One To Watch: Dallas Stars

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The new-look Stars have a couple of rookies on their roster who the club can expect a decent amount of production from this year. Both Alex Chiasson and Valeri Nichushkin made the opening night roster and although the Russian has yet to hit the score sheet, the former Boston University Terrier has two goals in as many games. 

Nichushkin is the first Dallas 1st round pick to step right onto the roster since 1983 when Brian Lawton went from high school in Rhode Island to the Minnesota North Stars the next year. Pretty amazing when you think about it. 

2012 Choice: Reilly Smith - The Ohio RedHawk split the shortened year between the NHL and AHL because of the lockout. He got into 37 games with Dallas and managed a modest 9 points as a rookie. This past summer he was packaged with Loui Eriksson, Matt Fraser and Joe Morrow and sent to Boston in the deal that landed Tyler Seguin, Rich Peverley and prospect Ryan Button. 

My selection as One To Watch for Dallas in 2013-14 comes up after the jump.

Scott Glennie (RW)
Texas Stars
6'1, 195 lbs
Drafted 8th overall in 2009

Photo: Aaron Bell

It's a pivotal year for the former Brandon Wheat King and it's not started out the way anyone would have wanted it to. Scott Glennie, entering the final year of his entry level deal, is out for another month or so after suffering a knee injury during training camp in September. 

Glennie has not lived up to expectations of a player chosen inside the top 10 of a strong draft year - only one first round pick from 2009 has played fewer games than Glennie who has appeared in only one NHL contest to date. 

The forward spent two more seasons in the WHL after he was drafted and  did not impress me in those two campaigns. Although he had 89 points in 2009-10, that was third on the Wheat Kings who hosted the Memorial Cup that May. During that event Glennie was nearly invisible and lost his spot on the top line alongside Matt Calvert and Brayden Schenn to Mark Stone.

The following year he was back in Brandon once again and had a 91-point year but most would agree that it was Stone who carried the team that year. 

Photo: Texas Stars

On the farm in 2011-12, Glennie had a somewhat disappointing rookie year with 37 points in a full 72-game schedule. 2012-13 was worse; beginning the year on the sideline for "conditioning issues" then was injured and missed 20 games. In all he appeared in just 37 games and managed a paltry 5 goals and 14 points. 

Glennie spent the summer working out under the guidance of former NHLer Brent Severyn and also skated in Sweden with HV71 for a bit in August. 

Without question this is a crucial season for Glennie who is playing for another contract with the team that drafted him 4 years ago. He's been passed on the depth chart by several players so there is no guarantee that he'll be back with the organization next year. 

With that much uncertainty, Glennie should be extremely motivated this season and that makes him One To Watch for the Dallas Stars in 2013-14. 

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