As Dallas Stars’ top prospect and 2021 draft pick Logan Stankoven prepares to begin his rookie season in the NHL, expectations are sky-high. The 21-year-old forward tallied 57 points (24 goals and 33 assists) in 47 American Hockey League (AHL) games with the Texas Stars last season before earning a call-up to Dallas (NHL). He then put up 14 points (six goals and eight assists) in 24 regular season games before scoring eight points (three goals and five assists) in 19 playoff games.
Stankoven maintained his rookie status since he played less than 26 regular season NHL games last season, so he heads into the season with an advantage given the 43 total career NHL games under his belt. With Dallas’ preseason beginning this Saturday (Sep. 21) against the St. Louis Blues, The Hockey Writers’ Michael Ostrower was lucky enough to talk about the season ahead with one of hockey’s top prospects.
Stankoven’s Impressive Blazers Career
When the Stars selected Stankoven in the second round of the 2021 NHL Draft, it was not a surprise. The Kamloops, British Columbia native had scored 58 points (36 goals and 22 assists) in 65 games with his hometown Western Hockey League (WHL) team, the Kamloops Blazers, over the prior two seasons. These numbers would have been much higher if not for the shortened 2020-21 season where he began with 10 points (seven goals and three assists) in his first six games.
Following the draft, Stankoven returned to Kamloops as captain and led them to back-to-back WHL Western Conference Final appearances in 2021 and 2022. He scored 201 points (79 goals and 122 assists) in 107 regular season games in those two seasons and credits the competitiveness and talent of his teammates as what drove the team’s success. Looking back, there should be no surprise the Blazers did as well as they did. In Stankoven’s final two seasons with the team, he suited up alongside Fraser Minten, Harrison Brunicke, Olen Zellweger, Caedan Bankier, and multiple additional NHL-affiliated prospects for one of the CHL’s best organizations.
Related: Every NHL Team’s All-Time Leader in Points
In 2022-23, Stankoven’s final season of juniors, he was recognized on the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) and WHL First All-Star Team after leading the WHL in points during the regular season and playoffs. He also won the World Junior Championship with Canada and the Doug Wickenheiser Trophy, given annually to the player who best shows a commitment to his community and humanitarian values in the WHL. Although his junior career with the Blazers ended before realizing his Memorial Cup aspirations, he expressed gratitude for his time in Kamloops, acknowledging his coaches and teammates as instrumental in helping him achieve his goals.
Stankoven’s Journey to the NHL
After concluding his junior career, the Stars sent Stankoven to the AHL to begin the 2023-24 season. While deserving of an NHL roster spot, Dallas prioritized their top prospect’s development, allowing him to play against premier competition while hashing out the small details of his game. And develop he did, seamlessly adjusting to the different playstyles of the WHL and AHL by scoring a goal in each of his first two AHL games and tallying seven points in his first four games. He then finished the season with more multi-point performances (15) than pointless performances (10).
Stankoven shared that the biggest difference he noticed between the CHL and AHL was the “timing and spacing.” He explained that opportunities are “harder to come by” as the caliber of play increases, making it even more important to focus on the defensive aspects and small details in his journey to the NHL.
Following his dominance in the AHL, the Stars recalled Stankoven on Feb. 24th to make his NHL debut against the Carolina Hurricanes. While he went pointless, Dallas came out on top 2-1 in overtime, ending a four-game losing streak. From there, Stankoven took off, scoring his first career NHL goal the following game against the New York Islanders and tallying eight points (four goals and four assists) in his next five games, including a two-goal, four-point performance on Mar. 5th against the San Jose Sharks.
Logan Stankoven's first @NHL goal on his 21st birthday in front of the home crowd and his family in Victory Green.
— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) February 27, 2024
Draw it up better. ✍️ pic.twitter.com/Pl4pQTPapX
When asked what made the start of his NHL career so impressive, Stankoven stated “I felt it was important to capitalize on the opportunities I got. I didn’t know what to expect or how long I was going to be called up for, so making a good first impression would ensure I would stick around.”
Even with Stankoven’s early dominance, earning ice time was not easy in Dallas’ deep forward corps, but he managed to finish the regular season with an average ice time of 14:40.
Stars’ Veterans Stepped Up
Adjusting to the NHL may not have been too difficult for Stankoven given his elite skill set, but joining a new team midseason brought its own challenges, including quickly packing up and moving three hours north from Austin to Dallas. Logan credits Texas Stars captain Curtis McKenzie for helping him transition to the pros in the AHL, while in the NHL, veterans Jamie Benn and Joe Pavelski played key roles in making his midseason move so easy.
Stankoven highlighted Benn’s leadership in helping him settle in while praising Pavelski as an exceptional leader who “opened up his house and family” during the season and playoffs. Though Pavelski has since retired, Stankoven remains deeply grateful for the time he spent with the veteran, acknowledging that the lessons he learned will significantly shape his NHL career.
Stankoven highlighted Pavelski’s role not only as a vocal leader but, more importantly, as someone who shared countless subtle details that contributed to his impressive 1,332-game career as one of the greatest American players in NHL history. Stankoven specifically mentioned Pavelski’s proactive approach and emphasis on “stretching and maintaining his body, especially as an older guy in the league.” While Stankoven is just 21 years old, learning these lessons now will help establish a successful and lengthy career.
Stankoven’s Success Despite Being Undersized
As a smaller player, standing just 5-foot-8, physicality has always been a concern in Stankoven’s game. Once in the NHL, he stated the “size of the players” surprised him the most, referencing how the AHL was a “bit of a younger league” that had fewer veterans than the NHL, making physicality a lesser factor. To no surprise, he persevered, continuing his impressive play despite the increased size of his NHL counterparts.
One player Stankoven credits for his success is the late Johnny Gaudreau. A trailblazer among undersized NHL forwards, Stankoven mentions how “Gaudreau being a smaller guy and having so much success opened up new pathways for smaller guys to come to the league.” In the weeks since Johnny and his brother Matthew tragically lost their lives to a drunk driver, Stankoven mentions how he has been watching Johnny’s highlights as one of the NHL’s most “creative and shifty” NHL players to prepare for the coming season.
Stankoven is Already an NHL Star
On the ice, Stankoven made an immediate impact in the NHL. He finished first among Stars skaters in goals percentage (G%) and expected goals percentage (xG%) in the regular season, according to MoneyPuck. In the playoffs, he was second in G% and third in xG%. He finished the regular season with a higher goals per 60 minutes than Mark Scheifele, Mika Zibenejad, Anze Kopitar, Alexander Barkov, and Ryan O’Reilly and higher points per 60 minutes than Pavel Buchnevich, Martin Necas, Troy Terry, Sam Bennett, and Joel Farebee, all established NHL stars. It is easy to look at the numbers and set sky-high expectations for Stankoven this season, but he is focused on staying in the moment.
THREE GOALS IN FOUR NHL GAMES FOR LOGAN STANKOVEN‼️ pic.twitter.com/4nbJxZeQ1s
— NHL (@NHL) March 1, 2024
Stankoven uses stats to boost his confidence but stays grounded by focusing on the small details of each shift. He pays particular attention to shots and plus/minus to evaluate each game’s performance, aiming for around five shots per game and striving to be on the ice for more goals scored than allowed. He has excelled at this so far, consistently finishing with a positive goal differential for every team he’s played for since the 2018-19 season.
Stankoven learned a lot during the Stars’ Western Conference Finals run, one lesson being “how hard it is to score against the much-improved goaltenders and defensemen in the NHL. With how hard chances are to come by, capitalizing when [he] gets a chance” is an area he hopes to improve. During the offseason, he worked on his shot, scoring ability, and skillwork.
Stankoven has set his sights on reaching 20 goals and 20 assists this season, an impressive target for a rookie. However, he says he “doesn’t even feel like one,” having already played 43 NHL games. He credits his time in the NHL for “preparing [him] for what is next… as getting in so much experience was huge in preparing for this season”.
Rapid Fire Questions
Following the more serious questions, Stankoven answered some less serious, rapid-fire questions.
If stuck on a deserted island with any three NHL players in hockey history, Stankoven would want to be with Sidney Crosby, Wayne Gretzky, and Gordie Howe, three all-time greats from three different eras.
With the NHL season beginning soon, Stankoven voiced his excitement to visit all of the new cities he did not get to see last season. Notably, he lists the Centre Bell, home of the Montreal Canadiens, the arena he is most looking forward to playing in given the fanbase’s passion, and Vancouver the city he is most excited to visit as his family will be in attendance.
Stankoven also looks forward to playing against some former teammates and Blazers alumni, listing Zellweger, Minten, Connor Ingram, and Connor Zary as those he is most excited about.
An emotional goodbye to his hometown crowd from Blazers' captain, Logan Stankoven.❤️#MemorialCup pic.twitter.com/GCRrGCpM2j
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) June 2, 2023
On off days, Stankoven likes to hang out by the pool or go shopping. He mentions golf as one of his favorite hobbies, but he tends to stay off the course during the season to focus on hockey. As well, he prioritizes his health, always eating healthy in favor of fast food. However, he is a fan of Chick-fil-A sauce, stating how the stores in Dallas are always fully stocked with the signature condiment.
During his time off, Stankoven likes to watch Outer Banks and Stranger Things and is looking forward to the future seasons. As well, his favorite musical artist is Drake, and his favorite celebrity is Adam Sandler, stating how he has acted in some of his favorite movies.
If Stankoven could not play hockey, he would unsurprisingly find another sport to play. If sports were not an option, he would work in business or as a firefighter or police officer as he likes to help people. While this was a less serious question, his selfless attitude continues to shine through on and off the ice.
If he could give advice to his 10-year-old self, Stankoven would tell him to “stay humble, never be satisfied, and continue to grow and develop as a player and person.” This advice stands true today, as even when told how impressive the start to his NHL career was, he resorted to areas he is hoping to improve following last season’s Western Conference Finals loss.
The Stars already boast an elite young forward core with Roope Hintz, Jason Robertson, and Wyatt Johnston, and now they’ll be adding the 21-year-old Stankoven to the mix. For a team that achieved significant success without him, the addition of one of hockey’s top prospects will push them to an even higher level.
