Texas Stars
AHL affiliate of the Dallas Stars based in Cedar Park.
The Texas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Cedar Park, Texas, and serve as the American Hockey League affiliate of the NHL's Dallas Stars. Their home games are played at the H-E-B Center.
The team's origins trace back to April 2008, when the Iowa Stars ended their affiliation with Dallas and rebranded as the Chops. For the 2008–09 season, Dallas sent its prospects to four other AHL teams—Hamilton, Manitoba, Peoria, and Grand Rapids—while a few remained with the Chops. In April 2009, the AHL granted a provisional franchise for the Austin area to Tom Hicks, owner of the NHL Stars, on the condition that he purchase an existing AHL team within a year. That condition was fulfilled on May 4, 2010, when the AHL approved the Texas Stars' ownership group's purchase of the Iowa Chops franchise, which had been suspended for the 2009–10 season.
The Stars' inaugural season was highly successful. After finishing second in the West Division, they swept Rockford in the first playoff round, then won their first division championship by defeating Chicago in seven games. They claimed the Robert W. Clarke Trophy as Western Conference champions by beating Hamilton in another seven-game series, but fell to Hershey in Game 6 of the 2010 Calder Cup Finals.
The team won the Calder Cup in 2014, defeating St. John's in the finals. Following that season, head coach Willie Desjardins resigned to become head coach of the Vancouver Canucks. He was succeeded in July 2014 by Derek Laxdal, who had won a Kelly Cup with the Stars' ECHL affiliate, the Idaho Steelheads, in 2007. Also in 2014, the Stars were purchased by Tom Gaglardi's ownership group, bringing the AHL affiliate under the parent club's control.
On June 11, 2015, the Stars unveiled a new logo, color scheme, and jerseys to more closely resemble the parent club. In 2018, the Stars returned to the Calder Cup Finals but lost to the Toronto Marlies in seven games. During the 2019–20 season, Laxdal was promoted to an assistant coaching role with Dallas, and Neil Graham was promoted to head coach of the Texas Stars.
In the 2023–24 season, despite a disappointing 33-33-4 regular-season record, Mavrik Bourque led the AHL in scoring and won the league’s regular-season MVP award, recording 26 goals and 51 assists for 77 points in 71 games.
Quick Facts
- Text Color
- #1b1717
- City
- Cedar Park, Texas
- League
- American Hockey League
- Conference
- Western
- Division
- Central
- Founded
- 1999
- Operated
- 2009–present
- Owner
- Tom Gaglardi
- Coach
- Toby Petersen
- Captain
- Curtis McKenzie
- Media
- KBVO (TV) (channel 14) / AHL.TV (Internet)
- Gm
- Scott White
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The Texas Stars were established after the Iowa Stars ended their affiliation with the Dallas Stars in 2008. In April 2009, the AHL granted a provisional Austin-area franchise to Tom Hicks, owner of the NHL Stars, with the condition that he purchase an existing AHL franchise within one year. That condition was met on May 4, 2010, when the AHL approved the Texas Stars' ownership group's purchase of the Iowa Chops franchise, which had been suspended for the 2009–10 season.
The team's inaugural season was successful: after finishing second in the West Division, they swept Rockford in the first round, won the division championship by defeating Chicago, and claimed the Robert W. Clarke Trophy as Western Conference champions by beating Hamilton. They fell to Hershey in the 2010 Calder Cup Finals. The Stars won the Calder Cup in 2014, defeating the St. John's IceCaps. After that season, head coach Willie Desjardins resigned to join the Vancouver Canucks, and Derek Laxdal succeeded him. Also in 2014, the Stars were purchased by Tom Gaglardi's ownership group, bringing the AHL affiliate under control of the parent club.
In 2015, the Stars unveiled a new logo, color scheme, and jerseys to match the parent club. They returned to the Calder Cup finals in 2018 but lost to the Toronto Marlies. During the 2019–20 season, Laxdal was promoted to the Dallas Stars as an assistant, and Neil Graham became head coach. In 2023–24, despite a 33-33-4 record, Mavrik Bourque led the AHL in scoring and won the league MVP award. At the end of the 2024–25 season, Graham was promoted to Dallas, and Toby Petersen was named head coach.
Reader's Guide
The Texas Stars are significant as the primary development affiliate of the Dallas Stars, having been created after the dissolution of the Iowa Stars affiliation. Their history includes a Calder Cup championship in 2014 and a runner-up finish in 2010, both achieved within their first decade. The team's ownership transition in 2014 to Tom Gaglardi's group aligned the AHL affiliate directly under the parent club, strengthening player development. The franchise has produced notable alumni who have played at least 100 games for both Texas and the NHL. Individual achievements include Travis Morin holding multiple career records (goals, assists, points, games played) and Richard Bachman setting single-season goaltending marks. The team's identity was updated in 2015 to mirror the Dallas Stars, and coaching changes have consistently promoted from within, with three head coaches moving to the NHL club. The 2023–24 season highlighted individual excellence despite a losing record, with Mavrik Bourque winning the AHL MVP as the league's top scorer.
Did You Know?
- Mavrik Bourque was the AHL's top scorer and regular season MVP in 2023–24 with 77 points.
- Travis Morin holds the team career records for goals (175), assists (385), and points (560).
- The team's head coach for the 2025–26 season is Toby Petersen, a former player and AHL assistant coach.
More in AHL Teams 1-24
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