CEDAR PARK, Texas — The Texas Stars completed their somewhat dismal season by dropping all three of their final weekend games. The team that nearly won the Calder Cup in their first year of existence and made the playoffs in year two, could never put together any type of consistent play.
Texas finished with the worst record in the Western conference (31 40 3 2 – 67) and only last year’s Calder Cup winner, the Binghamton Senators, finished with a league worst 65 points.
It’s difficult to pinpoint exactly what went wrong because so many things did. And as usual, the coaching staff paid the price because you can’t fire all the players. Head Coach Jeff Pyle and Assistant Coach Jeff Truitt were both relieved of their coaching duties after just one season.
“This was a tough decision, but one we feel was necessary,” Dallas Stars General manager Joe Nieuwendyk said. “Jeff Pyle and Jeff Truitt are true professionals and we would like to thank them for their service in Texas this season.”
The only consistent thing about the Texas Stars this season was their inconsistency in just about every aspect of the game. Some of that initially may have had to do with learning a new system under a new coaching staff. Some of it can definitely be attributed to players being moved up and down in the system due to injuries and callups to Dallas.
On the bright side, one of the primary responsibilities of an AHL coach is to prepare players to play in the NHL. Goaltender Richard Bachman was called up to Dallas to replace an injured Anderew Raycroft and stuck with the big team. Same for Ryan Garbutt who played for Pyle in the ECHL and moved through that league, the AHL and NHL in a year’s time. His play on the fourth line in Dallas was excellent and frankly surprised a lot of people.
Also on the plus side was the emergence of a good crop of youngsters, some of whom will surely play a big role on this team next year. Rookie forward Matt Frasier finished second in the league with 37 goals and was the only Texas representative at the AHL All Star game. He may have played himself into the NHL, but only time will tell.
Forward Austin Smith, a Dallas, Texas native who graduated from Colgate University led the nation with six shorthanded goals and finished third in the nation with 57 points. He is an exciting player who never stops hustling.
Goaltender Jack Campbell also has a promising future. He was the first goaltender chosen in the 2010 draft and was once traded in juniors for two forwards and six draft choices. In a dozen games with Texas, he allowed 3 goals per game and stopped 91% of the shots he faced.
It should also be noted that while the team was inconsistent and often played poorly, it wasn’t for lack of trying. The players never quit on themselves and the fans never quit on the players. Texas drew well over 5,000 loyal fans per game (including a record 6800+ in the home finale), even after it was evident the team wasn’t going to the playoffs for the first time in their short three-year history.
So while the Calder Cup playoffs begin Thursday night, nearly half the players in the league will head to their respective homes and hope that next season brings better results.
Two classy coaches will also head home to ponder their next move as well.
Contact the writer at: mitch.cooper@prohockeynews.com
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