I'm sorry for the delay with today's article. I forgot how bright it is to look at a computer screen after getting your eyes dilated at your yearly eye exam. I wasn't expecting much of a game from the Dallas Stars this past Saturday night.
Typically, hockey teams struggle to turn things around in a game two days after the start of training camp. However, the Stars were able to defy the odds and beat the St. Louis Blues 2-1 in a shootout at the American Airlines Center. It was a great night on all fronts as Mavrik Bourque and Sam Steel led the way to the impressive victory. If Mavrik can turn his game up to the next level, God bless the Central Division this season.
The Stars have turned their attention to the Minnesota Wild since they will be playing them in back-to-back games this week. I'm sure there will be two different squads playing this week since it will allow some of the Texas Stars players to get some action before traveling down south for their training camp momentarily. Here are some of the things that went on at training camp today that you should know about before tomorrow's game against the Wild.
Dallas Stars Training Camp: Harls in Charge on top power play line?
When I opened social media today, I did not expect to see Harley getting practice with the top power play line. DLLS Sports Writer Sam Nestler was just as surprised that Harley was practicing with the top line this morning. While it could just be for today's practice, Harley being on the opening power play line would be a significant shift on opening night. The reason is that Miro Heiskanen has been on the top power play unit for a long time.
Harley is becoming one of the elite defensemen in the NHL. There's a reason why Jim Nill called him up to the 4-Nations Faceoff last season when Team Canada needed a defenseman because of an injury. Now, Harley is setting himself up for a massive payday from the Dallas Stars. He's a huge part of the young core and expected to be a massive contributor for the Stars this upcoming season. Maybe it's time for Miro to pass on the torch to Harley.
Dallas Stars Training Camp: Here were the line combinations for today
Nestler also posted the line combinations for the Stars on X this morning. There are some interesting line combinations with the forwards. One thing that stands out is that Jamie Benn is off the top line. I knew that wasn't going to last since Benn would have slowed down the line significantly. A player like Steel or Robertson would work a lot better getting the top line to produce some goals.
Stars practice lines on Monday:
— Sam Nestler (@samnestler) September 22, 2025
Steel - Hintz - Rantanen
Benn - Duchene - Seguin
Robertson - Johnston - Bourque
Bäck - Faksa - Blackwell
Bastian - Hryckowian - Lind
Lindell - Heiskanen
Harley - Lundkvist
Bichsel - Lyubushkin
Kolyachonok - Petrovic
Oettinger
DeSmith
Kraws
I don't even have any changes to the defenseman lines. That's probably what you'll see on opening night. Although I would like to see the Stars pair up Heiskanen and Harley for one or two preseason games. I don't know, but I could see some chemistry with those two being partners on the ice. I know Glen Gulutzan doesn't want to pair them together so that the defense is even across the board, but it's preseason, and it couldn't hurt with the games not counting at all right now.
Dallas Stars Training Camp: Have a good season younglings
The Dallas Stars also posted the players who were sent back to their junior clubs today. I knew the writing was on the wall that Cameron Schmidt would be returning to the Vancouver Giants for the upcoming season. While I wished the Stars allowed him to play a preseason game, getting back to his junior club is the right thing to do. The Stars did the same thing with Emil Hemming last season, and look how it turned out. I wish all these prospects the best of luck this season. Go out and represent the Dallas Stars with class this season.
We have made the following roster moves:@Shift4 | #TexasHockey pic.twitter.com/xqI98HfUXM
— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) September 22, 2025