Stranges' Surge: His Breakout Season Demands Your Attention

(Credit: Andy Nietupski/Texas Stars)

Stranges has always been a flashy player. In 2021-22, his final season of OHL hockey with the London Knights, he had 35-62=97 in 66 games played. This put him second on the Knights and 16th in the entire OHL for total points. Beyond his stats, Stranges made a big splash on social media by being featured on the popular podcast Spittin’ Chiclets’ X account for a highlight reel, coast-to-coast goal.

Antonio Stranges. Pure filth. pic.twitter.com/rfwqKLrWHe

— Spittin' Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) March 19, 2022

This publicity from one of the sport's more popular media entities bolstered the excitement surrounding Stranges as he entered his first full year of professional hockey. 

Stranges bounced back and forth between the ECHL and the AHL in his first full professional season, earning a combined 24 points in 31 games. Last year, he was on the Texas Stars full-time and had 11-12=23 in 55 games. This was a notable step back from his previous points per game. Stranges also found himself a healthy scratch for the Stars' 2024 playoff run. 

Many analysts in hockey media perceived the last two seasons as a letdown, which caused Stranges to drop or fall off entirely on many analysts' top prospects boards for the Dallas Stars. Stranges was even scratched again in the season's first two games. These signs led many to conclude that Stranges would continue to drift down the Stars’ depth chart. Boy, were they wrong.

Just a third of the way through the 2024-25 season, Antonio Stranges has already set a new career best with 10-16=26 in just 21 games played. He is tied for the lead in goals and assists among Stars players and is in the top ten point scorers in the AHL. Stranges also received the AHL's Player of the Week award on December 9th for scoring 3-5=8 in the final four games of a brutal West Coast road trip. 

While Stranges’ rise this season may seem meteoric, Texas Stars head coach Neil Graham says it is anything but. “[Stranges] has been a testament of perseverance, and he's grown each year. And even if you look at his first year to last year, that took huge leaps and bounds … what you're seeing on the ice is his hard work paying off.”

Stranges in his rookie year (Credit: Ross Bonander/Texas Stars)

Skating

Stranges’ number one strength remains his exciting and unique skating. He utilizes the 10 & 2/mohawk skating mechanics more frequently and to more significant effect than many other players. 

The 10 & 2 involves the skater putting their heels together and pointing their toes where 10 & 2 would be on a clock. It allows the skater to make quick direction changes and protect the puck while maintaining speed. This technique requires extensive hip mobility and strength, of which Stranges has a vast amount. 

The 10 & 2 is not unique to Stranges. Many of the league's top pros use this skill to varying degrees. What makes Stranges unique is that he can seamlessly transition to the 10 & 2 and still generate a lot of power. Other players in the league may use the skill to make a quick adjustment in the O-zone, but Stranges can use it mid-flight to blow by his opponents and create those highlight, coast-to-coast goals. 

(Credit: Ross Bonander/Texas Stars)

Stick Handling

That fancy skating, however, would mean very little without some skill with the puck. For Stranges’s game, skating and stickhandling go hand in hand. 

Take, for example, Texas’s most recent series with the division-leading Grand Rapids Griffins. The Griffins are a heavy and very defensively-structured team, which gave the Stars a lot of trouble, especially when entering the offensive zone - everyone except Stranges. Every time he would approach the offensive blueline, the Grand Rapids defenders would close in on him, but Stranges would make one quick move with the puck, and like a hot knife through butter, he would infiltrate the offensive zone. 

Offensive Awareness

The most significant elevation in Stranges’ game from last year to this year is his awareness and positioning in the offensive zone. In previous seasons, Stranges would have trouble finding space while the Stars were on the cycle. This year, Stranges has a lot of movement in the offensive zone without the puck. 

(Credit: Andy Nietupski/Texas Stars)

This makes it more difficult to defend him and allows him to constantly search for an open passing lane for his teammates. This extra movement and awareness to find open seams have led to Stranges scoring substantially more when his line is on the cycle. 

Stranges still needs to improve in some areas, especially on the defensive side of the puck, but overall, he is on the up and up. His hot start has put him back in the spotlight in Cedar Park, and if he continues at this pace, analysts, scouts, and Stars management will be forced to give him another look.