Texas Stars Sign AHL Players Tanner Jago and Anthony Nellis

The Texas Stars bolstered their depth for next season with a pair of AHL contract signings. Both are rookies coming off 4-year collegiate careers. Tanner Jago is a defenseman out of Bentley University who picked up 28 points in 37 games last season. Anthony Nellis is a center out of Superior State, nominated for the Hobey Baker Award and picking up an ATO contract with Fort Wayne last season. He picked up eight points in ten games.

Here's the release:

The Texas Stars, American Hockey League affiliate of the NHL’s Dallas Stars, announced Wednesday that defenseman Tanner Jago and center Anthony Nellis have been signed to AHL contracts for the 2019-20 season.

Jago, 25, prepares for his first pro action after captaining Bentley University in 2018-19. The blue liner completed his senior season with 28 points (9-19=28) in 37 games and ranked among the top-five defensemen in the Atlantic Hockey Conference for each of the last two seasons. Jago was named to the 2016 Atlantic Hockey All-Rookie team as a freshman. In four years with the Falcons, spanning from 2015 to 2019, the 6-foot skater logged 86 points (19-67=86) across 151 NCAA games.

Prior to enrolling at Bentley, the Brandon, Manitoba native skated with the Portage Terriers and Winkler Flyers of the MJHL and the Fargo Force of the USHL from 2011 to 2015.

Nellis, 24, turned pro at the end of the 2018-19 season, joining the Fort Wayne Komets of the ECHL. Nellis recorded eight points (5-3=8) in his first 10 games and was second on the roster in scoring across that stretch. Before turning pro, the 5-foot-11 center spent four years at Lake Superior State University. During his senior season, Nellis was tied for second on the team with 33 points (15-18=33) and 18 assists and earned a nomination for the 2019 Hobey Baker Award. The forward turned in 91 points (40-51=91) in 148 NCAA games and was among the team’s top-four scorers in each of his four seasons with the Lakers.

The Breakeyville, Quebec native produced 80 points (32-48=80) in 58 games with the Pembroke Lumber Kings and was third in scoring in the CCHL before enrolling at Lake Superior State.

Texas Stars 2019-20 Schedule Adds Toronto, WBS, Foregoes Most of Pacific Division

(Credit: Texas Stars)

The American Hockey League announced their full season schedule for 2019-20 this afternoon with big shifts in the opponents that Texas will face. The Stars will not see the majority of the Pacific Division, playing only Colorado and Tucson. In return, Texas gets four matchups each against Toronto and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. This will be the first meeting between Texas and Colorado as well as Texas and WBS.

The rest of the schedule is made up of the Central Division with 12 games against San Antonio and eight each against the remainder of the Central Division.

Traditionally, the Stars have not crossed over the conference line very often, especially in the last six years or so. A few select games against Syracuse were the lone exception, aside from the Stars three visits to the Calder Cup Final. In that regard, Texas will get a rematch of the 2018 CCF with two games in November in Ontario and two more in January in Cedar Park. The Stars head to Pennsylvania in December for two in WBS and the Penguins make the return trip in January.

The Stars will have a season-long road trip from February 4 to 12, a total of 9 days spanning three cities. Their longest home stand will come in February as well, eight games across twenty days. Texas has just two 3-in-3 weekends this year, the same as last year.

Full release after the jump.

Dallas Stars Ink D Dillon Heatherington to One-Year Deal

(Credit: Andy Nietupski/Texas Stars)

Dallas knocked out another RFA signing this afternoon, securing defenseman Dillon Heatherington for another season on a one-year, two-way deal. He was part of the caravan of defensemen that filed up 1-35 during the 18-19 season to backfill for the injured blueliners in Dallas.

Ultimately, Heatherington got five regular season games and played in one playoff game as well. He played in all but three of the Texas Stars' games this season as well. It is expected that he will be part of the Texas Stars roster to start the season but be a recall option as the season progresses.

Here's the release:

Dallas Stars General Manager Jim Nill announced today that the club has signed defenseman Dillon Heatherington to a one year, two-way contract.

Heatherington, 24, skated in five NHL regular-season games for the Dallas Stars during the 2018-19 campaign and collected one assist (0-1=1). He made his Stanley Cup Playoffs debut in Game 5 of the 2019 Western Conference Second Round vs. St. Louis, recording one hit and one blocked shot in 7:56 time on ice. The blueliner also appeared in 73 regular-season games for the Texas Stars, Dallas' top development affiliate in the American Hockey League (AHL), tallying 24 points (2-22=24). Heatherington ranked second on the team with 75 penalty minutes and shared third with a +8 plus/minus rating.

The blueliner has appeared in 11 career NHL contests, all with Dallas, and has recorded two assists (0-2=2) with a +7 rating and 26 penalty minutes. Heatherington has registered 75 points (11-64=75) in 254 career AHL regular-season contests over parts of six seasons with Texas, Cleveland and Springfield. He has made two appearances in the Calder Cup Playoffs, skating in 36 postseason contests and posting six assists (0-6=6).

The 6-foot-4, 215-pound native of Calgary, Alberta was originally selected by Columbus in the second round (50th overall) of the 2013 NHL Draft. Heatherington was acquired via trade from Columbus in exchange for left wing Lauri Korpikoski on Oct. 10, 2016.

Neil Graham Ready for the Next Challenge in Texas

(Credit: Noah Saucerman-Pitts, Idaho Steelheads)

Sitting in his office in Boise back in January 2017, then head coach Neil Graham told me about his recruiting strategy for ECHL players, which he summarized, "Take care of business for Idaho, and we help to advance you up the hockey ladder."

The sales pitch has become reality for the salesman himself this week as Graham was announced yesterday as the Texas Stars assistant coach.

He spent last week in upstate New York with his family celebrating his father’s 70th birthday. Once the departure of Bob Jones to Ottawa became official, “things picked up” and he balanced celebrations with some conversations about his future in the AHL. It only took a few calls before Graham was cemented as the next assistant.

“I think it was more talking about the scenario than any formal phone interview. Last summer we had a lengthy interview, but we talk 3-4 times a week. To already have that relationship is what made it such a good fit.”

Texas GM Scott White mentioned the extra year of head coaching experience that Graham acquired since last summer, which White felt was key to the hiring. Combined with his familiarity with the system, it was an easy hire.

“I think that’s something that excites me. It’s not a lot of introductions. I’ve coached a lot of these players in Traverse or exhibition. I’m familiar with the roster, scouts and staff. That transition should be fast tracked so now it’s for me to work with the players and staff.”

At the ECHL level, the head coach is also the GM. Back in 2017, Graham was undecided, at least publicly, about which way he wanted to go if he moved up to the AHL. Now, he’s explicit about his passion for the coaching role.

“As much as I enjoyed the GM responsibility, I’m most excited about honing my craft on the coaching side, learning from a great coach like Derek Laxdal. Being under his tutelage is one of the things that excites me the most. To go down the coaching path is my calling.”

With Graham on staff, Texas now has two former Steelheads in its coaching ranks. Laxdal coached the ECHL club from 2005-2010. Graham notes this speaks to the strength of the affiliation overall.

Now, he, his wife Meg and their 3 year-old son are anxious get to Cedar Park and begin their time in Texas. Meetings with a Cedar Park realtor are already on the calendar for today. The young family (Graham is just 34) is looking forward to putting down roots in the community, a key aspect of his coaching philosophy.

“Something we embraced in Boise was really being a part of the community. The fans, the neighbors, our son making friends. That’s the same way we want to approach this. We want to dive in with two feet, be good members of the community and good neighbors. I believe a lot of what you accomplish in hockey stems from first being good people.”

Gavin Bayreuther Returns on One-Year Deal

(Credit: Andy Nietupski/Texas Stars)

The Dallas Stars announced this afternoon that they have re-signed defenseman Gavin Bayreuther on a one-year, two-way deal. The blue liner was a restricted free agent for Dallas coming into the summer. He spent an unexpectedly long stint in the NHL this season with many injuries on the NHL roster. Dallas used 12 defensemen in all last season, and Bayreuther logged 19 games.

Bayreuther is expected to be back with Texas next season and also one of the first call-up options for the big club in Dallas. The undrafted pickup has turned into a solid find for a team that has had trouble in the draft.

Here's the release:

Dallas Stars General Manager Jim Nill announced today that the club has signed defenseman Gavin Bayreuther to a one year, two-way contract.

Bayreuther, 25, made his NHL debut in 2018-19, registering five points (2-3=5) in 19 regular-season games with the Dallas Stars. The defenseman also appeared in 53 regular-season American Hockey League (AHL) games with the Texas Stars, posting 25 points (7-18=25). Bayreuther finished the campaign tied for second among Texas defensemen with seven goals and ranked third with 25 points, while he paced team blueliners and shared eighth among all Texas skaters with three power play goals.

The blueliner has recorded 62 points (16-46=62) in 139 career regular-season AHL games, all as a member of the Texas Stars. The defenseman has also skated in 22 career games in the Calder Cup Playoffs, tallying eight points (3-5=8). Additionally, he played for four seasons at St. Lawrence University (NCAA), posting 111 points (35-76=111) in 142 career games.

The 6-foot-1, 195-pound native of Canaan, N.H. was originally undrafted and signed by Dallas as a free agent on March 15, 2017.

Confirmed: Neil Graham Hired as Next Texas Stars Assistant Coach

(Credit: Steve Connor)

UPDATE: 100 Degree Hockey has confirmed that the Texas Stars have hired Neil Graham as their next assistant coach. Additional quotes have been added below from GM Scott White.

First reported by Mike Prater of the Idaho Press and confirmed this morning by 100 Degree Hockey, the Texas Stars will announce the hiring of Neil Graham as assistant coach Monday.

The Idaho Steelheads head coach and general manager has spent four years in the role after being a player/coach for the Steelheads under Brad Ralph and later an assistant. The Stars previous assistant coach, Bob Jones, was hired over the weekend to DJ Smith's staff in Ottawa.

"As an organization, you always look over your shoulder to know what's coming next in terms of coaches," said Texas Stars GM Scott White when reached by phone Monday morning. "There was a lot of movement this year. Derek [Laxdal] and Bob were both involved in searches. We were prepared."

Graham brings seven years of playoff experience as an assistant and head coach in Boise, part of Idaho's 20+ year playoff streak. The Steelheads have made it to the second round each of the last two years with their high-water mark for wins coming in 2017-18 with a 44-20-8 record.

"We've always considered him [for an AHL role]," continued White. "We interviewed him last year for the assistant coaching job. I like that he's got another year of head coaching experience. He's been to Traverse City and development camp. He knows our group well, our players. He and Derek have talked a lot over the last four years. They have a relationship professionally and socially."

100 Degree Hockey traveled to Boise in the 2016-17 season to report on Graham, a story you can read here.

Objectively, it's a great move to bring in Graham from multiple angles. He's an up and coming coach that Texas can hone under Derek Laxdal. With Laxdal's tenure in Texas hitting six years this coming season and the growing potential of an NHL job for him, Texas is well justified in having a good succession plan. In Graham, they have someone who knows the system already, has existing relationships with all the key people, and can hit the ground running on day one.

Further, just as with players, Idaho will get more interest from future head coaching prospects if they know Idaho is a place that Dallas views as a training ground for coaches as well.

White added, "We're about developing people and giving them opportunity when it's deserved. It's a big day for him. It's been his goal to get to the American League."

With the GM role off his plate, Graham will be able to focus on coaching and hone his craft there. White concluded, "Instead of spending two hours working the phones, he can devote that to coaching. He's ready. He'll become an even better coach and he's already a good coach."

Texas Stars GM Scott White Talks Free Agency at Day 1 Close

(Credit: Texas Stars)

100 Degree Hockey was able to catch up with Texas Stars General Manager Scott White this afternoon after the flurry of day one signings died down. When asked how his summer was going, White quipped back, “Ask me again in a few days.”

The headline signing of a player like Joe Pavelski may be what catches the eye of most hockey fans, but White’s work will continue this week as he builds depth for the AHL team and works with Idaho GM Neil Graham to provide AHL/ECHL players for the Steelheads. Dallas made three signings today that are likely to affect the Texas Stars, one at each position.

First, Landon Bow was locked up on a one-year, two-way deal after being qualified last month. White was hesitant to definitively say that Bow and Oettinger were the pairing in Texas, leaving room for Colton Point to make his case, “Their play is going to dictate how that goes. I don’t think we’ve ever strayed from that. Landon has a bit more experience, but he’s still young in goalie years. He’s got to grab it. He wants to get to the NHL, he’s got to push because the other two are going to push him.

Second, Dallas added center Tanner Kero on a two-year, two-way contract. The 26 year old was captain of the Michigan Tech Huskies in his senior year before spending time in the Chicago and Vancouver systems. Scott White is a former Husky himself and recruits heavily from the school. Kero played all of last season in Utica, but has 72 NHL games to his name, all in Chicago.

“He’s a motivated player,” said White. “I obviously have knowledge of the player and know his family. We’ve got a competitive player who spent time in the NHL two seasons ago and didn’t get there as much last season. He’s motivated to get back and the way our cap situation is in Dallas is that he just needs to come in and play.

“The I-35 route was well traversed last year. Tanner knows there are opportunities. He’s a smart, two-way player that will help our young players out if he’s there but I know he can play in the NHL as well.”

Finally, Reece Scarlett has been re-signed to Dallas, a two-way NHL contract for a single year. After being injured just two periods into the last season, Scarlett worked hard on his recovery and making himself useful for the Texas Stars, a story we chronicled here.

White added that Dallas is in conversation with Dillon Heatherington and Gavin Bayreuther, who were both qualified last month. He also confirmed that forward Diego Cuglietta is under contract for Texas this coming season.

Based on the veteran numbers, including the addition of Tanner Kero, it seems like Travis Morin and Erik Condra do not fit in the plans for the Stars this year. Morin’s status may not be certain for a few more weeks, but the way the roster has filled up, it does not look likely. The question at that point is whether he finds a spot elsewhere in the league. He certainly could, if he were willing to go.