Read on for Texas’ press release and career stats for Chupp:

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Cedar Park, TX – The Texas Stars announced on Thursday that the club has agreed to terms with forward Cody Chupp for the 2010-11 season.

Chupp, 25, made his AHL debut with Texas last season, ending a four-year playing career at Ferris State University. In nine regular season games with Texas, the 6-foot-1, 192-pound forward dished out one assist for one point. Chupp made his AHL debut against Chicago on March 26th and recorded his first career pro point with an assist against San Antonio on April 2 at Cedar Park Center. He was held scoreless in two playoff appearances for Texas this past spring.

At Ferris State University, he scored 35 goals and dished out 60 assists for 95 NCAA points in 144 games played from 2006-10. As a senior, Chupp tied for the team lead with 21 assists and placed third on the team in scoring with 30 points. The Big Rapids, MI native also scored nine times in 35 games played this past season. Chupp posted a career-high 11 goals and tied his career high with 30 points as a sophomore at FSU in 2007-08.

Sawada got brief looks at the NHL level the past two years, playing a total of 10 games with Dallas and scoring one goal.  Last season with Texas, he posted 19 points (8G, 11A) and 92 PIMs.

Here’s the Dallas press release, as it pertains to Sawada:

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Frisco, Tex. – The Dallas Stars announced today that the club has agreed to terms with right wing Raymond Sawada on a one-year, two-way contract and defenseman Maxime Fortunus on a two-year, two-way contract.

Sawada, 24, spend the majority of last season with the Texas Stars, appearing in 60 games and tallying 19 points (8g, 11a) and 92 penalty minutes. He also played five games for Dallas in 2009-10 recording two shots. The 6-2, 207-pound right wing has played 122 career AHL games, collecting 49 points (16g, 33a). The Richmond, British Columbia, native was Dallas’ second round selection (52nd overall) at the 2004 NHL Entry Draft.

Brad Lukowich, shown above with the San Jose Sharks in 2008, signed a 1-year deal with Dallas on Friday. (Photo Credit: Dinur)

As I promised last night, here is some more on the rumored signing of Brad Lukowich for the Stars.  Dallas has signed the veteran defenseman to a one-year contract for the upcoming season.  The contract is two-way, so there’s a good chance he’ll see time in the AHL with the Texas Stars.  He played with Texas last season for 37 games, on loan from Vancouver, and was a great veteran presence both on the ice and in the locker room.  I like this signing from that aspect alone.  But, the nice upside is he can be a solid 6th or 7th defenseman on the NHL squad, as well.

In addition, the Dallas Stars announced they have also signed defensemen Maxime Fortunus and Trevor Ludwig.  Fortunus is getting a two-year deal, while Ludwig was signed to a one-year contract.  Both are two-way contracts.

Here is the press release:

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Frisco, Tex. – The Dallas Stars announced today that the club has agreed to terms with defenseman Maxime Fortunus on a two-year, two-way contract through the 2011-12 season and defensemen Trevor Ludwig and Brad Lukowich each to one-year, two-way contracts through the 2010-11 season.

Fortunus, 26, made his NHL debut with Dallas last season, recording four penalty minutes in eight games. He spent the majority of the season with the Texas Stars of the American Hockey League (AHL), skating in 72 games and recording 23 points (11g, 12a). The 6-1, 198-pound defenseman helped Texas reach the Calder Cup Finals in the club’s inaugural season in the AHL, playing in 24 games and tallying nine points (2g, 7a). The La Prairie, Quebec, native was originally signed as a free agent by Dallas on July 3, 2008.

Ludwig, 25, split time last season with the Texas Stars and the Idaho Steelheads of the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL). He finished the season with Texas, collecting eight points (3g, 5a) and 62 penalty minutes in 47 games. The 6-0, 205-pound defenseman also appeared in 19 playoff games for Texas, recording one assist and 18 penalty minutes. The Rhinelander, WI native was Dallas’ sixth round selection (283rd overall) at the 2004 NHL Entry Draft.

Lukowich, 33, has played 653 career NHL games and helped both Dallas (1999) and Tampa Bay (2004) win the Stanley Cup. Over his NHL career he has accrued 113 points (23g, 90a) and 369 penalty minutes. Lukowich has dressed in 71 NHL playoff games notching six points (1g, 5a) and 22 penalty minutes.

The 6-1, 200-pound defenseman played 224 games for the Dallas Stars from 1997-2002. Last season he split time with Vancouver and the Texas Stars, skating in 13 games for the Canucks, collecting two points (1g, 1a) and four penalty minutes. The Cranbrook, British Columbia, native appeared in 29 games with Texas, tallying 18 points (3g, 15a) and 10 penalty minutes.

Photo by: Dinur

I wasn’t overly impressed with Stephenson’s numbers through 61 games played last season (0G, 5A and 47PIMs), but his game did step up in the playoffs (4A and 26PIMs in 24 games).  He always seemed to be a responsible position player, and I was never left with the feeling that he didn’t belong out there.  So, I’m sure it will be a good depth signing, in the long run, for the T-Stars.

Also, the Stars announced their opponents for the upcoming season.  There weren’t very many surprises in there, though.  Texas will see a heavy rotation of in-state rivals Houston (12 games) and San Antonio (10 games).  They’ll also face the new franchise – the Oklahoma Barons – ten times.

Here is the release from Cedar Park:

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Cedar Park, TX – The Texas Stars announced on Thursday that the club has agreed to terms with defenseman Matt Stephenson for the 2010-11 season.

Stephenson, 26, will enter his third full year of professional hockey after playing in 61 games last season for the Texas Stars. The Midland, ON native posted a career-high five assists for a total of five points in 2009-10. Stephenson finished fourth on the team among all defensemen with 47 penalty minutes. The former St. Cloud State defender helped Texas reach the Calder Cup Finals, posting four assists in 24 playoff games this past spring.

For his career, Stephenson has played in 136 games professionally, including 83 in the AHL. Stephenson has seven assists and 81 penalty minutes for his AHL career. In 2008-09, Stephenson played in 53 games for the ECHL’s Idaho Steelheads, scoring five times and setting up 22 others for 27 points.

The Texas Stars also revealed their 2010-11 opponents, including 28 home games against West Division visitors. The Stars will play their in-state rival, the Houston Aeros 12 times in the regular season, including six games at Cedar Park Center. Texas will also face San Antonio and the Oklahoma City Barons ten times in 2010-11, with each team hosting five games. The remaining West Division opponents (Chicago, Milwaukee, Peoria and Rockford) will each face Texas six times, with each team hosting three games. In all, 56 of the Stars 80 regular season games will be played against West Division rivals.

Texas will face six teams from the Western Conference’s North Division. The Stars will play Abbotsford, Lake Erie and Manitoba a total of four times, including a pair of home games per side. The Stars will face Grand Rapids more than any other team in the North Division. The Griffins and Stars will each host three games in 2010-11. The Stars will also play Hamilton and Toronto twice, with each team hosting one game. Just like 2009-10, Texas will play the Syracuse Crunch, the only team on the schedule from the Eastern Conference. The Stars and Crunch will each host a game after splitting a pair last season.

Gagnon, who made his debut with the Dallas Stars last season, played the majority of the year with the AHL’s Texas Stars, helping them to the Calder Cup Finals in the club’s inaugural year.

Morin played the entire year for the T-Stars, skating in 80 games and tying for the team lead in assists with 31.

Here’s the team’s release on the signings:

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Frisco, Tex. – The Dallas Stars announced today that the club has signed centers Aaron Gagnon and Travis Morin to one-year, two-way contracts. This puts them under contract through the 2010-11 season.

Gagnon, 24, made his NHL debut with Dallas last season, recording two shots in two games with the Stars. He spent the majority of 2009-10 with the Texas Stars of the American Hockey League (AHL), skating in 78 games and pacing the club in goals (27) and points (58). The Quesnel, British Columbia native also played 24 playoff games with Texas, collecting twelve points (8g, 4a).

The 5-11, 186-pound center has appeared in 164 career AHL games and has scored 35 goals and 43 assists with a +24 rating. Gagnon was originally drafted by Phoenix in the eighth round (240th overall) at the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. He was signed as a free agent by Dallas on February 2, 2007.

Morin, 26, skated in 80 games with the Texas Stars last season, tying the club lead in assists (31) and totaling 52 points. He helped Texas reach the Calder Cup finals in the club’s inaugural season last year, posting four goals and 12 assists in 24 games. The Brooklyn Park, MN native spent three seasons with the South Carolina Stingrays of the East Coast Hockey League, playing in 147 games and collecting 175 points (62g, 113a).

The 6-2, 195-pound center spent four years at Minnesota State University – Mankato appearing in 151 games and tallying 133 points (58g, 75a). Morin was originally drafted in the ninth round (263rd overall) at the 2004 NHL Entry Draft by Washington.

Texas Stars forward Greg Rallo (shown above in this year's playoff series against the Chicago Wolves) agreed to a contract with the club for the 2010-11 season on Friday. (Photo Credit: Ross Dettman)

The Texas Stars made their first official signing of the off-season on Friday, as they agreed to terms with forward Greg Rallo.  The 28-year old skater has slowly worked himself through the Dallas Stars affiliate chain over the past five seasons, and last year set personal highs in all three major offensive categories – goals (19), assists (25) and points (44).

Rallo is a great role player on the team, and is responsible at both ends of the ice.  This is definitely a solid signing – one I was hoping we’d see.  He’ll have plenty of youth around him, I think, this upcoming year, and can be a sort of “veteran presence” on the team.  It’s strange to think of a 28-year old guy as a veteran, but he really is in a lot of ways.  Despite only being in his 5th year of professional hockey, Rallo has played on four different AHL teams, and was a main contributor on an ECHL team that won a championship (Idaho in 2006-07).

Here’s the team’s release on the signing:

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Cedar Park, TX – The Texas Stars announced on Friday that the team has agreed to terms with forward Greg Rallo for the 2010-11 season.

Rallo enjoyed career highs with the Texas Stars in 2009-10, scoring 19 goals and setting up 25 others for 44 points in 69 games played. The 6-foot, 195-pound forward finished third overall on the team in goals scored and fourth overall in points for the regular season. Rallo also helped the Stars to a Western Conference Championship this year with three goals and ten points in 24 Calder Cup Playoff games.

“Greg was an integral piece of our hockey team last season,” said Texas Stars General Manager Scott White. “He is a solid two-way player who competes every night.”

The 28-year old will enter his fifth full season of professional hockey this fall. For his career, Rallo has 30 goals and 37 assists for 67 points in 172 AHL games played. The former Ferris State University standout also played in 83 games for the Idaho Steelheads from 2005-2008, scoring 32 goals and dishing out 39 assists for 71 ECHL points.

The Gurnee, IL native made it to the Calder Cup Finals in 2010 with Texas and in 2009 with the Manitoba Moose. Rallo won the ECHL’s Kelly Cup in 2007 with Idaho.

Texas Stars forward Colton Sceviour (above) was just one of many invites to the 2009-10 Dallas Stars Development Camp in Frisco, TX. (Photo by: Ben Ellis)

Ask most people what they think of when they think of summer in Texas, and you won’t likely get too many “hockey” responses.  But, for a group of talented prospects and hopefuls, that’s what the first week of July brought to the Dr. Pepper Starscenter in Frisco, TX.

Deep in the midst of some hockey withdrawal, I took the opportunity to go check out the Dallas Stars Development Camp, and see a few of the players who one day hope to make a name for themselves in the NHL.  This year’s camp invites included the 2010 first round pick of the Dallas Stars, Jack Campbell, as well as the eighth overall selection from last year’s draft, Scott Glennie.  In addition, most of the picks from the last couple of years were on the ice, and all of the Stars’ minor league affiliates had at least one representative in camp, including Allen Americans defenseman Jordie Benn.

I was able to catch most of the first group in the morning, a squad that included Glennie and Benn, as well as some players hoping to move up in the organization like defenseman Guillaume Monast, who played last season for Idaho, and forward Colton Sceviour.

But, out of all the players in that first group, the player who stood out the most to me was this year’s second round pick, Patrik Nemeth.  The kid has great size, especially for an 18 year old, and has a lot of the mechanics to be playing in the pros right now.  I imagine the Stars want him to begin the year in Cedar Park, depending on how training camp goes, but he looked every bit as polished as any AHL defensemen I’ve seen in the last year.

I didn’t get to see as much of the second group, who skated in the afternoon, but I made sure to watch the first half of the on ice workout, as I really wanted to get a look at Jack Campbell and Philip Larsen, both of whom skated in that later grouping.

Campbell is pretty much what I had heard advertised – a big kid with strong mechanics, but definitely in need of some work and instruction before he’s ready for the pros.  I liked his attitude, though, and he looks like he’s ready to take on whatever the Stars are ready to give him.

Larsen was another pleasant surprise to see – He’s another European blue liner that looks ready to play in North America.  Larsen is definitely ready for the AHL, and like Nemeth, might be a good call up this season for Dallas, depending on how things shake out in the off-season.

It’s sometimes hard to judge talent in these camps, because very little of the on-ice talent is NHL-ready, but going by mechanics, and watching the drills, you get a good feel for what these players are capable of, and what kind of decisions they make with the puck, how they think, and what they’re feel for the game is like.

Photos from Monday’s activities are below – I hope you enjoy them and get a little bit of a feel of what it’s like out there.  The pictures are intermixed, so there’s no order to things.  Enjoy.

[View with PicLens]

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Cedar Park, TX – The Texas Stars announced Tuesday six home dates for the upcoming 2010-11 American Hockey League season.

The Western Conference Champions will host their first home game at Cedar Park Center on Saturday, October 16th. Along with the Home Opener, the Stars also revealed five additional guaranteed home dates. Opponents will be released later in the summer, when the AHL announces the complete schedule.

Six Guaranteed Home Dates at Cedar Park Center in 2010-11:

· Saturday, October 16th
· Saturday, October 30th
· Saturday, November 13th
· Friday, November 26th
· Monday, December 27th
· Saturday, January 22nd

The Dallas Stars signed RW Francis Wathier to a 2-year contract extension on Wednesday. (Photo Credit: Texas Stars Hockey)

Dallas confirmed the signing of Krys Barch earlier today, but also announced they extended forward Francis Wathier’s contract for two more years.  Wathier made his debut with the Dallas Stars last season, playing in five games and recording four shots and five penalty minutes.  The big winger played most of the season with the Texas Stars in the AHL, posting 40 points (19G, 21A) in 76 games.

Here is Dallas’ press release on the signing:

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Frisco, Tex. – Nieuwendyk also announced today that the club has signed right wing Francis Wathier to a two-year, two-way contract extension. This extension puts Wathier under contract through the 2011-12 season.

Wathier, 25, made his NHL debut with Dallas last season, recording four shots and five penalty minutes in five games with the Stars. He spent the majority of 2009-10 with the Texas Stars of the American Hockey League (AHL), skating in 76 games and collecting 40 points (19g, 21a) with 101 penalty minutes. The St. Isidore, Ontario native also played 24 playoff games with Texas, tallying eight points (2g, 6a).

The 6-4, 208-pound left wing has played in 240 career AHL games and has scored 41 goals and 38 assists with 349 penalty minutes. Wathier was drafted in the sixth round (185th overall) of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft.

The Dallas Stars announced on Monday that they has signed goaltender Brent Krahn (above) to a one-year, two-way contract for the upcoming season, and had extended qualifying offers to nine other players. (Photo Credit: JustSports Photography)

The Dallas Stars announced on Monday that they had signed goaltender Brent Krahn to a one-year, two-way contract extension for the upcoming season.

The 28-year old Krahn played 22 games for the Texas Stars this season, helping the organization reach the Calder Cup Finals in it’s first year of existence.  Krahn was 17-4-0 this season with five shutout, a 1.83 GAA and a .945 save percentage. He also appeared in 11 post-season games with Texas, posting a 7-4-0 record, with a 2.48 GAA and a .924 save percentage.

Dallas also announced it had made qualifying offers to the following nine players: left wing Fabian Brunnstrom, defenseman Maxime Fortunus, center Aaron Gagnon, defenseman Nicklas Grossman, center Perttu Lindgren, defenseman Trevor Ludwig, left wing James Neal, defenseman Matt Niskanen and right wing Raymond Sawada.

Right wing Tyler Shelast didn’t receive a qualifying offer.

Qualifying offers fall into three categories:

• A player whose prior year salary was equal or less than $660,000 must receive a qualifying offer of 110% of their prior year’s salary.
• A player whose prior year salary was more than $660,000 and up to $1 million must receive a qualifying offer of 105% of their prior year’s salary (but in no event shall such qualifying offer exceed $1 million).
• A player whose prior year salary was more than $1 million must receive a qualifying offer at 100% of their prior year’s salary.

Teams are required to offer restricted free agents a one-year qualifying offer by June 28th, or they lose the right of first refusal or draft choice compensation should that respective player sign an offer sheet with another NHL club. Any player not made a qualifying offer is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1st.  At that time, they can be signed by any other club with no compensation required to the player’s former club.