally in Dallas Stars “behind the bench” news, assistant coach Rick Wilson announced his retirement on Friday. He was an active coach for 30 years and spent the past season with the Stars and Ken Hitchcock. Wilson also served as an assistant for the Dallas Stars from 1993-2002.
He was a defensive mastermind and helped transform the Dallas defense on multiple occasions, most recently in the 2017-18 season. Wilson was a strong talent behind the bench and the Stars now have a significant void to fill.
To read more about Wilson’s coaching career and all of the good he did for the Dallas Stars organization and the NHL, click here to find the press release.
Next: How Did Ben Bishop's First Year In Dallas Go?
That’s what has happened and is happening in the Dallas Stars world right now, and there’s bound to be plenty more in the coming weeks. Stay tuned.