With the Texas Stars eliminated, the Dallas Stars have brought up their crew of “Black Aces,” players who will practice, take in the NHL atmosphere and stay ready for action, but usually not dress. This time, it’s 11 players coming up from the AHL:
- Oskar Back
- Riley Damiani
- Ty Dellandrea
- Rhett Gardner
- Fredrik Karlstrom
- Tanner Kero
- Riley Tufte
- Joseph Cecconi
- Alexander Petrovic
- Jerad Rosburg
- Ryan Shea
Perhaps most interesting among them are Back and Karlstrom, a pair of third-round picks that are just dipping their toes into the North American professional waters. Both players came over from the SHL this season and made an impact for Texas, scoring 25 and 29 points respectively. Each one is a big, rangy forward with experience at center ice. Karlstrom ended up playing three games for Dallas this season, but is also more than two years older than Back, who only turned 22 a few months ago.
Meanwhile, Wyatt Johnston, a player that you might expect to be with this group if possible, continues his OHL playoff series this week. The 18-year-old forward had 124 points in 68 games this season for the Windsor Spitfires and has added another 17 in nine postseason appearances.
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