One thing that makes an NHL hockey team thrive is the prospects it has. While we don't get to see the prospects unless they're called up from the American Hockey League, they are playing a season alongside the NHL team. The Dallas Stars have two afilliates, the Texas Stars and the Idaho Steelheads. Both of them recently made news after clinching playoff spots in their respective leagues. Here's more on how postseason hockey will be played throughout the Stars organization.
Dallas Stars Prospect Teams: The Texas Stars
Based on how the Texas Stars began the season, you could tell it was going to be a long season for Toby Petersen in his first year as the Texas Stars coach. However, they turned it around and clinched their spot in the Calder Cup Playoffs. Players like Cross Hanas and Cameron Hughes have led the team to another postseason birth. As of right now, it's not known who they'll play in the first round. However, kudos to the coaching staff on flipping the script around and not accepting fate after the first week of the season.
Remi Poirier is another player who deserves a lot of credit for the Texas Stars' season. He might not have had a great start to the season, but he has definitely turned it around based on how he was the AHL Goaltender of the Month for March. He's really done a good job, even when he filled in for the Stars for a couple of games when Jake Oettinger's kid was born. He deserved the promotion to starting goaltender for the Texas Stars this season. Let's see how he finishes up his season.
Dallas Stars Prospect Teams: The Idaho Steelheads
The Idaho Steelheads are back in the Kelly Cup Playoffs after another amazing season in the ECHL. Brendan Hoffmann and Kaleb Pearson have stepped up their game over the course of the season to get the Steelheads into the postseason. The Steelheads have had a couple of goalies holding down the fort this season: Ben Kraws and Arno Tiefensee. Both Stars prospects have really grown as professionals, and it's shown through their stats. Their first round opponent is to be determined as well.
I'm sure Dallas Stars General Manager Jim Nill is pleased that all of the teams under the Stars' organization will be playing bonus hockey alongside the Dallas Stars. A couple of seasons ago, we were one of the few NHL teams with both minor league affiliates in the playoffs. Now the Stars have them all in the playoffs again this season. We will have more on how their playoff journeys go here at Blackout Dallas. It's about to be a fun month of April with bonus hockey at every level.