(Non) Stray Observations: Traverse City

"Dallas" starts the season with two losses that don't mean anything.

If you’re a fan of Stars hockey, then you know that Traverse City is that time when you don’t get to have your cake and eat it too. It’s nice to celebrate victory, but the point of being a competitive NHL team is to have full cupboards at the professional level, and empty cupboards at the prospect level. It’d be great if Dallas’ prospects won, but they’re not supposed to.

And so this weekend, they didn’t, dropping both games to the Detroit Red Wings¹.

I actually didn’t get to see either game, which defeats the purpose of “observations”, but I’m familiar enough with the roster they played and some of the chatter around the performances that we can still talk a little shop.

I was happy to hear that Chase Wheatcroft got to play on a proper line with Arttu Hyry and Emil Hemming. Wheatcroft garnered a modest amount of hype — insofar as WHL overagers garner hype from casual fans who just see gaudy point totals — following his 107-point performance with the Prince George Cougars. Logan Morrison, Tye Felhaber; they’re not exactly a dime-a-dozen, but it’s another example of production and performance not being synonymous.

Nonetheless, I like Wheatcroft’s game. (When I say I like his game, this is not an implication that I think he can make the NHL) He wasn’t a factor in Texas, only tallying 16 points over 46 games. But I liked his style as a specialist: less invested in trying to “play the game the right way” Wheatcroft prefers to create what he can offensively with as much control, vision, and velocity as possible.

Wheatcroft is #29 in these videos.

The classic specialist — or players who excel in one area — is something of a dying breed in hockey, so watching him just kind of barrel through defenders like Iko Uwais in a hallway of henchmen makes for fun viewing.

In the highlights below, you’ll see he was at it again this weekend. Wheatcroft is an above average puck handler, and part of why he’s able to prompt intrigue despite lacking in a lot of other areas. It’s worth remembering that a lot of fans seemed to like his previous Traverse City performance. I went back to my 2023 report cards because I remember not thinking he stood out, but nonetheless giving him respect for three goals.

It’s amusing to go back and read these. It’s also a reminder of what Traverse City is: a loose coalition of puck handling impulses. I also remember thinking Mavrik Bourque looked awful (who I gave a C), and Artyom Grushnikov looked excellent. (Who I gave an A; Calgary must have given him the same grade)

For a proper review of the Traverse City games, 100DegreeHockey has you covered through Game 1 and Game 2.

Big Pic

Most of the Traverse City prospects were lower-tier players. But it’s worth remembering that there’s always one; one prospect that punches well above their weight and ends up making a name for themselves. (I can’t read those last several words without hearing Channing Tatum’s nightmarish Cajun accent) By the sound of things, Arttu Hyry could be that guy. And that’s big.

Not because Hyry is ‘Wyatt-Ready’. Or because I think he’s a great prospect (he qualifies as more of an emerging veteran at this point than a young prospect). But because the Stars are already playing with house money. Any one that can come on the way Mattias Janmark did would be fantastic.

Game 1 Highlights

Game 2 Highlights

1. What’s funny about this thesis is that Dallas actually rates higher than Detroit on EPRinkside’s prospect pool rankings, with Dallas at #14 and Detroit at #15. I’m not quite sure I agree. Essentially it’s Cossa/Brandsegg-Nygard/Sandin Pellikka/Augustine/Kasper/Danielson vs. Stankoven/Bourque/Bichsel and Hemming. As a believer in Nygard and Danielson especially, I’d the Red Wings the edge, but not by much. I know this is splitting hairs, but the whole point here is that it’s to Dallas’ credit that they have a similarly talented pipeline AND Cup aspirations.