Stank The Tank: How Logan Stankoven’s relentless effort has helped him find success

Logan Stankoven is listed at 5-8, 171 pounds.

The Vegas Golden Knights defense averages about 6-2, 210.

Yet, time after time on Wednesday night, Stankoven went into battles and came out with the puck. Whether by quickness, smarts or sheer determination, the rookie forward helped Dallas maintain possession and put pressure on in a key Game 5. In the end, that was crucial to the Stars taking a 3-2 victory in the game as well as a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series.

“I thought he might have been our best player tonight,” Stars coach Pete DeBoer said after the win. “He was on the puck all night, hounding, moving his feet. He could have had a couple of goals and he created a big goal for us.”

Stankoven has a high “motor” and that creates an energy whenever he’s on the ice. He has powerful legs and short strides, which allows him to close gaps quickly and stay in tight in battles. He also has leverage on players because he can get under them, allowing him to win an inordinate amount of puck battles.

By doing that, he gives the Stars possession, and then he and his linemates help turn that possession into time in the offensive zone and scoring chances.

“He’s strong, he’s fearless and he’s tenacious,” DeBoer said. “When you have that combination, you notice him on the ice. He’s on the puck or attacking the puck at all times, he’s attacking seams, he’s going to the tough areas of the rink. He’s battling with guys that are . . . well everybody on the ice is bigger than him . . . so it’s a mismatch. He’s got to make up for that with his will to win those and he does every time. It’s amazing how many pucks he comes out with against bigger guys.”

Stankoven mixes that grit with an incredible set of hands and a knack for finding scoring areas. He is a good skater, he has a quick shot, and he’s also pretty creative. In the first period, the right-handed forward was speeding up the wing, he manipulated the puck around a sliding defender and flipped a backhand pass across the crease to a charging Evgenii Dadonov. That resulted in a huge goal to tie the game.

In reality, skill is Stankoven’s calling card. He tallied 104 points (45 goals, 59 assists) in 59 games for Kamloops of the Western League two seasons ago, and racked up 97 points (34 goals, 68 assists) in 48 games last season. He has 61 points (27 goals, 34 assists) over 32 games in his past two playoff runs with the Blazers.

After being taken 47th overall in 2021, he is seen as one of the most effective players in his peer group. Each step of the way there have been critics who have felt his size would stop him as he moved up the ladder. But at age 21, he had 57 points (24 goals, 33 assists) in 47 games in the AHL. He was the leading scorer in the AHL when he got called up by the Stars in late February. Then, in his first 24 NHL games, he had 14 points (6 goals, 8 assists) and earned a regular spot on a line with captain Jamie Benn and Wyatt Johnston. The trio was the best line on the team over the final two months of the season.

“I think he’s been a critical piece to that line and to our team,” DeBoer said. “He drives that energy bus for us every night. If you’re down a little bit or you’re off or you’ve been traveling, he brings that same energy every day and it’s contagious to our group.”

Johnston is good friends with Stankoven and the two live in teammate Joe Pavelski’s house. Johnston said he’s constantly impressed with Stankoven’s energy and skill.

“He’s so much fun to watch,” Johnston said. “He wins so many puck battles.”

Asked how the diminutive forward does that, Johnston said with a smile, “He doesn’t care.”

“He’s not afraid to go in and win a battle,” Johnston said. “He goes in there and he leaves them no choice. It’s impressive how many puck battles he wins, especially when he’s outweighed by 40 or 50 pounds against some of these huge defensemen. That compete level he has, it’s kind of contagious.”

Stars defenseman Chris Tanev is 6-2 and was asked if Stankoven gets under defensemen or uses leverage to come away with the puck. He shrugged and said, “I think it’s just how hard he works. It doesn’t matter how big or small he is, he really has a good motor and when he wants to do things, he can accomplish them.”

And as he gets more experience, he should get even better. Through his first five playoff games, Stankoven said he can feel improvement already.

“I think I had more legs tonight,” Stankoven said Wednesday. “I wouldn’t say it gets any easier. The competition level gets higher and higher.”

And that’s good for Stankoven, because he is a competitor. He said he understands the limitations that his size presents, but that he just wants to win.

“It’s hard sometimes, especially down the wall trying to get pucks out,” he said. “You’ve got to find where the puck is, plus you’ve got a big defenseman coming down on you. So just make heads up plays and don’t try to do anything too fancy.”

That’s good advice from a rookie, who seems to be in a very good place.

“I’m super impressed with how he’s played since I’ve been here,” said Tanev. “Going forward, he’s going to be an incredible player in the league.”

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.