Dallas Stars Kick Off Season with Quick Two-Day Tournament in Traverse City

Lian Bichsel is one of several top prospects at the tournament for Dallas.
(Credit: Andy Nietupski/Texas Stars)

It's a bit of a different feel from prior years in Traverse City, but the Dallas Stars shiniest young stars are kicking off the hockey season the same as any other for the last decade with their prospect showcase at the tip of Michigan.

"It's an opportunity for a little bit of rust removal in a meaningful setting," said Texas Stars head coach Neil Graham when reached by phone earlier this week. Graham and the Texas staff also serve as the coaching staff for the prospect tournament. "When you look back over the years, there's always been a player who's elevated their play in Traverse City. That was the start... they go from being a player of interest to a player that is now on the radar to make the big club."

The tournament featured as many as eight teams in its history, but former participants like Toronto, St. Louis, Columbus and others have departed for other tournaments across the country. Now, Dallas will play just two games in an abbreviated schedule against the host team, the Red Wings.

"Despite the tournament dropping in number of teams, these games do matter. There's a sense of pride whenever you're playing another opponent. You're flying into their facilities; you're playing them after a full summer of practice. It gives our prospects an opportunity to play in a meaningful situation."

The crew hit the ice this week for two formal practices and will fly up to Traverse on a charter flight Saturday morning before the first game. After playing on Sunday afternoon, they'll charter back and start in earnest on prep for Dallas main camp, which begins on Thursday.

"You only have two days to prepare. We prioritize to the best of our ability what we think is going to give our players and our team the best chance of success for two games. At the end of the day, it's a lot of fun watching the adrenaline, speed and enthusiasm of these prospects on both sides. For that matter, I think that's usually what dictates the final score in a lot of these contests."

Given the short turnaround between the two games and overall nature of the tournament environment and the youth of the players, there's a limited window for what could be significant feedback on game one performance. Graham, who is participating in the tournament for his tenth year, noted that the coaches have to save themselves from themselves.

"If we overhandle the wood, and you try and make three adjustments, and let's tighten this, I think you're kind of missing the purpose of the whole tournament. Try and have one main point of emphasis that if we do this correctly, we have the best chance for team success and individual success.

"Part of the fun of this tournament is trying to get a team to come together in a very, very short span. That's something that we enjoy focusing on."

Luckily for the coaching staff and the team cohesion, many of these players got their feet wet last season in Cedar Park. Matthew Seminoff, Kyle McDonald, Chase Wheatcroft, Lian Bichsel, Christian Kyrou and Gavin White played throughout the season with Texas. Late season adds, such as Justin Hryckowian, Anthony Romano, Tristan Bertucci, Luke Krys and Benjamin Kraws, also dot the roster.

The madness of the season starts on Saturday at 5:00 PM CT in Traverse City and continues Sunday at 1:30 PM CT. The Red Wings are expected to broadcast the games on their social media channels. We will have postgame coverage on prospect highlights here each evening. 

Dallas Stars training camp kicks off Thursday in Frisco.