The Henderson Silver Knights will kick off their fifth season against the Texas Stars on Friday at H-E-B Center at Cedar Park. Puck drop is set for 5 p.m. PT.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
TV: FloHockey
Radio: 1230 The Game
NOTES
The Silver Knights will open the season on the road for the second straight year. They are 3-1-0 all-time in season openers and 1-0-0 when opening on the road. Henderson will look to bounce back after finishing the 2023-24 season eighth in the division with a record of 26-38-8 and 64 points in the standings. This season, they’ll look to make their first appearance in the Calder Cup Playoffs since the 2021-22 season.
2023-24 SEASON SERIES
This will be the first matchup in franchise history between the Henderson Silver Knights and the Texas Stars. The two teams will face each other three more times during the 2024-25 regular season: on October 12, December 6, and December 8.
OPPOSITION UPDATE
The Texas Stars, the AHL affiliate of the Dallas Stars, will open their 2024-25 season on Friday at home. Texas finished fourth in the Central Division in 2023-24, qualifying for the 2024 Calder Cup Playoffs. After defeating the Manitoba Moose with a 2-0 series sweep, the Stars fell to the Milwaukee Admirals in Game 5 of the Central Division Semifinals.
Texas will be without a few of its best players from the 2023-24 season, as the Stars organization is expected to promote forward Mavrik Bourque (currently on injured non-roster list) to the NHL full-time for the 2024-25 season. He led the AHL in scoring with 77 points (26G, 51A) in 71 games, earning him the Les Cunningham award for the league’s most valuable player. Bourque made his NHL debut on April 6, 2024, and notched an assist in one of his two 2024-25 preseason games. Texas forward Logan Stankoven, who scored 57 points (24G, 33A) in 47 AHL games last season, is listed on Dallas’s opening night roster. Stankoven, who played his first NHL game on February 24, 2024, recorded 14 points (6G, 8A) in 24 regular season games and 8 points (3G, 5A) in 19 playoff games with the Dallas Stars last season.
KEYS TO THE GAME
Young and Hungry: The Silver Knights’ roster features five skaters entering their first professional seasons this year, including 2023-24 Memorial Cup Champion Matyas Sapovaliv. Sapovaliv posted 19 goals and 62 points in 54 games last season with OHL Saginaw, as well as 9 points (3G, 6A) in 17 playoff games.
Hendy Tendy: Goaltender Akira Schmid joined Henderson this offseason. He averaged 3.06 goals against last season in 23 games with the Utica Comets and 3.15 goals against in 19 games with their NHL affiliate, the New Jersey Devils.