Patrick Williams, TheAHL.com Features Writer
The end finally came for the Texas Stars Sunday night.
One goal here, one goal there, and the Stars could have spent Monday preparing for Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals. But a 4-2 loss in Game 6 brought an end to their 2024-25 season. Instead of facing the Charlotte Checkers in the Calder Cup Finals, the Stars will head home.
It was close – really close. Four of the six games in the series were decided by one goal, three of them in overtime. Game 6 stood as another one-goal contest until Abbotsford’s Arshdeep Bains finished off the Stars with an empty-netter in the final minute.
Along the way, Texas powered through the Calder Cup Playoffs and eliminated the Grand Rapids Griffins and Milwaukee Admirals. In handling Milwaukee in the Central Division Finals, the Stars eliminated the team that had ended their season in back-to-back years.
This was a team with both strong prospect and veteran cores that fused quickly and made them a top challenger all season. Among the prospects, forward Justin Hryckowian led all AHL rookies in scoring with 60 points (22 goals, 38 assists) in 67 games, an effort that won him the Dudley (Red) Garrett Memorial Award as the AHL’s top rookie as well as a spot on the AHL All-Rookie Team. Hryckowian’s nine goals in 14 playoff games tie him for the league lead in the Calder Cup Playoffs.
Five Stars reached the 20-goal category, including first-year forward Arttu Hyry, who came to the Dallas Stars organization after three seasons in Finland. The 24-year-old fit in quickly, posting a 24-goal season.
As has been typical in the past, Dallas has been able to fortify its organization via undrafted free agents. Hryckowian, a Northeastern University standout, and Hyry also joined defenseman Trey Taylor. The 23-year-old blueliner joined the Dallas organization March 24, went to Texas, and needed little time to earn head coach Neil Graham’s trust. The Clarkson University product became a mainstay in the Texas defense corps and took strong steps during the team’s run through the Calder Cup Playoffs.
And then there was forward Matěj Blümel, someone who was drafted but ended up signing with Dallas instead three years ago. The 2019 fourth-round pick by the Edmonton Oilers tore up the AHL and led the league with 39 goals in 67 games. Still only 25 years old, the AHL First All-Star Team selection continued that work in the postseason with 16 points (seven goals, nine assists) in 14 games. Eligible to become a free agent this summer, Blümel is poised to find NHL work either with Dallas or elsewhere.
As always, though, Dallas management made sure to surround that youth with ample experience. Goaltender Magnus Hellberg stepped in for Remi Poirier for the third period of Game 4 against Abbotsford and nearly helped push the Stars to Game 7. Forward Cameron Hughes, who had been money the past two years in helping the Coachella Valley Firebirds to the Calder Cup Finals, again showed how he can dominate the postseason; his 19 points (four goals, 15 assists) in 14 playoff games top the AHL. Fellow Coachella Valley accomplice Kole Lind also saved some of his best work for the postseason, agitating opponents endlessly on his way to 15 points (eight goals, seven assists) in 14 contests. Defenseman Alex Petrovic, who is signed for next season, rejoined Texas for Game 3 last Monday after a grueling postseason with Dallas.
Finally, the bedrock of the franchise, captain Curtis McKenzie, scored the overtime winner in Game 5 and finished with 10 points (five goals, five assists) in 14 playoff matches. Last Friday’s win, the Stars’ final stand at H-E-B Center for the season, gave Texas fans one more memory to take with them into the offseason.
These Stars also have a proud head coach following what has been a combined 86 regular-season and playoff games.
“Incredible team,” Graham said following Game 6. “I’m proud of them. They played the game the right way all year.”
On the American Hockey League beat for two decades, TheAHL.com features writer Patrick Williams also currently covers the league for NHL.com and FloSports and is a regular contributor on SiriusXM NHL Network Radio. He was the recipient of the AHL’s James H. Ellery Memorial Award for his outstanding coverage of the league in 2016.
