How fast? Frenetic: Five observations from Day 2 of Stars training camp

BOISE, Idaho -- The pace for Jim Montgomery is a frenetic one.
After two days of training camp, the new Dallas Stars coach will put his team through a scrimmage on Sunday at CenturyLink Arena and then get them back to Texas to prepare for their first preseason game Tuesday at American Airlines Center.
With a lot of learning squeezed into a short time, let's take a look at five things to ponder after Saturday's workout:

1. Sunday scrimmage should be chance to take next step

With a healthy roster and hungry players, the Stars expect to run out two solid lineups Sunday in their intrasquad scrimmage at about noon Central time.
"We want to create our team identity by the end of training camp, and we're starting to see that," Montgomery said. "The good thing is the players have smiles on their faces and they want to be out there right now. All the big boys want to play, so that's great for us."
The lines seen in camp so far could be shaken up a little, so it's not quite a dress rehearsal. But fans should be able to see chemistry in certain combinations.
The Victory Green Team is expected to be led by Jason Spezza, Radek Faksa, Alexander Radulov, Valeri Nichushkin, Mattias Janmark, Tyler Pitlick, John Klingberg, Esa Lindell, Julius Honka and Ben Bishop. The White Team is expected to be led by Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, Blake Comeau, Devin Shore, Jason Dickinson, Brett Ritchie, Gemel Smith, Miro Heiskanen, Stephen Johns, Roman Polak and Anton Khudobin.
The plan for the scrimmage is two 30-minute periods with running clock. There could be some stopped clock time and also some 3-on-3 time, as well, to take a look at different elements.
"It's going to be sloppy (Sunday)," said Jason Spezza of his expectations. "It might not be pretty, but it's good to get the reps and it's important you start playing games."

2. Jim Montgomery to make sure foundation is solid before building

The new head coach has not been afraid to stop a drill almost as soon as it gets started. He has had a quick whistle at times, making sure his players understand how to execute a drill properly. That's important, because he's teaching a great deal in a short amount of time, and he wants players to execute practice to near perfection.
"When I saw someone not being aggressive and not on their toes, I whistled it down right away so that they understood where they were and where they should go," Montgomery said.
It was something the players said they appreciated.
"What I like is he stops the drill every time that he doesn't like it, so there's no real grey area," Spezza said. "There's a lot of correcting mistakes, but it was done in a constructive way."
That's important, Spezza said.
"As a coach, you have your structure, and then you have your small teaching points that allow your structure to work," Spezza said. "That's what makes his system work for him, so it's important that we understand what his little nuances of the system are, because that helps you play the system in the big picture."

3. Roman Polak ready to help add veteran leadership

The Stars signed Roman Polak to a one-year, free-agent contract as a veteran depth defenseman, and the 32-year-old showed in defensive drills Saturday that he certainly has a skill set that can be useful.
"This is his strength, a day like today when we're focusing on the defensive side of things. That's why we have him," Montgomery said. "He's someone who can move people off of pucks, he's someone who can win a lot of battles, and he's someone who can give you energy because of the way he wins his battles."
Polak played with Toronto last season and was a player trusted by veteran coach Mike Babcock. He said he can use experience to keep up in a league that is getting faster every season.
"I did the same thing for Mike Babcock," Polak said. "If you take time and spaceand have great gap, you don't need to skate as much, just be a little more smarter."

4. Marc Methot still careful with knee, but feels much better

Marc Methot is one of the players not expected to participate in the scrimmage, and there's a good chance he doesn't play too many preseason games. Methot, 33, played just 36 games last season because of a knee injury. He said he feels better, but still has to be smart.
"There's a little tenderness from time to time, for sure," he said. "It's like any knee injury, you're never going to feel 100 percent. But if I can do my job out there, which I'm feeling pretty good at right now, I think I will be all right."
The Stars feel good about their defensive depth, as Miro Heiskanen will be a rookie, Julius Honka is expected to get more minutes on defense and Polak can provide a lot of the same elements Methot does.

5. Oh, how about another update on Miro Heiskanen: Monty is impressed

Asked to name a player who has been noticeable so far, Montgomery was enthusiastic in his reply.
"Oh, Heiskanen, Jesus. Can he ever skate?" Montgomery said. "I mean, the one time he got the puck on the pass from Spezza on the two-on-one and I actually thought he was supposed to be the defenseman defending it he was so far up the ice."
Heiskanen, 19, was taken third overall in 2017 and has drawn rave reviews from players and coaches so far.
Photo credit: Sean Berry / Dallas Stars and Tim Broussard
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Mike Heika is a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHeika.