The Dallas Stars announced their roster for the Traverse City Prospects Tournament on Tuesday, unveiling a roster with 11 official prospects and 11 free agent invitees.
On the roster the noticeable omission is Miro Heiskanen, the Stars top prospect and No. 3 pick in the 2017 NHL Draft. Heiskanen sustained an injury last week in Finland and won’t compete in the tournament, but he is still expected to take part in NHL training camp the following week.
It’s also important to note college players (such as Riley Tufte and Jake Oettinger) aren’t eligible for the Traverse City Tournament or NHL Training Camps, that’s why they aren’t on the roster.
For the Stars management this is a chance to watch their prospect pool against their peer groups. How do they stack up? How do individual players react to certain situations? And are there any surprises (good or bad) in the prospect pool?
“I just want to see how players perform against their own age bracket,” Stars assistant general manager Scott White said. “Most of the players are young players that aren’t quite pros yet. It gives the young players a good self evaluation of where they are. And ultimately gets them prepared for the main training camp.”
White, who is also the Texas Stars GM and responsible for assembling the Traverse City roster, said the tournament is also a big opportunity for the free agent invites.
“It’s a heavily scouted tournament, so (free agents) aren’t just trying to impress the Dallas Stars, they are playing in front of scouts from 30 other NHL teams,” White said. “That’s a big opportunity, and we’ve seen players win jobs like that. Maybe not with the team they are playing for, but with another team that signs them in the future.”
The prospect team will be coached by Texas Stars coach Derek Laxdal and his staff. The tournament starts on Friday with a game against the Columbus Blue Jackets prospects, and Dallas will also play against St. Louis and Minnesota during the five-day event. The games will be streamed live on the Detroit Red Wings website and Fox Sports Go.
Here is a breakdown of the roster the Stars will be bringing to Traverse City.
Forwards
Shaw Boomhower (Mississauga Steelheads, OHL)
Boomhower wasn’t drafted, but still took part in the Stars Development camp back in July. He’s not the biggest player at 5-foot-11 but plays a physical game and had 102 penalty minutes last season in the OHL.
Nick Caamano (Flint Firebirds, OHL)
Caamano was one of the youngest players on the Traverse City roster last season and had a nice showing as a 17-year-old. He built on that experience and finished with 35 goals and 64 points in 67 OHL games before a brief AHL cameo. He’s been earmarked as one of the players to watch by those in the Stars organization.
“He’s a player I’m interested in seeing, he wasn’t overpowered with us at the end of the season and he could have a big season this year in the OHL,” Laxdal said. “He’s a goal scorer and he’s going to get a nice opportunity in Traverse.”
Brett Davis (Kootenay Ice, WHL)
The Stars sixth round pick (163rd overall) in the 2017 NHL Draft, Davis has good size (6-foot-1, 185 pounds and is a bit of a raw prospect. He played for two struggling teams in the WHL last season, but still put up 22 points in 30 game with Kootenay after a midseason trade from Lethbridge.
Sheldon Dries (Texas Stars, AHL)
Dries is on an AHL contract with the Texas Stars after finishing a four-year collegiate career at Western Michigan. He was the captain at Western Michigan for three seasons, and plays a strong all-around game. He was signed as organizational depth and could split time between the AHL and ECHL this season.
Max French (Texas Stars, AHL)
Another AHL-contracted player, and the oldest player on the roster. French was a point-per-game scorer for Bentley University in the AHL, and should have an impact in Traverse City as one of the older players. Similar to Dries, he’s an AHL depth option.
Denis Gurianov (Texas Stars, AHL)
Gurianov used his Traverse City experience last season to build on a strong AHL rookie season as a teenager. Russian has been skating in Friso at informal skates over the past couple weeks, and with his AHL experience he’s expected to be one of the Stars better players in the tournament.
“We saw flashes of Denis game last season and that’s good, but he still has small things to add to his game there and there,” Laxdal said. “He can be more of a scorer and he can do more offensively, and he was starting to make adjustments to do that late in the season. He’s great off the ice, we’ve all seen it, and I think he should have some nice confidence after (this weekend).”
Roope Hintz (Texas Stars, AHL)
Hintz is making his full North American debut this season with the Texas Stars and could copy the Mattias Janmark model as a Euro player that has a strong showing in Traverse City and then builds on that in training camp. Hintz is a playmaking forward and that can score, and there are high expectations.
“I believe he can be similar to what Janmark did,” White said. “He has to perform and take advantage of his chances. But he has a great start already.”
Samuel Laberge (Texas Stars, AHL)
Laberge is on an AHL contract with the Texas Stars and has made the most of his chances with Dallas. He was invited to development camp the past two seasons, and he was part of the Traverse City roster last season where he impressed Stars management with his hard work.
“He does everything you ask,” White said. “You need players like that in your organization.”
Vince Loschiavo (Kootenay Ice, WHL)
A teammate of Stars draft pick Brett Davis, Loschiavo impressed the Stars WHL scouts with his work ethic and overall performance on a bad team. He has good size at 6-foot-2 and could be a candidate for an AHL contract after he finishes his junior career.
Zach Roberts (Owen Sound Attack, OHL)
A free agent invitee that had 22 points last season with Owen Sound. More of a defensive-minded forward.
Jason Robertson (Kingston Frotenacs, OHL)
The Stars second-round pick in the 2017 NHL Draft. Robertson has first round talents, but dropped into the second round because of concerns around his skating ability. One of the younger players on the roster (he just turned 18 in July) but he should be given a chance to play big minutes in Traverse City.
Tomas Soustal (Kelowna Rockets, WHL)
Czech center that is entering his final year in the WHL with Kelowna. He went undrafted and could be a candidate for an AHL contract next offseason. Well-rounded all-around center in the WHL that plays in all situations.
Cole Tymkin (London Knights, OHL)
Free agent invite from the London Knights. As an 17-year-old he was buried on London’s lineup, but could play a bigger role this season.
Defense
Gavin Bayreuther (Texas Stars, AHL)
Prize college free agent signing for Dallas in the offseason, he’s going to play big minutes in Traverse City. He’s a strong puck-moving defender, and the Stars are expecting him to be one of the better defenders in the tournament as a 23-year-old.
Shane Hanna (Texas Stars, AHL)
Likely headed to the ECHL this season, Hanna has a chance to impress the Texas Stars coaching staff in Traverse City. Michigan Tech grad has a strong connection with White, also a Tech grad, and plays a simple, yet reliable game in the defensive zone.
Niklas Hansson (Texas Stars, AHL)
Right-handed defender is coming to North American this season and is expected to play a big role with the Texas Stars. He’s transitioning to smaller ice, but that didn’t appear to be much of an issue at development camp back in July.
“We’re going to learn more about him this week,” Laxdal said. “Players want to play, and we’re really going to be able to see what type of game he’s going to bring over here by playing him in every situation (in Traverse).”
Chris Martenet (Texas Stars, AHL)
Martenet is turning pro this season and is on the bubble for the AHL roster. He could likely end up in the ECHL, but with a strong showing at the tournament he could force his way into the Texas Stars lineup. He’s got good size and decent puck skills, but he struggled with the speed in Traverse City in 2016 and that’s going to be a point of emphasis this week.
John Nyberg (Frolunda, SHL)
Nyberg’s season has already started and he’s competed in a trio of games with Frolunda in the Champions Hockey League, so he might have a jumpstart on the rest of the competition. He’s a smooth-skating defender that makes smart puck decisions. He will be playing on smaller ice than he’s used to in Sweden, so there could be an adjustment.
Eric Sweetman (Texas Stars, AHL)
Sweetman ended up on the Stars radar when they were heavily pursuing Bayruether as a college free agent. Bayreuther’s former defense partner at St. Lawrence University, he’s not overly flashy and makes the smart plays with the puck. Was signed as AHL depth and could spend this season in the ECHL.
Ondrej Vala (Kamloops Blazers, WHL)
Vala earned himself an NHL contract with his showing in Traverse City last season. The big defender is a bit of a long-term project, but his size and shot (he had 25 points last season) make him an intriguing one for Dallas.
Goalies
Landon Bow (Texas Stars, AHL)
Bow is expected to get the majority of the starts in Traverse City, meaning he could start three or even all four games as the lone prospect in goal on the roster. He’s headed into a training camp battle with Philippe Desrosiers for a job in Cedar Park.
Jeremy Brodeur (Free agent)
Free agent invitee is the son of Martin Brodeur and will serve as the back-up in the tournament. May get a start depending on how coaches decide to handle Bow’s workload with four games in five days.
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