What’s Wrong With the Texas Stars? Staff Writers Single Out Stability, Scoring and Swagger

An around-the-horn look at a few reasons why Texas has yet to find the win column in 2025-26

(Credit: Texas Stars)

Texas is 0-3-1 in 2025-26, and there has to be a reason why. As they approach a weekend pair with similarly winless Iowa, our staff writers take a look at why it might be that they are winless in the new season.

Seeking Stability Amid Changes at the Top

Nicholas Kingman

It’s been a while since new Texas Stars head coach Toby Petersen was behind a bench for a live competitive game. 

When Petersen stepped on the ice and shuffled along the boards at the Comerica Center in Frisco, Texas, for last month's exhibition games with the Detroit Red Wings. It was his first time behind the bench in almost five seasons. 

Unlike some in the league, Texas did not play any preseason games before the start of the regular season. It would be up to the Frisco Prospect Tournament, two games in all, that served as the only “free” games for the new Stars coaching staff to shake any rust off. 

Even then, the Frisco Prospect Tournament had only a couple of players on the ice who are on the current Texas roster. Petersen and the rest of the Stars' coaching staff had only just a couple of days with the team before the start of the season. 

While it’s tough to open the season winless through four games, these first couple of series are de facto “warmup” games for Petersen to get back into the swing of things with his team. 

It’s not easy for a first-time head coach to come out of the gates swinging, especially since said coach has not been behind the bench for five seasons. 

Then there are the personality differences between Petersen and the recently promoted Neil Graham. Petersen is a very calm and collected person, although he’s firm, it's not the same intense fiery nature style that Graham, the longest tenure head coach in franchise history, possessed. 

It takes some time for players to adapt to a new style, and it’s a good thing that Petersen is bringing his own approach instead of copying Graham's note for note. 

While some pieces from last season's team are in Dallas or elsewhere, the team is not barren without talent and good coaching. Fortunately for Texas, there are still 68 games left in the season to smooth out the kinks in the fabric. 

Don’t write off the season before the end of October. 

(Credit: Andy Nietupski/Texas Stars)

Losing Your Top Two Scorers Doesn’t Help

Chris Chambers

The Texas Stars have not scored more than three goals in their first four games of the season. Last year, Texas netted four or more in each of their first four games. That is cause for alarm, especially for the Stars, who rely on their offense as the driving force of their success. They led the Central Division in goals by a wide margin the previous season, with 240 tallies on the year. The next closest team had 218. Offense is exceedingly important for Texas. 

So where’d the offense go? Well, some is in Dallas and some is in Providence. Over the offseason, Matěj Blümel, the AHL’s leading scorer, signed a new contract with the Boston Bruins and is now playing with their AHL affiliate in Providence. Justin Hryckowian, the AHL rookie of the year, took full advantage of open spots on the Dallas roster due to injury and secured himself a place in the NHL lineup, likely for at least another month while Jamie Benn is injured. 

The importance of these two players for Texas’ offense last season cannot be understated. They were the two leading scorers for Texas; combined, their 132 points made up over 20% of the team's total scoring the entire year. Blümel led the team in power play goals with 11, largely thanks to his thunderous one-timer. Hryckowian was also hugely important on the man advantage as a playmaker, racking up 13 power-play assists on the season. That kind of production is not easily replaced at 5-on-5 or special teams. 

The Stars are attempting to restore some of that offense with improved skill in their depth positions with additions like Artem Shlaine and Emil Hemming, who have both gotten off to a slow start. In addition, the production they assumed they could rely on from veteran forwards like Cameron Hughes, Kole Lind and even Curtis McKenzie has been sparse to say the least. 

If overwhelming offense is still the objective in Cedar Park, then both of these areas need to improve drastically. Otherwise, this team will need to find a new calling card to make another deep run at the Calder Cup. 

(Credit: Texas Stars)

Searching for Swagger: The Psychological Toll of a Sluggish Start

Rochelle Zimmerman

The Texas Stars aren't just losing games, they're losing their rhythm. And honestly? It shows.

Four straight losses mess with your head, even if you've been around the block. You can see the confidence crisis in the tentative zone entries, the overthinking on the power play, the split-second hesitations that shouldn't be there. When doubt creeps in, everything slows down. The game that used to feel instinctive suddenly requires a second thought. Players who'd normally attack the blue line with conviction are second-guessing their reads. Passes that should be automatic are getting held just a beat too long. It's the kind of collective hesitation that compounds itself. One guy's uncertainty bleeds into the next shift, and suddenly the whole bench feels it.

Last season, the Stars had this unpredictable edge. They could grind, they could push pace, they kept teams guessing. One night they'd overwhelm you with forechecking pressure, the next they'd capitalize on transition. Right now? There is an identity crisis and they're somewhere in between, and "in between" doesn't win hockey games. They're not committing fully to any style, which makes them predictably unsure. Until they figure out who they are as a group, they're going to keep playing like they just met. And you can't build chemistry when you're still introducing yourselves.

New faces, new pressures? Fresh blood brings energy, sure. But it also brings uncertainty. The rookies and new guys are pressing to prove themselves, trying to earn their spot and justify the roster decisions. Meanwhile, the vets are compensating, trying to carry more load than they should, feeling the weight of expectations that come with experience. That imbalance creates cracks. When everyone's playing outside their natural role, like when rookies try to do too much, and veterans try to do everything, nobody's playing their game.

This isn't a systems problem. It's a soul-searching moment. They don't need some miracle goal to flip the script. They need a moment. A spark. A shift. Someone stepping up and saying "enough." It could be a fight, a big hit, or just one player deciding to play their game without apology. Confidence is contagious but so is doubt. Right now, they're spreading the wrong virus.

Until then, they're going to keep looking for themselves. And in hockey, you can't find your way forward when you're still figuring out where you stand.

Texas looks to get out of the funk on Friday against Iowa.