Dallas Stars rookie Logan Stankoven could hardly ask for a better introduction to the National Hockey League (NHL) as he quickly showed why his team drafted him last month.
The 21-year-old skater, who was selected in the second round of the Texas organization in the 2021 draft, has already scored three goals and one assist in his first four duels in the NHL. On Thursday, he made the breakthrough in the third consecutive meeting, leading his team to a 4-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets at the end of the first period.
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Even though the sample size is small, there are compliments coming from all quarters for the man who totaled 57 points in 47 American League games this season. He already seems to have made a name for himself in head coach Peter DeBoer's offensive lineup, who is using him alongside Jamie Benn and Wyatt Johnston, among others.
“He was great. This trio is as good as any combination. “They're fun to watch, and because they compete against each other, it's more interesting to follow them the next time we hit the ice,” commented veteran Joe Pavelski the website NHL.com. They are fun to watch and they are rewarded for their efforts. Obviously Logan scored goals, but they are all over the court and form a balanced line.
“He’s a young man with confidence,” striker Matt Duchene told the Stars website last weekend. He is confident in his abilities and took the right path to get here. So I think he is ready to take on the challenge. And his past shows that he has every reason to be optimistic about this.”
The improvement
Asked by the same site, Stankoven mentioned that he had already managed to make the necessary adjustments to his game in his first NHL game on February 24th.
“The difference is in the speed and decision-making. There is not much time and space. So when you have an opportunity, you want to take advantage of it,” he said.
“I think it’s a good amount of confidence. After that first meeting, I knew I could play with them, but you have to keep up and improve with every game, he also reflected. You're a little nervous in the first part, but it's time to move on and build chemistry with my teammates.
His goal appears to have already been achieved and he will look to once again apply the lessons learned from Saturday's visit to the San Jose Sharks.