Texas Stars Prospect Hryckowian Nets First Pro Goal Against San Jose

Twelve days after signing his entry-level contract with the Dallas Stars organization, Dylan Hryckowian put his name on the scoresheet in the most decisive way possible. The 21-year-old rookie forward scored his first professional goal against the San Jose Barracuda on Tuesday at Tech CU Arena, a go-ahead tally in the third period that held up as the game-winner in a 2-1 Texas Stars victory.

The sequence that produced it was textbook transition hockey. Cross Hanas tied the game at 1:24 of the third period, stuffing a rebound off Laurent Brossoit after Matthew Seminoff's initial wrist shot caromed loose. Then, just 16 seconds later, linemate Ayrton Martino crossed into the offensive zone on the left wing and threaded a pass to Hryckowian in the slot. The Northeastern product did not hesitate, firing home the go-ahead goal with the kind of slot instinct that made him a 15-goal scorer in his final NCAA season.

The goal extended Hryckowian's point streak to three consecutive games. He had picked up his first professional point, an assist, earlier on the road trip in a 4-3 loss at Bakersfield. That the milestone arrived so quickly matters: drafted as an undrafted free agent out of a 107-point, 100-game college career, Hryckowian already looks comfortable at the AHL pace.

Goaltender Remi Poirier underpinned the result with 43 saves, turning away 14 shots in a scoreless first period alone before Filip Bystedt's slot goal gave San Jose a 1-0 lead midway through the second. Texas closed out the road trip with a 3-3 record and banked two important points in the AHL Central Division standings with the win.

For Stars fans tracking history, there is a notable parallel: Dylan's older brother Justin Hryckowian, the AHL's Rookie of the Year last season, also scored his first professional goal against the San Jose Barracuda. The family now owns that milestone twice over, against the same opponent, wearing the same jersey.

For Texas, the more pressing question is whether Hryckowian's emergence on the Martino-Becker line can sharpen their middle-six depth through the final weeks of the regular season. Three points in his first four pro games, including a third-period game-winner, makes that case emphatically.