Notable Stars' Stats During The Lockout

Fatigue or an established rhythm? Playing during the lockout brings up a question as to whether it wares some players down or helps them get in game shape and at game speed so they are better prepared for the NHL to start back up.

For younger players, general opinion would be the latter while some older players maybe benefit more by simply practicing and skating on their own and resting their bodies from the daily grind of a season.

Below are the stats of notable Stars players during the lockout:

Forwards	League	GP	Goals	Assists	Points	PIM	+/-
Jaromir Jagr	Czech Extraliga	34	24	33	57	28	22
Cody Eakin	AHL	34	11	12	23	14	7
Reilly Smith	AHL	35	11	12	23	16	1
Jamie Benn	DEL (Germany)	19	7	13	20	30	8
Matt Fraser	AHL	35	14	3	17	18	6
Alex Chiasson	AHL	31	6	7	13	18	1
Tomas Vincour	AHL	33	3	10	13	6	-1
Tom Wandell	KHL	26	2	7	9	18	-3
Loui Eriksson	SM-liiga (Sweden)	7	3	3	6	0	1
Scott Glennie	AHL	16	2	3	5	6	2

Jaromir Jagr seemed to have picked up where he left off last season with the Philadelphia Flyers. He tweaked his groin which is a persistent issue with him, but it’s possible that he got his annual groin injury out of the way and is ready to play the 48-game NHL season injury free. Jagr will be a key piece to not only the team offense but also for the growth and development of young stars Benn and Eriksson among others. Hopefully he can help them the way he helped Claude Giroux skyrocket last season.

Cody Eakin should be a constant in the Stars’ lineup this season and his numbers with the Texas Stars certainly bring hope. Reilly Smith’s similar numbers add to the belief he has a chance at seeing some playing time with the big club at some point this season. The same can also be said for Matt Fraser this season.

Jamie Benn is expected to take a step forward offensively this season and with a re-vamped top 6, he has more skill around him to help elevate himself. Tom Wandell’s numbers were a little troubling. Over the last 3 seasons he has shown signs of offensive potential but continues to frustrate in terms of production (39 points in 197 games). This should be a make-or-break year for Wandell. Either he proves he’s more than swift skating and slick puck-handling or he could very well find another place to call next season.

Tomas Vincour is another youngster to keep an eye on. Like Wandell, this season is critical. He had tremendous numbers in the AHL scoring 16 points in 22 games, but they didn't translate to much in the NHL (10 points in 47 games). He has a chance to play more games this season and establish himself on the bottom 6 of the lineup.

Alex Chiasson will most likely not play with the Dallas Stars this season. He seems really hungry to crack the lineup, but will have a better chance to make the team in 8 months. The Stars’ second-round pick in 2009 (38^th overall) should benefit from some time in the minors this season with a possible call-up later in the season.

Defensemen	League	GP		Goals	Assists	Points	PIM	+/-
Philip Larsen	SM-liiga (Sweden)	27	5		10	15	24	11
Jamie Oleksiak	AHL	35	3		12	15	19	3
Jordie Benn	AHL	32	5		9	14	27	4
Brenden Dillon	AHL	35	3		10	13	41	-2
Patrik Nemeth	AHL	31	0		7	7	28	6
Stephane Robidas	SM-liiga (Sweden)	15	2		3	5	22	-11

Last season, Philip Larsen showed that he can hang with the big boys. He didn’t play like an under-sized rookie and demonstrated he can move the puck and create some offense.

Jamie Oleksiak, Jordie Benn and Brenden Dillon are among the best set of defensive prospects the Stars’ have had in a while. There is a lot of hope for a bright future with those three and Patrick Nemeth expected to get constant NHL ice time over the next few seasons. They will look to make an impact at training camp and possibly get into a rotation for some games. Personally, I believe the Stars will replace Stephane Robidas with one of them next season.

Goalies	League	GP	W-L-SL	SO	Saves	SV%	GA	GAA
Cristopher Nihlstorp	AHL	26	14-10-0	4	561	.914	53	2.22
Jack Campbell	AHL	15	5-4-2	0	299	.893	36	3.13

Jack Campbell gained the title as future starter for the Stars when he was the team’s first pick (11^th overall) in 2010. He struggled last season, but that is part of the development process. With at least a couple more seasons in the minors he should be close to ready to move up. Christopher Nihlstorp was brought in from Sweden and immediately impressed. He maintained a strong presence in net during the lockout. Hopefully, he can keep rolling out those numbers in the AHL and eventually the NHL.

It’s definitely a positive that the Stars had so many players involved in competitive hockey during the lockout. And it’s great that so many youngsters are playing so well in the AHL, which is a lot more competitive this season thanks to all the NHLers playing in the league. Keeping the young bloods on the ice and allowing time for the older players like Brenden Morrow and Ray Whitney to rest their bodies should help the Stars in a crunched season. Time will tell which player’s lockout activity proved to be fruitful and which were more harmful.