Dallas Stars News: Stars Release 2019-20 Preseason Schedule

DALLAS, TX - DECEMBER 29: Radek Faksa #12, Tyler Pitlick #18, Roman Polak #45, Miro Heiskanen #4 and the Dallas Stars celebrate a goal against the Detroit Red Wings at the American Airlines Center on December 29, 2018 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Glenn James/NHLI via Getty Images)
DALLAS, TX - DECEMBER 29: Radek Faksa #12, Tyler Pitlick #18, Roman Polak #45, Miro Heiskanen #4 and the Dallas Stars celebrate a goal against the Detroit Red Wings at the American Airlines Center on December 29, 2018 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Glenn James/NHLI via Getty Images)

With the Stanley Cup Final ending just hours ago, the countdown to the 2019-20 season has already begun. The Dallas Stars took the first step in gearing up for next season on Thursday morning by releasing their 2019-20 preseason schedule.

The Dallas Stars have been in offseason mode for the past 37 days. And while the final two rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs played out, the Stars were busy re-signing pending free agents, making the decision to part ways with others, and preparing their offseason playbook.

But on Wednesday night, the St. Louis Blues capped off the 2019 postseason with their first Stanley Cup championship in franchise history as they downed the Boston Bruins on the road in Game 7. And with that, they effectively closed the book on the 2018-19 season.

As a result, all 31 teams (though one is celebrating more than the rest) woke up on even ground on Thursday morning. The NHL is now in offseason mode, the slate is clean, and the time to begin looking ahead at the 2019-20 season is here.

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But while much of the league’s focus has already shifted to the 2019 NHL Entry Draft and the opening of Free Agency, there are other matters to deal with first when preparing for the new season at hand. The Stars dealt with one of those important matters on Thursday morning by announcing their preseason schedule for the 2019-20 season.

The 2019-20 preseason slate includes seven games for the Dallas Stars, including three home games at the American Airlines Center, three away games, and one neutral site game in Tulsa, Okla. at the BOK Center.

The Stars will play a total of four different opponents during their preseason campaign, being the St. Louis Blues, Colorado Avalanche, Minnesota Wild, and Florida Panthers. They will play a home-and-home matchup with the Blues, Avalanche, and Wild, while the matchup against the Panthers will be a single, neutral site contest.

The beginning of the preseason will back up to the end of the Stars’ 2019 Training Camp session, which will begin at the Comerica Center in Frisco, Texas on Friday, Sept. 13.

Here’s a look at their upcoming preseason slate:

Monday, September 16 / vs. St. Louis Blues 7:30 p.m.

Tuesday, September 17 / @ Minnesota Wild / 7:00 p.m.

Thursday, September 19 / @ Colorado Avalanche 8:00 p.m. 

Saturday, September 21 / vs. Florida Panthers (in Tulsa) 7:00 p.m. 

Tuesday, September 24 / @ St. Louis Blues 7:00 p.m. 

Thursday, September 26 / vs. Minnesota Wild 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, September 28 / vs. Colorado Avalanche 5:00 p.m.

Similar to previous preseasons, the 2019 preseason slate offers a hefty dosage of Central division opponents for the Stars, with the journey starting off against the reigning Stanley Cup champions.

Tickets for the three Dallas Stars home preseason games will go on sale on Thursday, June 20, with a special pre-sale being available to Stars Insiders starting on Wednesday, June 19.

The preseason is an exciting time of the year as fans, the coaching staff, and the front office get an up-close look at positional battles within the organization. Players duke it out for roster spots and playing time during training camp, but the preseason offers a bigger and more effective stage for each skater and goaltender to make his case.

In the past few seasons, the Stars have seen various prospects turn strong preseason showings into a starting spot on opening night. That list includes names like Roope Hintz and Mattias Janmark.

And with younger players making statements through their play either in the AHL or brief NHL stints last year, the 2019 preseason is shaping up to be another fun battle for positioning on the depth chart in the Stars organization.

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With that being said, go ahead and start your countdown to a Stars-Blues rematch.