New faces show competition breeds excellence for Dallas

Stars fans are going to have to learn some new names this year, but you’ll find out soon that’s a good thing.

In addition the normal NHL roster flip that brought in Matt Dumba, Ilya Lyubushkin, Brendan Smith, Casey DeSmith and Colin Blackwell, Dallas also did a lot of good work in second tier free agency. Among the new ads are Arttu Hyry, Kole Lind, Kyle Capobianco, Cameron Hughes and Justin Hryckowian. As we have already seen in preseason, those are players who could have an impact this year.

Hyry had a goal and won 11-of-14 faceoffs in a 4-2 win over Minnesota on Sunday. The 23-year-old from Finland was strong in the two games the prospect played in Traverse City, Mich. and has looked good in exhibition play, as well. He’s in the battle to make the opening night roster.

“Hyry is a free agent we signed out of Finland. We were watching him all year, but I think we were fortunate in that we have connections with Jere Lehtinen and the Finnish people here,” Stars General Manager Jim Nill said.

The Stars have a history of connecting with Finnish players, and Lehtinen has helped in the past with players like Joel Kiviranta, so this could be another example of how well the Stars dig deep.

“We’re excited,” Nill said. “He played well in Traverse City. He’s got his feet wet in North America now, so we’ll see where it goes.”

Also battling for one of those forward spots is Lind. The 25-year-old from Saskatchewan is coming off two strong years with Coachella Valley in the AHL where he had 127 points (47 goals, 80 assists) in 147 games. He had 42 points in 42 playoff game for a team that went to two AHL Finals.

“It’s always good to be on the winning side of things,” Lind said. “We came up short, but to go to two straight finals, that’s something you need to experience. To learn off of that is special.”

He and Hughes were teammates on the Coachella Valley team, and both have transitioned nicely into the Stars organization so far.

“It’s a building block and a learning step,” Lind said. “Everything takes a little bit of progression. You’re not always going to be perfect at things, but getting to see it once or twice is a good thing to have under your belt.”

Among the players battling for what appears to be one final forward spot on opening night is Matěj Blümel, who had 62 points for the Texas Stars last season, and Oskar Bäck, who has been a solid defensive forward for the Texas Stars.

The competition has been good in training camp, as Dallas has gone 5-0-0 so far with one game left on Thursday at St. Louis. The depth could be one of the reasons for the exhibition success, as Dallas seems to have good players on the ice at all times.

“I think the depth in this organization is outstanding,” said assistant coach Misha Donskov. “That’s a testament to Jim Nill, Scott White, Mark Janko, the whole scouting staff – just the way they have done things. We have great depth on this team and that’s an advantage for us. We have that.”

Nill said he was simply going to sit back and watch the battle for a roster spot just like the fans.

“In the end the players will decide,” Nill said. “If they can help you win, they’ll be on the roster. If not, they need to be down.”

The Stars have done a great job in the draft, which is one reason players such as Logan Stankoven (who had two goals Sunday), Mavrik Bourque and Lian Bichsel (who has a goal and two assists in four games) have a chance to help this season. But they also have added depth in other areas. Capobianco had an assist, four shots on goal and played 15:22 Sunday. He will battle with Bichsel and Alexander Petrovic to provide depth in case there is an injury in the NHL.

They are part of the best depth the Stars have had on defense in years.

Donskov echoed Nill’s sentiments in saying how much the competition can help the Stars.

“Show us how you can help us win,” Donskov said. “Within your role and within the structure of our team game, if you can do that, you’re going to get an opportunity to play.”

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.