With a break in the series against the Dallas Stars and the Vegas Golden Knights, I figured I would share some great news about our top two prospects in the organization. In the last couple of days, it was announced that Mavrik Bourque was named the 2023-24 Les Cunningham AHL MVP recipient. He joins Travis Morin as the only Texas Star to win the award.
It was also announced that Logan Stankoven even picked up an AHL award. He won the Dudley Garrett Memorial Award for most outstanding rookie. He joins Curtis McKenzie and Riley Damiani as a recipient of the Rookie of the Year award. Surprisingly. Stankoven won the trophy, even though he was promoted to the Dallas Stars in March. It shows how good of a hockey player he was as a rookie in the AHL.
Stankoven more than likely has played his last game in a Texas Stars uniform unless he gets injured. He has given life to the Stars since being called up. Pete DeBoer said it's hard to find a reason to take Stankoven out of the lineup. He is a versatile hockey player and contributed to game one against the Golden Knights. He grabbed the media's attention in his first few NHL games. They had questions on how Stankoven fell to the second round of the NHL Draft back in 2021.
Stankoven should be a force next season in the NHL. It wouldn't surprise me if he is the favorite to win the Calder Trophy next season. Also, don't be surprised if he gets offered a massive extension after his contract expires. I can't wait to see how DeBoer even promotes him to the top power play line. He will be a force in the NHL for a very long time.
Bourque 100% deserves the AHL MVP award for all he accomplished this season. When you score 32 goals and record 56 assists, that will win you some postseason hardware. Unfortunately, Nill had to keep Bourque down in the AHL this season. Fans understand he was sent to the AHL due to the free-agency signings. However, he's ready for the NHL level next season.
Adding him to the lineup would help out the Stars next season. Seeing him get some playing time on the second line if the Stars don't re-sign Matt Duchene would be an ideal spot for him in the lineup. Tyler Seguin could take him under his wing like Jamie Benn took Stankoven under his. As of now, I don't know if he will make the opening night roster next season. There are a lot of things the Stars will consider this offseason. One of those decisions will be willing to move on from Joe Pavelski or Duchene to put him in the lineup. The future is looking very bright if you're a Stars fan.