Over recent years, the Stars have not had a tremendous amount of success when it comes to developing prospects in most phases of the game. A few players have emerged, but very few have actually been absolutely vital to the team’s success. The bulk of the developed prospects that were important all came from one position: goal. The names of goalies coming through the system are notable, most becoming starters in the league. Arturs Irbe, Roman Turek, Manny Fernandez, and now Marty Turco have all developed in the Stars’ system and gone on to start somewhere. With Marty Turco arriving in the NHL, however, the Stars’ goalie system appeared depleted, but recent drafts have replenished the talent for the future.
The four notable prospects in the Stars’ goaltending depth chart are Jason Bacashihua, Tobias Stephan, Dan Ellis, and Mike Smith. Jason Bacashihua and Mike Smith are already playing in North American professional leagues. Dan Ellis is currently in his last year of college hockey with UN-Omaha and will likely join these ranks next year. Tobias Stephan is the starter for the Kloten Flyers of the Swiss Nationalliga A, and the timetable for bringing him to North America is currently uncertain. However, with Turco likely to hold down the starter spot for at least a few years to come, it appears that there may be a logjam of goalie prospects in a few years. Here is a brief look at the years brewing for all four of these goalies.
Jason Bacashihua-Utah Grizzlies
13GP, 7-5-0 Record, 2.78 GAA, 0.925 SV%, 1 SO, 0 PIM
Bacashihua has had a good start to his pro career with the Utah Grizzlies. He is practically splitting starts with veteran Corey Hirsch and has been relatively consistent and strong positionally behind a slightly above average Utah team. His history of meltdowns has shown itself as well as in one game he allowed 4 goals in around half a game, but other than that he has been a solid, sometimes spectacular backstop, due mostly to his excellent reflexes and glove hand. Just recently, Bacashihua posted his first professional shutout with a 2-0 victory over the San Antonio Rampage.
Tobias Stephan-Kloten Flyers
30GP, 19-11-0 Record, 2.68 GAA, 0.891 SV%, 1 SO, 6 PIM, Assist
Stephan has played every minute for the Kloten Flyers in the Swiss Nationalliga, only one of three goalies in the entire league to do so. Only 18 years old, Stephan has already established himself as a starter and is the league leader in wins. Stephan’s goaltending has been solid, but as evidenced by his rather low save percentage, there is still room for improvement in his game, particularly in consistency as is the case for almost all young goaltenders. Set to join the Swiss WJC team, Stephan could be the key to a medal for his team. With a strong performance there he could enhance his confidence and thus improve his game a bit.
Dan Ellis-University of Nebraska at Omaha
17GP, 6-9-2 Record, 3.13 GAA, 0.896 SV%, 2 SO, 4 PIM
After several strong years in the Omaha area, Dan Ellis has struggled mightily this year. Gone is the consistent threat to win games on his own even if the team is playing poorly in front of him. Ellis has shown to be a slow starter in the past, but generally the stretches have not lasted for this period of time. Expected to be among the NCAA college goaltending leaders, Ellis’s year has definitely been a disappointment thus far. He may still salvage part of the year and regain his former form, but his play in addition to the current goalie situation makes his place in the Stars’ organization next year uncertain.
Mike Smith-Lexington Men ‘O War/Utah Grizzlies
Lexington: 13GP, 5-5-2 Record, 2.47 GAA, 0.914 SV%, 1 SO, 8 PIM, Goal
Utah: 1GP, 1-0-0 Record, 0.95 GAA, 0.974 SV%, 0 SO, 10 PIM
Mike Smith is the unknown of the Stars’ system. Drafted in the fifth round in 2001, Smith is a big goaltender with good puck handling ability. He has been absolutely dominating at times, and at others, he has been very average, partly due to poor rebound control. However, Mike Smith is the history maker out of the group. He is the youngest goalie to score a goal in professional hockey and the first to post a shutout and a goal in his first professional win. Splitting starts in Lexington except for a brief call-up to Utah to fill in for an injured Bacashihua, Smith has done a respectable job in his professional debut. He is still very raw but could be a decent goaltender down the line.
