NHL Prospect Tournament may have lasting impact on Stars franchise

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. --When Jamie Benn helped the Stars win Traverse City's NHL Prospect Tournament in 2008, he said the experience provided a great head start to his career.
Benn led the tournament with five goals in four games, while teammates James Neal led in total scoring with nine points. It was a great way to get to know your fellow prospects and a great way to gain confidence in yourself and the system.
"It worked out great," Benn said. "You don't know what to expect, so to be able to establish some relationships with players and to have success, it's a great first step."

The Stars are hoping to ice a group of forwards that could have similar potential. The top three forwards led their respective junior hockey leagues in points per game scoring -- Wyatt Johnston in the OHL, Logan Stankoven in the WHL and Mavrik Bourque in the QMJHL -- and all three will be getting an opportunity to play beside one another.

Like Benn and Neal, there could be some exceptional chemistry that surfaces.
"I'm excited," said Stankoven, who tallied 104 points (45 goals, 59 assists) in 59 games with Kamloops last season. "Second time around, so we're more comfortable with each other now. Hanging around camp, it's a lot of fun. We have some good players here, and it's fun to imagine what we might be able to do."
Both Stankoven and Johnston are 19, so they have to make the NHL roster or return to their junior teams. Both have stated their goal is to win a job with the Stars out of training camp, so this first step will be important.
Stankoven is listed at 5-foot-8, so he has battled that his entire career, but he's found a way to score goals, to become a creative play-maker and to become better in the defensive aspects of the game, as well. He is one of the better faceoff men in junior hockey, and he recently played a key role in helping Team Canada win a gold medal at the World Juniors. Johnston was named MVP of the Ontario League and also was the top scorer in all three major junior leagues with 124 points (46 goals, 78 assists) in 68 games. He has been nursing an injury he experienced in the playoffs, and that caused him to miss the World Junior Championship, but he said he is 100 percent now and ready to test himself in Traverse City.

"I feel really good right now," he said. "I think we were careful and we just wanted to build up through training, and I think the past month or so I've been able to push it. I'm excited to get going."
Stars director of player personnel Rich Peverley said he's excited to see what the top-level players can do, and he's not afraid to say that they have a great head start so far.
"Let's be honest, players who score like they have in junior hockey, they have a history of success," Peverley said. "Now, they have to go out there and make it happen and take the next step, but they are in a good position to do that."
In addition to the top three, Dallas has 20-year-old free agent Logan Morrison, who had 100 points in 60 games for Hamilton, and 20-year-old Antonio Stranges, who had 84 points in 60 games for London. Mix in a solid group of defensemen and a veteran goalie in 24-year-old Matt Murray, and the Stars have a chance to be the best team in the tournament.

"It's a great chance to compete against some very good players, and it's a lot of fun," said Benn. You don't really know what to expect going, but you go there and you start to come together as players and you can end up with players who you spend a lot of time with in your career.
"I look back at my time there and I know it was really important for me."
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Mike Heikais a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHeika.