Day Two Texas Stars Training Camp Notes

For whatever reason, assistant coach Doug Lidster has been wearing a batting helmet for all of the Stars' practices. He's even branded it with the Stars' five year logo on the back and crest on the front. (Credit: John Snyder Jr/Texas Stars)

Texas had a simple one practice day today but moved locations to the Chaparral Ice facility on Anderson. The hour long session consisted of mostly drills such as line rushes and zone work. The practice ended with an intense 2-on-2 session in the corner with the goals set no more than 20 feet apart.

Jack Campbell was the star in that drill, not only showing off some flashy glove saves but also scoring two goals. I think he tried the first one on a lark and then really tried for the second, which he went top cheddar for. After that, Campbell had his stick on the ice for the rest of the drill, waiting to complete the hat trick. No one obliged by passing him the puck, but the over tenor of the drill showed once again that Campbell is a fierce competitor in practice. That has been a common theme for the young American tender.

Yesterday, I commented that William Rapuzzi looked good, but I also wrote it off a bit as being part of being on a line with Justin Dowling and Mike Hedden. Today, Rapuzzi continued to stand out for me, with a few solid shots on net and some good follow-ups on rebound, both individual efforts. He's signed to Idaho so I wouldn't be surprised if he got a PTO look later in the season depending on depth and injuries.

Lines were the same as yesterday. Preseason games are typically a little bit looser in terms of lineup restrictions. Last year, for example, Houston and Texas agreed to dress 19 skaters so that both teams could rotate a seventh defenseman. I'd expect something similar for Texas tomorrow. Also, based on rumblings from Dallas, I would expect Saturday to be a day for many assignments to Texas. Notables still in Dallas are expected in Texas include Travis Morin, Austin Smith and Jyrki Jokipakka.