CEDAR PARK, Texas — The Texas Stars open their Western Conference finals against the Rockford IceHogs Friday at the HEB Center in Cedar Park. The Stars weren’t a shoe-in to even make the playoffs, but they made it to the finals, thanks in part to a balanced mix of experience and young talent and exuberance.
Gavin Bayreuther
Photo credit: Texas Stars
One of those youngsters is 24-year old defenseman Gavin Bayreuther. A graduate of St. Lawrence University, where he scored 111 points in 142 games, Bayreuther was not drafted and signed a two-year entry level contract with the Stars near the end of the 2016-2017 season.
“I was always a late-bloomer and an underdog,” Bayreuther said. “I went three years in a row not getting drafted but signed here as a free agent right after I finished college.”
Originally from Portland, Maine, Bayreuther now lives in the small New Hampshire town of Canaan. He started playing hockey early in life.
“I started at a real young age,” Bayreuther said. “My dad made a rink for me in our back yard. He’d put solid work into it before and after school. I’d come home crying because my feet were so cold, but I loved it.”
Bayreuther has come a long way since the season began.
“I’ve improved a crazy amount,” Bayreuther said. “I’ve always felt that I was able to do it with confidence. It’s just a matter of playing the game, knowing where to be and learning how to keep it simple and keep the puck going up the ice.”
He scored 32 points in the regular season and was a plus 11. Through nine game in the playoffs, he has a goal and three assists.
“Our young players, our bottom six and our young defensemen have been great all year,” Head Coach Derek Laxdal said. “Gavin Bayreuther has taken a huge step forward since the start of the season. He’s a top-two, top-four defenseman in the AHL.”
Bayreuther credits his teammates for getting him to where he is now as a player and he credited others for how far the team has come in the playoffs so far.
“I’ve built relationships with people I never thought I would,” Bayreuther said. “I’ve become best friends with people from Finland, Russia and Sweden.”
But he credits his parents for who he is as a person.
“My parents have both been unbelievable,” Bayreuther said. “The things they put first are not hockey. When it is hockey, it’s about effort and work ethic. Being a good teammate is really important. (My parents) mean the world to me and I’m very grateful to them.”
Like any other young professional, Bayreuther hopes one day to play in the NHL.
“That’s obviously my number one goal,” Bayreuther said. “But I’m trying to worry about now and live for today. That’s important for all of us as a team. Do the right things now and see what happens.”
If the Stars can get by a really tough IceHogs team that have yet to lose a playoff game, Bayreuther will have the opportunity to play in his first professional Calder Cup finals.
Contact the writer at mitch.cooper@prohockeynews.com
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