Dallas Stars training camp notebook: Day 1

Dallas Stars hockey is back! We have arrived at the first day of 2024-25 training camp. Exciting times.

Day 1 featured some nifty goals, gigantic prospects, and amazing moments with a heck of a lot of fans. Let’s look at some notes.

Finally, some righty/lefty defense pairings

Fans and media in Dallas have been hoping for a chance to see a Stars defense group that finally features players on their strong sides; left-handed D-men on the left, and right on the right. It could lead to simpler and more effective plays, especially in the offensive zone.

Today, coach Pete DeBoer gave us that gift. Here is how Dallas lined up during the team scrimmage:

• Heiskanen-Dumba
• Harley-Lyubushkin
• Lindell-Lundkvist/Smith
• Bichsel-Petrovic

Each of the four pairings has that lefty/righty combo, and DeBoer gave us some insight into the decision during his media availability.

“There’s definitely thought put into the left/right, that’s something we definitely want to explore a little bit more,” DeBoer said. “I don’t know if we’ll end up there, but we have at least options on the right now that we can do that. But you know, too early to start talking about pairs and chemistry and things like that. But the left, right thing for sure, is something that we want to explore through the exhibition games and see if we can find combinations that work.”

Impressive prospects

The player that stood out most to me on Day 1 was Mavrik Bourque. The 22-year-old scored a nifty goal–high glove on 6-foot-6 Magnus Hellberg–during the scrimmage.

Bourque centered a line between Jamie Benn and Logan Stankoven, and they looked great together. Bourque scored, and Stankoven had a couple scoring chances off turnovers up the ice. They look like they will be a menace on the forecheck.

Unanimous decision: Mavrik Bourque is ready for the NHL

Size was on display at Comerica Center in Frisco. I sat in the front row behind the goal at the start of practice, and one of the first players to skate by was Lian Bichsel. The 6-foot-6 defenseman towered over most of his peers. He fits the role of a big, physical, and skilled blueliner.

Bichsel will likely begin the year with the Texas Stars in the American Hockey League. He was paired with Alexander Petrovic–a potential top pairing down in Cedar Park. He has excellent hands and can pull the puck from his skates to his stick in a hurry. That allows him to make crisp, quick passes up the ice on the breakout and keep pucks in at the offensive blue line.

Hellberg and Oskar Bäck were two others who really stood out size wise. Hellberg signed a one-year contract with Dallas this summer–Stars fans may remember his 31-save performance against their hometown team on Oct. 24, 2022.

Bäck is one of the top options for an NHL roster spot out of camp. He plays a very solid two-way game and has a big–6-foot-2–physical presence on the ice. The Swiss forward played with Matěj Blümel–another potential NHLer this season–and Sam Steel. Bäck’s style should assimilate well into the NHL and make him a good option regardless of the open spot in the lineup for Dallas.

Other notes

• Jason Robertson skated alone after the main group–he recently began skating after surgery to remove a cyst from his foot forced him into six weeks of non-weight-bearing activity. He is expected to be ready for opening night.

• Wyatt Johnston temporarily filled the Joe Pavelski hole on the top line. Johnston slotted in at center, while Roope Hintz mostly shifted to right wing–they did rotate and take face-offs on their strong side–and Evgenii Dadonov filled into Robertson’s spot on the left. DeBoer said it is never a bad thing to have too many centers, and finding the right spots for Johnston, Hintz, Bourque, and Steel will be part of the preseason process.
• Dumba was blown away with the team speed that Dallas has–said he had witnessed it from the other side a ton, but it was even more impressive when lining up with the Stars.
• New player development assistant and AHL scout Jordie Benn was in attendance, along with former goalie and current player development coordinator, Ben Bishop.