With seven minutes and 26 seconds remaining in the first period, Roope Hintz picked up a stretch pass at center ice, split the defense for a breakaway, and slipped a wrist shot through the goalie’s pads to give the Stars a 2-1 lead.



This is a play from five months ago, Game 1 of the AHL’s Western Conference Finals against the Rockford IceHogs, but it’s the play where Hintz started to build his case as an NHL player to new Dallas Stars coach Jim Montgomery.



Montgomery was two weeks into the job when he made his first trip to Cedar Park to watch the Texas Stars in the AHL playoffs. At that time he had never seen any of the Stars prospects play live in person, so for him, this was like a recruiting trip — similar to the ones he made frequently as a college coach.



He didn’t have any agendas or players he had circled to watch. Montgomery was simply going to take in the game and let players stand out to him.



“When I come...