The Texas Stars are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL) based in Cedar Park, Texas, near Austin,[1][2] with home games at the H-E-B Center. They are owned by the National Hockey League's (NHL) Dallas Stars and are the team's top developmental affiliate.
| Texas Stars | |
|---|---|
 | |
| City | Cedar Park, Texas |
| League | American Hockey League |
| Conference | Western |
| Division | Central |
| Founded | 1999 |
| Operated | 2009–present |
| Home arena | H-E-B Center at Cedar Park |
| Colors | Victory green, silver, black, white |
| Owner(s) | Tom Gaglardi |
| General manager | Scott White |
| Head coach | Neil Graham |
| Captain | Curtis McKenzie |
| Media | KBVO (TV) (channel 14) AHL.TV (Internet) |
| Affiliates | Dallas Stars (NHL) Idaho Steelheads (ECHL) |
| Franchise history | |
| 1999–2001 | Louisville Panthers |
| 2005–2008 | Iowa Stars |
| 2008–2009 | Iowa Chops |
| 2009–present | Texas Stars |
| Championships | |
| Regular season titles | 1 (2013–14) |
| Division titles | 3 (2012–13, 2013–14, 2022–23) |
| Conference titles | 3 (2010, 2014, 2018) |
| Calder Cups | 1 (2014) |
 Current season | |
History
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In April 2008, the Iowa Stars announced that they would no longer affiliate with the Dallas Stars and changed the team's name to Chops for the 2008–09 season.[3] For the 2008–09 season, Dallas made agreements to send their AHL prospects to four other teams, while a few remained with the Chops.[4] AHL teams that received Dallas Stars prospects were the Hamilton Bulldogs, Manitoba Moose, Peoria Rivermen, and Grand Rapids Griffins.[5]
On April 28, 2009, the AHL granted a provisional Austin-area franchise to Tom Hicks, owner of the NHL Stars, with the stipulation that Hicks purchase an existing AHL franchise within one year.[6][7] That condition was met on May 4, 2010, when the AHL approved the Texas Stars' ownership group's purchase of the Iowa Chops franchise, which had been suspended for the 2009–10 season.[8]
The team's inaugural season was a successful one. After finishing second in the West Division, the Stars swept Rockford in the first round of the playoffs, then claimed their first division championship by defeating Chicago four games to three. The Stars then won their first Robert W. Clarke Trophy by defeating Hamilton in another seven-game series to become the Western Conference champions. The Stars eventually fell to Hershey in game six of the 2010 Calder Cup Finals.
The Stars won the Calder Cup in 2014, defeating the St. John's IceCaps in the finals. After the season, head coach Willie Desjardins resigned to accept the head coaching position with the Vancouver Canucks.[9] In July 2014 he was succeeded by Derek Laxdal, who won a Kelly Cup championship with the Stars' ECHL affiliate, the Idaho Steelheads, in 2007.[10] Also during 2014, the Stars were purchased by Tom Gaglardi's ownership group, thus having the AHL affiliate under control of the parent club.
On June 11, 2015, the Stars unveiled their new logo, color scheme, and jerseys to more closely match the parent club's identity.[11]
In 2018, the Stars once again made it to the Calder Cup finals, but lost to the Toronto Marlies in seven games.[12] During the 2019–20 season, head coach Laxdal was promoted to the Dallas Stars as an assistant and the Texas Stars promoted Neil Graham to head coaching position.
Season-by-season results
edit| Calder Cup Champions | Conference Champions | Division Champions | League leader |
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | Pts | PCT | GF | GA | Standing | Year | Prelims | 1st round | 2nd round | 3rd round | Finals |
| 2009–10 | 80 | 46 | 27 | 3 | 4 | 99 | .619 | 238 | 198 | 2nd, West | 2010 | — | W, 4–0, RFD | W, 4–3, CHI | W, 4–3, HAM | L, 2–4, HER |
| 2010–11 | 80 | 41 | 29 | 4 | 6 | 92 | .575 | 213 | 210 | 4th, West | 2011 | — | L, 2–4, MIL | — | — | — |
| 2011–12 | 76 | 31 | 40 | 3 | 2 | 67 | .441 | 224 | 251 | 5th, West | 2012 | Did not qualify | ||||
| 2012–13 | 76 | 43 | 22 | 5 | 6 | 97 | .638 | 235 | 201 | 1st, South | 2013 | — | W, 3–1, MIL | L, 1–4, OKC | — | — |
| 2013–14 | 76 | 48 | 18 | 3 | 7 | 106 | .697 | 274 | 197 | 1st, West | 2014 | — | W, 3–0, OKC | W, 4–2, GR | W, 4–3, TOR | W, 4–1, STJ |
| 2014–15 | 76 | 40 | 22 | 13 | 1 | 94 | .618 | 242 | 216 | 2nd, West | 2015 | — | L, 0–3, RFD | — | — | — |
| 2015–16 | 76 | 40 | 25 | 8 | 3 | 91 | .599 | 277 | 246 | 3rd, Pacific | 2016 | — | L, 1–3, SD | — | — | — |
| 2016–17 | 76 | 34 | 37 | 1 | 4 | 73 | .480 | 224 | 265 | 7th, Pacific | 2017 | Did not qualify | ||||
| 2017–18 | 76 | 38 | 24 | 8 | 6 | 90 | .592 | 223 | 231 | 2nd, Pacific | 2018 | — | W, 3–1, ONT | W, 4–1, TUC | W, 4–2, RFD | L, 3–4, TOR |
| 2018–19 | 76 | 37 | 31 | 4 | 4 | 82 | .539 | 238 | 231 | 6th, Central | 2019 | Did not qualify | ||||
| 2019–20 | 62 | 27 | 28 | 3 | 4 | 61 | .492 | 171 | 192 | 6th, Central | 2020 | Season cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | ||||
| 2020–21 | 38 | 17 | 18 | 3 | 0 | 37 | .487 | 117 | 124 | 5th, Central | 2021 | No playoffs were held | ||||
| 2021–22 | 72 | 32 | 28 | 6 | 6 | 76 | .528 | 219 | 230 | 5th, Central | 2022 | L, 0–2, RFD | — | — | — | — |
| 2022–23 | 72 | 40 | 20 | 9 | 3 | 92 | .639 | 265 | 210 | 1st, Central | 2023 | BYE | W, 3–0, RFD | L, 2–3, MIL | — | — |
| 2023–24 | 72 | 33 | 33 | 4 | 2 | 72 | .500 | 234 | 240 | 4th, Central | 2024 | W, 2–0, MB | L, 2–3, MIL | — | — | — |
Players
editCurrent roster
editUpdated October 27, 2024.[13][14]
Team captains
edit- Landon Wilson, 2009–2010
- Brad Lukowich, 2010–2012
- Maxime Fortunus, 2012–2015
- Travis Morin, 2015–2017
- Curtis McKenzie, 2017–2018, 2021–present
- Justin Dowling, 2018–2019[15]
- Dillon Heatherington, 2019–2020
- Cole Schneider, 2021[16]
Retired numbers
edit| No. | Player | Position | Career | No. retirement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 | Travis Morin | C | 2009–2019 | October 19, 2019[17] |
Notable alumni
editThe following players have played both 100 games for Texas and 100 games in the National Hockey League:
Head coaches
edit- Glen Gulutzan, 2009–2011
- Jeff Pyle, 2011–2012
- Willie Desjardins, 2012–2014
- Derek Laxdal, 2014–2019[10]
- Neil Graham, 2019–present[18]
Team records
edit- Single season
- Goals: Matt Fraser, 37 (2011–12)
- Assists: Travis Morin, 56 (2013–14)
- Points: Travis Morin, 88 (2013–14)
- Penalty Minutes: Luke Gazdic, 155 (2009–10)
- GAA: Richard Bachman, 2.20 (2010–11)
- SV%: Richard Bachman, .927 (2010–11)
- Wins: Richard Bachman, 28 (2010–11)
- Shutouts: Richard Bachman, 6 (2010–11)
- Goaltending records need a minimum 25 games played by the goaltender
- Career
- Career goals: Travis Morin, 175
- Career assists: Travis Morin, 385
- Career points: Travis Morin, 560
- Career penalty minutes: Luke Gazdic, 447
- Career goaltending wins: Jack Campbell, 66
- Career shutouts: Richard Bachman, Jack Campbell, 9
- Career games: Travis Morin, 686
References
edit- ^ Lorenz, Andrea (February 21, 2008). "Events center deal will bring Dallas Stars affiliate to Cedar Park". Austin American-Statesman. p. B03.
- ^ Watson, Gregg (February 20, 2008). "Cedar Park leaders praise planned events center". KEYE-TV. Retrieved February 21, 2008. [dead link]
- ^ "Iowa Stars and Dallas End Affiliation Agreement". OurSportsCentral.com. April 25, 2008. Retrieved May 9, 2008.
- ^ Krieser, John (July 29, 2008). "Stars have high hopes for kids". DallasStars.com. Archived from the original on August 24, 2008. Retrieved October 15, 2008.
- ^ Stetson, Mike (October 6, 2008). "Steelheads' lost affiliate creates new situation". Idaho Press-Tribune. Retrieved October 15, 2008.
- ^ Barnes, Dan (April 28, 2009). "Austin, Abbotsford, Glens Falls joining AHL in 2009-10". Edmonton Journal. Archived from the original on May 2, 2009. Retrieved April 29, 2009.
- ^ Heika, Mike (April 29, 2009). "Texas Stars to play in Cedar Park next season". The Dallas Morning News.
- ^ "AHL approves franchise sale to Hicks Cedar Park". TheAHL.com. May 4, 2010. Retrieved May 4, 2010.
- ^ "Willie Desjardins named Canucks head coach", National Hockey League, June 23, 2014. (accessed 8 July 2014)
- ^ a b Heika, Mike. "Stars name Derek Laxdal as head coach of Texas Stars" Archived 2014-07-08 at the Wayback Machine, The Dallas Morning News, July 3, 2014. (accessed 8 July 2014)
- ^ "Texas Stars Unveil New Logos and Colors". Texas Stars. June 11, 2015. Archived from the original on June 13, 2015. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
- ^ Toronto Beats Texas 6-1 in Game 7 to Win AHL’s Calder Cup
- ^ "Texas Stars - Team Roster". Texas Stars. Retrieved 2024-10-27.
- ^ "Texas Stars Roster". American Hockey League. Retrieved 2024-10-27.
- ^ Texas Stars (2018-11-14). "Justin Dowling Named Texas Stars Captain". Retrieved 2018-11-15.
- ^ "Stars Name Forward Cole Schneider Team Captain". OurSports Central. February 4, 2021.
- ^ "Travis Morin Jersey Retirement". AHL. 2019-10-19. Retrieved 2019-10-21.
- ^ "Dallas Stars appoint Neil Graham as Texas Stars Head Coach". Texas Stars. December 10, 2019. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
