Tufte brings energy, size and "swagger" to the Stars' lineup

FRISCO, Texas -- Riley Tufte's recent autobiography might be a good book for the Stars to read.
The 6-foot-6 forward was taken 25th overall by the Stars in the 2016 NHL Draft out of the USHL and has battled through the natural steps in hopes of making the NHL. He spent three seasons at the University of Minnesota-Duluth and two more with the Texas Stars, and while he learned a lot, he just seemed to lack the spark that would turn the heads of the NHL coaches.

So this past summer, the native of Coon Rapids, Minnesota took a step in both his mind and body. Tufte decided to lose some weight, concentrate on some different training techniques and believe in himself.
That's right, just like in Ted Lasso, simply BELIEVE. He did some breathing exercises, he started to think positively, and he transferred that energy to the ice. Tufte had his best training camp so far with the Stars and then went to the AHL and had seven points (five goals, two assists) in 10 games with the Texas Stars. He was called up on Thursday and is expected to play his first NHL game on Saturday against the Philadelphia Flyers.
"I think the biggest thing for me was coming in with a good mindset and having a confident mindset," Tufte said Friday after practice in Frisco. "I think that played a big role in why I'm here today. You kind of have to walk around with a little swagger if you want to be up here. I was down there, I played well, and I deserve a chance up here."

It's a refreshing change from the typical "aw shucks" hockey talk that focuses on diminishing individual accomplishments, and it's something the coaching staff says has made a change in Tufte.
"Mentally, young players have to prove to themselves that they can play in the league. With his good preseason, he's feeling a lot better," Stars head coach Rick Bowness said. "Two years ago, we were like, 'Wow, he's a long ways away.' This year, we were like 'Wow, he's knocking on the door.' He's here, I think he knows he can play in the league, and now we're going to give him that chance."
Tufte's experiment with "swagger" is something the team could expand upon. Dallas has struggled in a lot of areas during a 4-6-2 start, including things like passing up great scoring chances, overthinking plays both offensively and defensively, and taking the easy way out in some of their decision-making. They also seem to lack poise and confidence when they get the chance to finish, and that's one of the reasons they rank 29th in scoring at 2.17 goals per game.
"It's mindset," said defenseman John Klingberg when asked what the team needs to change. "Just go back to playing an easy game. It's been a tough run, but we're working on it day by day. We see some things clearer, and we're just going to have to stick with it and work through it."
That work is being done at a lot of levels. The front office made some hard choices to the roster, sending veterans Blake Comeau and Tanner Kero through waivers and assigning them to the AHL. They also called up Tufte and Jacob Peterson, and there's a chance there will be some significant line shuffling Saturday. Jamie Benn was back at center Friday with Michael Raffl and Denis Gurianov. Tufte was on a line with Radek Faksa and Luke Glendening.
Meanwhile, the D-pairs were completely shuffled. Rookie blueliner Thomas Harley was sent back to the AHL and veteran Andrej Sekera will be back in the lineup after four healthy scratches. Klingberg and Ryan Suter were broken up, and Klingberg was back with longtime defense partner Esa Lindell.
It was a clear message from the coaching staff that the team must play better than it did in a 4-2 loss to Nashville on Wednesday.
"The inconsistency has to stop," Bowness said. "That's just not in one area, that's in all the areas."

Bowness and the coaches have been changing things around because what they've been trying hasn't worked, but they also have to find a bit of confidence and trust in the players. The team held a 30-minute players-only meeting after the last game, and it's probably not a coincidence that Bowness went back to some old alignments for this next game.
Bottom line, everyone needs to be on the same page and believe in themselves.
It worked for Tufte, who dropped eight pounds over the summer and is playing at 220, the lightest in his professional career.
"It's a big difference from my first year," Tufte said. "I feel a lot better out there, I feel I can move well. It's awesome, I feel great."
Combine the work with a positive attitude, and so far, it's really working for the 23-year-old.
"I've had two years in the American Hockey League, so I think it was time to step it up a little bit and bring my game to another level," he said of his attitude heading into camp. "That's what I did, and I've got to continue to do that to be up here."
And he'll tell you, it's not always easy to be confident. The league, and the world, can peck away at that.
"It's hard, it's a tough thing to do, and I don't think a lot of people realize that," he said of maintaining swagger and confidence. "It's just like any job you have. You've got to have the right mindset, you've got to come with confidence every day."
The Stars are hoping they can find that vibe again. There's a lot on the line during this stretch of games and being able to handle the pressure with some amount of poise would be a huge plus.
"At the end of the day, the spirit is still good. It's still early in the season and we can turn this around," Klingberg said. "It's nothing new to us. I feel like that's something we've been doing for a lot of years. If there's any team that can turn this around, I think it's us."
Don't miss your chance to see the Stars on this homestand as they take on the Philadelphia Flyers this Saturday at 7 p.m. Get your tickets now!
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.