They Gave Them Hell: A Season of Fight and Resilience

(Credit: Abbotsford Canucks)

The ice at the rink has become water and the book is shut on the 2024-25 Texas Stars season. 

In alternate world, the Stars spent this weekend in North Carolina trying to steal a home game from the Charlotte Checkers and looking forward to returning home to treat their fans to a fourth Calder Cup Final in team history.

But Abbotsford with its nearly 1000 games of NHL experience and once-and-future NHL netminding was too much. After two games in Abbotsford, it was clear that these teams were incredibly close and the series had every chance to go seven, even if the home team won both contests in Canada.

Texas returned home with a mission and if not for a 2OT shot from Danila Klimovich, they had every right to believe they were going to go back to Canada with a 3-2 series lead and the chance to close out in an opponent's building for the second straight series.

But it wasn't to be.

I don't want to say that the team was not shooting for the Calder Cup. Every team is set out with that goal in mind when the season starts. But if I were to have told you in October that Texas would make it to the Western Conference Finals by beating their archrivals, the Milwaukee Admirals, in Game 5, you'd have to be pretty happy with that.

This team lost big names to start the season with Logan Stankoven and Mavrik Bourque not returning. No matter. They just reloaded with a brand-new Rookie of the Year, Justin Hryckowian, and the AHL's newly-minted goal scoring leader Matěj Blümel.

They had defensive question marks with a youthful squad and the feeling that they'd lose Lian Bichsel at some point in the year to a Dallas recall. They did. It didn't matter. They found a way with veterans and newcomers alike. Late-season add Trey Taylor was a remarkable bright spot who has a strong future with the team.

(Credit: Abbotsford Canucks)

Remi Poirier was ready for the starter's net but Magnus Hellberg was there to back things up. When they needed each of them the most, they rose to the occasion. Both had exceptional games in the playoffs and spelled each other when they needed it.

There's always a million storylines embedded in a season, and they get richer the deeper you go.

Kole Lind and Cameron Hughes were certified playoff legends making it to their third straight Conference Final and probably playing more playoff games than any other two players in the league in the last three seasons. Hughes' heroics in Game 3 against Grand Rapids put it, for me, in the top 10 best Texas games I've seen. A comeback win with Hughes having a fight to spark the crowd, a power play goal to get it close, and the ultimate series winner in double overtime. You can't ask for much more.

This team had so much offense that as I write this before Game 2 of the Finals, Texas still occupies four of the top five scoring spots in the playoffs with Hughes, Hryckowian, Blümel and Lind all clocking in north of the second highest Canuck. Linus Karlsson will surely pass Texas' forwards at some point, but the Stars will own a decent number of the top 10 slots when it's all said and done.

All that being said, I don't think you can be disappointed in this team's Conference Finals exit. I got the feeling myself that the Stars were playing with house money after they beat Milwaukee. It was a mountain they needed to climb and summit. Once they were in the fight against Abbotsford, they gave them hell but only just didn't match up.

And now there's next season to think about. With Dallas missing the Stanley Cup Final by a single round for the third straight season, the NHL side is making changes all over. Will Neil Graham still be behind the bench for Texas in October? Will Hryckowian and Hyry be donning their victory green in Austin or Dallas? Will Blümel be in green at all? Will Remi Poirier return and who will back him up?

For now, enjoy the fact that Texas is a historically good team in the AHL and you were here for part of it.