First Shift 🏒
Trey Taylor’s presence is becoming more important by the day.
The depth defenseman who was signed out of Clarkson University in 2025 started this season in the AHL. But because of injuries to Kyle Capobianco, Miro Heiskanen and now Lian Bichsel, he’s becoming a regular on the blueline.
“He’s learning every day, and that’s a good thing,” coach Glen Gulutzan said. “He’s a talented player.”
Taylor, 24, is a smooth skater and last season had 26 points (8 goals, 18 assists) in 70 games for the Texas Stars. So he understands the game very well. But it still is a big jump to the NHL, and now with five games in the bigs, he’s gaining more confidence.
“Every level you go to, the players are better. You just try to adapt shift by shift,” he said. “I’ve always been a pretty good skater, so I try to use that. You’re just a little more confident and comfortable. You know what they want and try to give them that.”
When the Stars lost Bichsel on Thursday, they also had to call up Kyle Burroughs, and he and Taylor were a pair just like they were in the AHL. That was also a good thing for Taylor, Gulutzan said. With none of the three injured defensemen likely ready to go on Sunday, the expectation is that the third pair will be together again.
That’s fine with Taylor, who is having fun and learning a lot.
“I think even watching, you are learning,” he said after a heavy special teams game. “They are so good at special teams here, so it’s good to see what they’re doing. We have great coaching here and I try to do the best I can every day. It’s a great experience.
And a good time, too.
“It’s fun playing hockey with the best players in the world,” Taylor said. “You try to show up every day and show you belong. I’m just happy I get a chance to play with those guys.”
