For the Dallas Stars, the fact that they even made the playoffs in 2014 was a victory. Their AHL affiliates, the Texas Stars, had more ambitious goals.
For the second straight year, Texas finished atop the Western Conference standings and they have a 2-1 series lead over the St. John’s IceCaps in the Calder Cup Final. Dallas GM Jim Nill thinks it’s only a matter of time before Texas’ success rubs off on Dallas.
“Winning is contagious,” Nill said, per the Dallas Morning News. “We talk all the time about building a winning culture, and this is a big part of that.”
Nill believes in building through the draft and the importance of having a well-run AHL club to help develop that talent, which isn’t surprising given his background with the Detroit Red Wings. He also cited the proximity between the two Stars teams as an aspect that shouldn’t be overlooked.
“These players need to know you’re watching,” Nill said. “They need to know you’re watching when they do good things; they need to know you’re watching when they do bad things.”
The Stars’ AHL affiliate used to be in Iowa, but has played in Austin since the 2009-10 campaign. In the Texas Stars’ five-season history, they have made the playoffs four times and have advanced to the Calder Cup Final twice.
