Ty Dellandrea missed the start of the Flint Firebirds’ season.



While the Firebirds opened their 2019-20 campaign with a 6-3 loss to the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds this past Friday, their captain was in Texas, still taking part in NHL training camp with the Dallas Stars.



“I checked the score of the game on my phone and talked with a lot of the guys on the phone,” Dellandrea said. “They’re a lot of my best friends, I played with them for years. Just checking in on them and seeing how it’s going for the team.”



Three weeks have passed since Dellandrea last spent time with his Flint teammates, and while he’s hoping for the best for the Firebirds, the Stars’ 2018 first-round pick is also doing his best to avoid returning to the OHL this season. He’d rather make the big club and stick around Dallas.



“It is weird. This year you come in and the season’s starting and you are watching that...