TRAVERSE CITY, Michigan – Hockey season started this past weekend.

The Dallas Stars continued their annual tradition of sending a prospect team to northern Michigan, playing two games against the Detroit Red Wings prospects.

Results don’t really matter at this event, but it was noticeable that Detroit won both games. The Red Wings as an organization typically only send their CHL prospects to this tournament, not players with AHL experience, while Dallas often sends a roster that features more recent AHLers.

With that in mind, Dallas was the deeper team, but Detroit had more top-end talent.

As I do each year, I take scouting notes throughout the prospect showcase. With just two games, the notes are a bit more limited, but here are my entries for Stars prospects that caught my eye from watching both games in person.

Forwards

Arttu Hyry – He was one of the Stars’ older players at the tournament. He also has played in Liiga for three seasons in Finland and recently made his Finnish National Team debut at the 2024 IIHF World Championships. He was supposed to stand out, and he was the Stars’ best player in the two-game set. Hyry is solidly in the mix to play in the NHL this season and is part of the battle for the 13th forward spot at the NHL level.

Emil Hemming – Hemming played on a line with Hyry and Chase Wheatcroft, and it was by far the Stars’ most dangerous line. Hemming scored on a tip play in Game 2, and he brought some organization to the chaos of the event. I really like how Hemming can turn defense into offense on the forecheck, and he has a good sense of where to be at the right times.

Chase Wheatcroft – Wheatcroft was noticeable throughout the two-game set, and he played well off his Finnish linemates. Wheatcroft has a full year of AHL experience, so anything less than this would be kind of disappointing.

Matthew Seminoff – He was the captain of the prospect team, and he was noticeably good on the penalty kill. He very much embodied what this Stars’ prospect team was—a hard-working team with little to no finish in the offensive zone.

Justin Hryckowian – Hryckowian pressures pucks and goes hard to the net. There’s not much else there, but he’ll find a way to make an impact at the AHL level as a depth player.

Defensemen

Lian Bichsel – Bichsel disappointed me with his play. After having a strong showing in the SHL and AHL playoffs, and being considered an NHL option for Dallas, he didn’t have the impact I’d hoped to see in Traverse City. Bichsel was his usual violent self at times, but his game was riddled with mistakes and forcing plays that Detroit capitalized on. He still projects as a top-four shutdown defender in Dallas, but it wasn’t a great weekend in Traverse City.

Christian Kyrou – Kyrou got better as the weekend went along, connecting things for the Stars through the neutral zone and looking a bit more confident. His skating is strong enough to defend well at the AHL level and at a prospects tournament. The real question for me is whether he’ll add enough to his game to be a viable NHL option.

Tristan Bertucci – I saw more in Bertucci’s game than I’d seen in the past, and he should grow a bit this season as a big-minute defender in the OHL with Flint. Bertucci has a good mix of size and athleticism, and he pushes the play well with the puck, albeit uncreatively.

Nilopekka Muhonnen – This was the first time I’ve watched Muhonnen, and he only played the second game. There is going to be an adjustment for the Finnish defender to North America, but he’s massive—6-foot-5—and has some raw tools that could lead to something more.

Luke Krys – Krys was a physical defensive defenseman in college and was given a chance to enter the AHL lineup in the spring after finishing his collegiate career. He’s got a decent shot and covers well for his defensive partner, which was important in Traverse City because he was paired with Connor Punnett, who aggressively hunted hits at every chance.

Connor Punnett – Punnett likes to hit everything and anything that moves. He aggressively seeks out contact, and when he takes the right path it can be wonderful chaos. But when he misses, and that’s common, it leads to scrambly situations for the rest of the game.

Goalies

Benjamin Kraws – Kraws played the first game for Dallas, and while he was dinged for four goals in the third period, he helped make a lopsided game closer as the ice tilted. He’s a massive, calm goalie at 6-foot-5, and he doesn’t get overly scrambly when things get around the net. From a playing time perspective, I’d like to see him in the ECHL with Idaho so he gets starter minutes, as opposed to sharing the net with Magnus Hellberg and Remi Poirier in Texas.

Bryan Thomson – Thomson is right below Kraws on the goalie depth chart this season and is signed to an AHL deal, although he’ll likely spend most of the season in the ECHL with the Idaho Steelheads. He had a bit of an off game in his only start and should have held the rebound on Detroit’s second goal.