Stars Midseason Stock Report, Part 2

Goalies

Ilya Sorokin: Meeting expectations

Sorokin has turned in another strong campaign, with his 91.9% save percentage matching his output from last season. He’s still a tick below Vezina candidate status and Dallas would benefit from his game reaching another level during the playoff race. 

Craig Anderson: Exceeding expectations

The Stars struggled in Anderson’s starts last season, going 5-10-2 behind his mediocre 90.9% save percentage. He’s rebounded this year to post a 91.5% and a 5-5 record after beating out prospect Daniil Tarasov for the backup job in training camp.

Defensemen

Jared Spurgeon: Meeting expectations

As usual, Spurgeon is rock solid on the Stars’ top defense pair. The alternate captain leads the team in ice time, is tied with Erik Gustafsson for most points by a defenseman at 19, and has taken just one minor penalty this year.

MacKenzie Weegar: Meeting expectations

Weegar was brought in at the trade deadline last season to anchor the Stars’ second pair behind Spurgeon, and so far so good. He’s brought a physical element to the blueline, leading the team with 120 hits, while still contributing 12 assists.

Jake Middleton: Exceeding expectations

Another trade deadline acquisition, Middleton’s proved to be the perfect partner for Jared Spurgeon on the top pair. Despite facing top competition, they’ve tilted the ice in Dallas’ favor and it shows with Middleton’s +9 rating.

Dmitry Kulikov: Meeting expectations

Kulikov continues to provide value beyond his cap hit, capably filling a top 4 role despite making less than $1M. He leads defensemen with a +13 rating and 35 takeaways, although his 18 PIM have accounted for nearly 25% of the team’s total.

Erik Gustafsson: Meeting expectations

The Stars, needing more offense from their blueline, signed Gustafsson to a long term deal in the offseason. He’s given them exactly what they’d hoped for, leading the team’s defensemen with 16 assists.  

Henri Jokiharju: Needs improvement

Despite turning 24 in the offseason, Jokiharju hasn’t shown much growth from where he was when the Stars first acquired him in 2021. If he continues to struggle, the team could look to replace him via trade or calling up veteran Patrick Nemeth.

Prospect Watch

F Dmitry Voronkov

The Stars recently considered signing Voronkov to an ELC to entice him to leave Russia midseason, but ultimately they’ll wait to start the clock on it next season. They’re excited at Voronkov’s progress and production this season and expect him to jump into a Top 9 role with the Stars when he joins the team.

F Brendan Brisson

Brisson has played up to his first round draft pedigree with the Texas Stars this season. He’s tied for the team lead with 30 points and 8 power play points. If Brisson keeps this up, he may get a shot with the pro team in training camp next offseason.

G Daniil Tarasov

Tarasov was given the reigns as the Texas Stars’ starter this year, and picked up where he left off last year as a backup. He boasts a 92.5% save percentage and 19 wins in 34 starts and looks like he could compete for the Stars’ backup goalie job next season.