FRISCO, Texas — Of course Julius Honka wants to be in the Dallas Stars opening night lineup.
“I want to play, I mean I get it, I’m in this spot,” Honka said. “But I want to work everyday. I guess all I can do is show I can be a full-time player here and work hard.”
It’s an interesting spot for Honka. He’s stuck in a what feels like hockey’s version of extended spring training.
He’s made the NHL team and is on the opening night roster, but Ken Hitchcock has made it clear Honka isn’t amongst the top-six defenders. In theory, and in a cap-driven world, Honka would have been sent to the AHL as a waiver-exempt player and be starting his season with the Texas Stars on Friday.
Instead Honka is working with assistant coach Rick Wilson during each practice. He’s putting in extra time after each session and Hitchcock’s hope is that the experience will mold Honka into a top-four defender he can trust in NHL competition.
Honka is only three days into the extended practice and attention plan with Wilson, but he said things have been going well so far.
“Really good, smart. He’s been around a long time. He knows what he’s talking about,” Honka said. “Lots of like little stuff that will help me. To play in the NHL you need to play a better game, and those are the biggest things.”
What about watching from the press box? Honka isn’t used to serving as a healthy scratch, so how will he approach the back-to-back games this weekend viewing them from above?
“Mostly I focus on my game, not anything else,” Honka said. “It’s more of a focus of how I can be better in situations. I don’t really care about what other guys are doing, we’re a team, but when I watch a game from upstairs in the press box I want to look down and see how I can be better and I think it’ll be interesting.”
And interesting might be the best word for it. While the Stars are saying the right things about Honka, it’s an experiment that can’t last for too long.
What if the Stars have a strong start to the season? What if there are no issues for the defense? What if those top-six are solid? Will there be room for Honka?
Honka isn’t answering those questions right now. And frankly he doesn’t have to.
“I’m just worried about my game, and making it better,” Honka said. “I want to play, and I need to be ready for when that it.”
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