Dallas Stars Prospects Show Promise in a 6-2 Loss to Maple Leafs

The Dallas Stars prospects are currently up in Traverse City, Michigan being apart of the yearly NHL Prospect Tournament. The roster is highlighted by top prospects Logan Stankoven, Wyatt Johnston and Mavrik Bourque. The Stars played their first game tonight and lost to the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-2. We got to see some Stars prospects flourish on the ice while some didn’t have a good game. If you missed the game, here are some takeaways from the loss tonight.

Dallas Stars Prospects vs Maple Leafs: 1. Logan Stankoven is going to force his way onto the 2022 roster

The Dallas Stars front office is going to be watching Logan Stankoven at this years training camp to see if he’s ready for the NHL. Stankoven was pretty good tonight getting into scoring position against the Maple Leafs. He scored one goal tonight by putting his own rebound away on a breakaway. He almost finished the game with two goals, but the Maple Leafs goalie made a good save on that second attempt.

At other times while on the ice, Stankoven was using his big frame to position himself in front of the net for rebounds. The Dallas Stars have a history of not promoting any prospects to their main roster if they have any junior hockey eligibility left. If he continues to play well in Traverse City and at training camp next week, Stankoven might force the Stars to break their tradition.

Dallas Stars Prospects vs Maple Leafs: 2. Wyatt Johnston is super close to making the roster as well

Logan Stankoven isn’t the only prospect trying to force the Stars hand this year. His line mate  Wyatt Johnston showed in the first period of tonight’s game why he should be considered for the opening night roster. If you watched the Stankoven’s goal above, Johnston’s effortless puck poke opened up a breakaway which resulted in a goal. Johnston finished with one assist tonight though the second assist should have counted.

Johnston is one of those players that is selfless and sets up his own teammates before worrying about his stat line. The Stars desperately need someone who can help set up and score goals on the lower lines. If you remember from last season, the Pavelski and sons line was our goal source.

I could possibly see a situation where Johnston and Stankoven end up on the same line on the Stars roster this season. Both of them making the roster this season is pretty slim to none but is something to watch at training camp next week.

Dallas Stars Prospects vs Maple Leafs: 3. Don’t worry about Matt Murray

I’m not too worried about how Matt Murray played tonight between the pipes. More than likely he had a lot of “rust” he needed to shake off tonight. He had a pretty good season at Cedar Park last year and was rewarded with a new two-year AHL contract to return for this season. There’s no reason to hit the panic button on our the Stars’ goalie prospects depth yet Stars’ fans.

Dallas Stars Prospects vs Maple Leafs: Conclusion

Overall, the Stars had a very rough first game but showed signs of promise. I can’t wait to see how this team rebounds after the loss as they have two other games coming up this weekend. For your coverage on the prospect tournament and Stars training camp, continue to follow Blackout Dallas.