Dallas Stars: Five Surprise Players From The 2018-19 Season
By Josh Clark
1. Jason Dickinson
Around this time one year ago, Jason Dickinson was skating with the Texas Stars (AHL) as they put together a strong run through the Calder Cup Playoffs. But that wasn’t the most interesting storyline of the 22-year-old forward’s 2017-18 hockey campaign. Instead, it was the 17 different transactions that he had been a part of as he constantly alternated between the AHL and NHL.
But all of that movement wasn’t necessarily Dickinson’s fault. Instead, it was simply a matter of not finding a fit under Ken Hitchcock’s coaching style.
Hitchcock frequently praised Dickinson’s abilities throughout the year and would talk about how he was everything that the Stars wanted in a forward. But when Dickinson was with Dallas, he would skate an average of 8:32 and only played a total of 27 games, tallying no goals and two assists.
It was a lack of space more than anything that led to Dickinson’s frequent trips up and down I-35 during the 2017-18 season. And by the end of the year, he had three goals and five points in 38 NHL games spread across three seasons. Questions began to arise regarding whether Dickinson was becoming yet another first-round flop for Jim Nill after being drafted 29th overall in 2013.
But in 2018-19, he entirely erased the suspicion. The now 23-year-old forward made a significant and lasting impact on the Dallas depth group this past year, using his size and speed to be an asset in multiple areas.
Not only did Dickinson pass his former season-high in points by the Thanksgiving holiday this past year, but he took on a variety of new roles and excelled in them. He became a regular fixture on the penalty kill (skating an average of 1:28 shorthanded per game), turned into a hero in 3-on-3 overtime, let his physical side show, and used a mixture of aggression and determination to make a sudden and lasting impact regardless of where he was put in the lineup.
"“I’ve always believed in myself. Coming into this season, I didn’t think I deserved anything less. It’s just been a matter of putting it together. I try to do the little things on the ice. I try to be on the right side of the puck. It took a few games to get some bounces my way in order to get on the scoresheet to make it look even better than what I was doing. It’s nice to get that recognition and be able to get some more ice time.” – Dickinson from 11/23/18"
Through all of the hi-sticks to the face and vicious collisions with opposing players, Dickinson scored six goals and posted 22 points as well as a +9 rating in 67 games. That was in an average of 13:22 on the ice per game.
He also took his impressive progression a step further in his NHL postseason debut, tallying three goals and five points while averaging 15:57 on the ice in 13 starts. He was a permanent staple in the Stars’ top six throughout their playoff run and helped Dallas form a deep offensive attack that propelled them.
It was an outstanding and somewhat surprising breakout year for Dickinson and proved just how far determination and “doing the little things” can do for a young player. If there’s a loose puck, he’ll scrap for it. If there’s a penalty that needs to be killed, he’ll do everything in his power to make it happen. If there’s a goal that needs to be scored in overtime, he can do that, too. Dickinson showed how useful his strengths can be to this new version of the Dallas Stars and now looks to be a valuable piece of the team’s future.
Not bad for a guy that bounced back-and-forth between the NHL and AHL like a pinball one year ago.