Bourque 'has all the tools' for future role with Stars

DALLAS -- With a full year of professional hockey under his belt, Mavrik Bourque's next quest is to land a roster spot with the Dallas Stars and play in the NHL this season.

The 21-year-old center, selected by the Stars in the first round (No. 30) of the 2020 NHL Draft, had difficulty finding consistency last season with Texas of the American Hockey League. He started slowly, with 13 points (five goals, eight assists) in his first 30 games, a pace well below his 68 points (20 goals, 48 assists) in 31 games with Shawinigan of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League the season before.

But Texas coach Neil Graham saw no cause for concern and believed Bourque's initial offensive sputtering was typical of a young player adjusting to the professional game.

"You say he struggled," Graham said at Stars development camp last month, "but that's based on outside expectations of where people think he should have been in a particular time when, in all reality, he was a 20-year-old kid who was just playing professional hockey for the first time.

"For me, I don't look at it like he struggled. He was really just finding his way and figuring it out. If anything, I give him credit. He didn't implode. He got better each week, he got better each month, and then he turned it into an excellent first year."

The patience paid off for Bourque (5-foot-10, 185 pounds), who finished the season fifth on Texas with 47 points (20 goals, 27 assists) in 70 games, including 34 points (15 goals, 19 assists) in his final 40 games.

"I had a tough start, I would say," Bourque said. "Until Christmas, it took me time to figure it out. But I think as soon as I figured it out, I found my way. I'm pretty happy with what I did. It's part of the process too to spend a whole year in the AHL.

"In junior I was maybe playing at the slower pace. It took me 30 games to work on it, to get more pace in my game. When I get the puck, I need more movement. I used to be a guy that really liked to slow down the pace, but at this level, only the best can do it like Edmonton Oilers center [Connor] McDavid, Colorado Avalanche center [Nathan] MacKinnon. I try to look at [Stars center] Joe Pavelski. He's not the fastest guy, but he's so smart."

Graham continued to work with Bourque on developing his two-way game and being confident in all situations to prepare him for a role on the NHL roster. As a natural right-handed player, Bourque worked on his face-offs as well as penalty-killing last season to add to his offensive skills.

"He's confident in himself right now, and he's confident in his abilities," Graham said. "I think you're seeing a confident hockey player, and with confidence anything can happen. He has all the tools, he's a terrific kid. He just has to get himself ready, and then you have to wait for your opportunity. If that opportunity doesn't come when you think it should, you have to stay ready."