Texas Stars Add First ATO, Robbie Payne

(Credit: Northern Michigan University)

As per always, Texas has added an amateur tryout player from a Michigan college. This year, Robbie Payne joins the team from Northern Michigan. Payne was team captain for the Wildcats and tallied 24 points this season in 42 games. Before the college game, he was in the USHL and NAHL.

Here's the release:

The Texas Stars, American Hockey League affiliate of the NHL’s Dallas Stars, announced Wednesday the team has signed forward Robbie Payne to an amateur tryout agreement.

Payne, 24, joins the Stars from Northern Michigan University where he tallied 24 goals in 42 games and served as team captain during his senior season. The 5-foot-11, 193-pound forward has appeared in 158 games over his four-year career at Northern Michigan with 94 points (54-40=94), including a career-high 34 during the 2017-18 season.

The Gaylord, Mich. native spent the 2013-14 season in the USHL competing with the Tri-City Storm and Chicago Steel prior to attending Northern Michigan. Payne also competed in 116 games in the NAHL from 2011-2013 for the Kalamazoo Junior K-Wings.