‘He’s like a pitbull.’ Inside Logan Stankoven’s rise to elite Dallas Stars prospect

KAMLOOPS – In the blue-collar city of Kamloops, B.C., toils Dallas Stars prospect and Kamloops Blazers captain Logan Stankoven. He grew up there and watched alumni like Brendan Ranford, Colin Smith, and Washington Capitals prospect Garrett Pilon dominate the Blazers scene for years. Now, the local product is captain of his hometown WHL club, which just so happens to be hosting the 2023 Memorial Cup, the most prestigious tournament in major-junior hockey. 

The Blazers are filled with a rich history of winning at the highest level of competition in junior hockey. A couple of their championship alumni include Hall of Famer Scott Niedermayer and two-time Stanley Cup champion Darryl Sydor. Their 1995 Memorial Cup championship team is considered to be one of the greatest junior hockey rosters ever assembled. It included Hall of Famer Jarome Iginla, as well as Shane Doan, Tyson Nash, Jason Strudwick, Brad Lukowich, Nolan Baumgartner, and Darcy Tucker. These are just some of the players who are legends in the city of Kamloops. Stankoven looks to etch his name into history right next to them. 

A few of his accolades include an Under-18 World Junior Championship gold medal, a 2022 World Juniors gold medal, the WHL’s Most Sportsmanlike Player, and of course, the 2021-22 WHL and CHL Player of the Year awards after registering 104 points (45 goals, 59 assists) in 59 games. He also put up a staggering 31 points in 17 playoff games, Stankoven was the WHL’s playoff point leader despite the Blazers being eliminated in the Western Conference Final. Stankoven is well on the right path to becoming the next breakout prospect in the NHL.

The Stars selected Stankoven in the second round, 47th overall, in the 2021 NHL Draft. Despite many scouting services projecting him to be selected in the first round, he ultimately fell. During every draft, it is inevitable that a player will fall and years later we scratch our heads asking, “How did he not get drafted sooner?” Well, that player right now seems to be Stankoven.

I spoke to the Stars director of amateur scouting Joe McDonnell, about Stankoven’s game, how the Stars got lucky drafting him, and where he sits in the Stars’ system. Here’s our conversation:

Colton Davies: What were a few traits that Logan possessed that made you and the scouting team take a closer look at him prior to the 2021 NHL Draft?

Joe McDonnell: Well, obviously the skillset was there, his heart and desire were things that you loved to see. The stature of Logan was always the question mark, so when you see someone who has his height, you have concerns right off the bat, but then when you dig into it, you look at him, and you watch him, you see the compete level. He competes just like a pitbull, at that size you have to have something that stands out and he had two things that made him stand out and one was elite skill level, and the compete level. You get past the size factor and that’s where we saw him. You know, we had him rated in our first round and had him right with the other kid we took which was Wyatt Johnston. Both of them were right there, so obviously we loved Logan and he’s a great prospect for us.

Colton Davies: Were you shocked then when you had the chance to select him at pick 47?

Joe McDonnell: Yeah! You know, it was one of those things, you got your list in order and there are other kids that we are watching and looking at on our list and stuff, so Logan was very close with Johnston in our rankings. Logan was at the top of our list of who we wanted to select if we had the chance in that second round and lo and behold he was sitting there. It was awesome, we were totally excited to see him when he did fall to that range. 

Colton Davies: If you could compare Stankoven’s game to another NHL player, who would it be?

Joe McDonnell: Alex DeBrincat. I think he can score like that but I think in the end he’s a better skater, so really it’s like he’s his own kind of player. You can always compare him to a smaller guy because he is a smaller guy but, he has a bit of a package of all those smaller players. The one thing, DeBrincat had this too, it’s the compete level, shift in and shift out Logan gets there and it’s pretty impressive. 

Colton Davies: Following Logan’s NHL pre-season debut, what would you say was most impressive about his game?

Joe McDonnell: Comfortability. I think he’s going to fit in wherever he goes, he’s going to find a way to excel and fit right in. 

Colton Davies: Going forward with his development, is he still projected as a winger or will he swap between center and wing due to his strong faceoff ability?

Joe McDonnell: It really all depends on what we have in the system at that time. We project him as an either-or type thing which is awesome for him. He’s got great versatility and when you can play those positions and perform them both at a high level, the coaches love that. So, it’s going to be a matter of what happens at that time. 

Needless, say the Stars themselves have a future star, no pun intended. Stankoven’s compete level is off the charts and is no joke. Daily Faceoff’s prospect analyst Steven Ellis ranked Stankoven 30th among NHL Affiliated Prospects heading into the 2022-23 season. In the Stars’ prospect pipeline, he finds himself near the top, alongside fellow 2021 draft pick and current NHL rookie Johnston. The fact that the Stars were able to walk out of the draft with both of those players is remarkable. Johnston was the runner-up in last year’s CHL Player of the Year race.

While Stankoven impressed during training camp and found himself in a handful of NHL pre-season games, he was ultimately sent back to Kamloops, where he has been lighting it up. Stankoven has registered a staggering 21 points (10 goals, 11 assists) in 10 games to start the year on a Blazers team that’s struggling. The Blazers are fully capable of getting the wheels back on track and heading in the right direction. Their roster currently boasts an additional five NHL draft picks alongside Stankoven which include; Toronto Maple Leafs 38th overall pick Fraser Minten, New York Islanders prospect Daylan Kuefler, a pair of Minnesota Wild picks in Caedan Bankier and Kyle Masters, and Dallas Stars draft pick Matthew Seminoff. With the WHL trade deadline just a couple of months away, prepare for the Memorial Cup hosts to bring in some extra assets. 

I also spoke to Stankoven one-on-one for an exclusive interview with Daily Faceoff. We chatted about his play style, the upcoming Memorial Cup, his time at the Dallas Stars camp, and what it was like getting five pre-season games in. Here’s our conversation: 

Colton Davies: What was it like to get a few pre-season games in with the Dallas Stars and play on a line with the likes of Tyler Seguin and Jacob Peterson?

Logan Stankoven: It was a great experience getting into five pre-season games and playing with some of the vets like Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn. Even going up against the likes of Kirill Kaprizov, Nathan MacKinnon, and Cale Makar – it’s a real eye-opener to see just how good those guys really are and you can tell they’re some of the best players in the NHL for a reason. 

Colton Davies: You always seem to be a couple of extra moves ahead of everyone else on the ice. How do you approach the mental side of your hockey game? Do you do any visualization?

Logan Stankoven: I think being a student of the game and always watching hockey in my free time has definitely benefited the way I think about the game, especially from a young age. You can learn so much from watching games on TV or even video clips of yourself to see what areas of the game you can improve upon or implement new moves.

Colton Davies: Let’s talk about Minnesota Wild prospect Kyle Masters. When the Blazers dealt Mats Lindgren to the Red Deer Rebels in exchange for him this summer it was a shock to fans and I’m sure players as well. What did you know about his game before he joined the Blazers?

Logan Stankoven: Yeah obviously you never want to lose a teammate, especially of Lindgren’s caliber but getting Masters back in return has been such a great addition to our team. I knew Kyle (Masters) a bit from playing with him at the U17 World Championship and he’s obviously really talented but an even better guy off the ice. 

Colton Davies: With the Blazers hosting the 2023 Memorial Cup have you had any discussion at all with management about potential moves? Or, as captain, do you feel comfortable with the current squad?

Logan Stankoven: It’s a special year with hosting the Memorial Cup and lots of pressure on our team to make moves but it’s still early in the season and we players are just focusing on becoming the best players we can be to help our team win games and we’ll leave the trade talk up to the coaching staff. 

Colton Davies: Who are your favorite and toughest players to play against in the WHL currently?

Logan Stankoven: I don’t have any favorite players to play against but some of the toughest players to play against over my career in the WHL so far would be Tyrell Bauer, Gannon Laroque, and Ty Smith.

Colton Davies: You’re in your second season as captain of the Blazers. Some players intensely run their locker room, while others will let their play style demonstrate their leadership tactics. How would you describe your leadership style? 

Logan Stankoven: In my opinion, everyone can lead by example in different ways doesn’t matter if you have a letter on your jersey or not. I’m not the loudest guy in the dressing room so I try and let my work ethic speak for itself. I think every guy on the team brings a piece to the puzzle so I treat every guy with respect no matter their status or age cause it’s important to have everybody on board pushing for the same cause. 

Colton Davies: Let’s end on something fun. What type of music are you listening to pre-game? And, if you had to choose a shootout song, what would it be? 

Logan Stankoven: I usually listen to whatever our team plays on the speaker in our room but I like to listen to a mix of genres such as rock, rap, and EDM. One of my go-to songs would be Memories by David Guetta.

Stankoven is a true leader. His play style and determination to get better every day are testaments to that. He is also a player who can have an entire arena hyperfocused on what he is going to do next with or without the puck. In a day and age where small players are still being scrutinized for their height, players like DeBrincat, Johnny Gaudreau, Cole Caufield, and Logan Stankoven are defying the odds, and proving height truly doesn’t matter in the game today. 

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