Stars Fall to Red Wings 6-5 in Traverse City Championship Game

The Dallas Stars gave up four unanswered goals in the third period to lose the Traverse City Prospect Tournament championship game to the Detroit Red Wings 6-5. Ever since 2008, the Matthew Wuest Memorial Cup has eluded the Stars.

The most interesting subplot of the game was the matchup between the two top line centers. Ty Dellandrea's counterpart was Joe Veleno, a natural scorer whom the Stars famously passed on in the 2018 entry draft in favor of Dellandrea. At the time, Veleno was the most conventional pick available at number thirteen overall, and many expected the Stars to take him as an easy choice.

Veleno scored two goals in the span of a minute to give the Red Wings the lead, finishing the tournament with a dominant total of seven tallies. Dellandrea had a nice game, finishing with a goal, and a decent tournament, but Veleno was better. It probably doesn't mean much, but unfairly or not, these two players will be compared with one another for the foreseeable future.

Defenseman Emil Djuse and winger Tye Felhaber both scored two points a piece, while Riley Damiani, Joel Kiviranta, and John Nyberg also chipped in with goals. Blue chip goaltender Jake Oettinger did not have a great showing overall in the contest but did make some key saves in the early going before the wheels came off the in the third period.

Though the Stars will have to settle for second place, the tournament was a great opportunity for several key prospects to show their skills. Several players stood out, but the main ones that come to mind are Kiviranta, Tufte, Felhaber, and Djuse. The Stars prospect pool is objectively better than it was one season ago. 

Today's lines:
Felhaber-Dellandrea-Kiviranta
Tufte-Damiani-Robertson
Caamano-Gardner-Mascherin
Porco-Cuglietta-Melnick

Gleason-Barteaux
Harley-Djuse
Nyberg-Jago

Oettinger

Injuries, scratches, and notes:
Mattinen, Tyszka, Douglas

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