Rising Stars: Five Prospects to Watch in Cedar Park This Season

(Credit: Ross Bonander/Texas Stars)

With the first organized activities of the 2025-26 season just around the corner in next weekend's prospect tournament in Frisco, it's time to take a look ahead at some of the players who should garner extra interest for the Texas Stars this season.

F Justin Hryckowian

Hryckowian is on the older side of Dallas’ prospects, at 23, having come in last offseason as a free agent from the NCAA. Despite that, he quickly propelled himself to the top of the prospect list, winning the AHL Rookie of the Year and centering the Texas Stars’ top line during a long playoff run.

With Dallas’ signing of Nathan Bastian, Hryckowian seems set to spend the majority of the 25-26 season as Texas’ top line center. He will be a potential callup for Dallas, especially if one of their top six forwards is hit with a longer-term injury.

While he is in Cedar Park, Hryckowian’s objective will be similar to what Matěj Blümel was able to accomplish last year: to continue building on his offensive prowess while enhancing his defensive reliability. That defense would be especially helpful on the penalty kill. Consistent, trustworthy defense on top of his obvious skill with the puck could ultimately be his ticket to an NHL roster spot, just like it was for Blümel.

F Arttu Hyry

It looked like Hyry and Hryckowian would be battling for the extra forward spot on Dallas’ roster before Bastian was signed; now it seems that Hyry will be locked in for another season with Texas. He is also on the short list for a callup in the event of injury, and given the new Dallas coach Glen Gulutzan’s emphasis on physicality this offseason, he may be the preferred choice over Hryckowian.

Hyry needs to continue to develop the skills that earned him so much attention during last season’s preseason camp: lockdown defense and physicality on the puck. Continuing his impressive offensive performance would be a plus, but his NHL appeal is his staunch defense and effort on the puck. 

D Tristan Bertucci

Bertucci aged out of the OHL and will start his first professional hockey season with Texas. He is widely considered to have the highest ceiling of any defenseman in Dallas’ prospect pool. Wiht that being said, it’s very unlikely that Bertucci finds himself in Dallas this season unless he has a truly unreal start in Cedar Park. 

Bertucci is a stay-at-home defenseman with decent size at 6’2”. He is not necessarily physical, so don’t expect another Lian Bichsel in central Texas this year. Instead, Bertucci prefers to play the puck and makes quick, efficient decisions on outlet passes. He averaged an impressive point per game in the OHL playoffs, but historically, offense is not his strongest asset. 

Bertucci’s objective this season will be to translate his game to the heavier, more structured style of hockey in the AHL. This will be especially important for his puck-moving as the pro forechecks can be stifling for many young defenseman. 

D Trey Taylor

Taylor is an older prospect, like Hryckowian, that the Stars signed at the end of last season, but his impact was immediately felt throughout Texas’ game. He immediately jumped into a top-four defenseman role and quarterbacked the second power play unit. 

Taylor is a puck-moving defenseman who will be able to learn from one of the AHL’s best offensive blueliners, Kyle Capobianco. Taylor may become another Hryckowian-style homerun NCAA free agent signing. The buzz around him last season certainly leaned that way. This season, he needs to prove that he can keep up that high-quality play throughout a grueling AHL schedule. 

F Angus MacDonell

MacDonell may be the reincarnation of Logan Stankoven for the Stars. The 5’10” 20-year-old forward is known as a tenacious forechecker and proved in the OHL that he can complement highly skilled linemates. Check out this piece from the end of last season to learn more about his play style. 

MacDonell’s biggest challenge this season will be to continue his aggressive puck hunting against bigger, quicker defenders. The move to professional hockey is especially difficult for undersized players like MacDonell. Stankoven is recent proof that it is possible, but it will still be an uphill battle for the man nicknamed Goose.