By now,
Mavrik Bourque must be sick of all the starting and stopping in his schedule.
To be fair, the 2020 Dallas Stars 1st-rounder has been one of the lucky ones, overall, because he’s been getting to play at least some hockey in the QMJHL. The OHL has been suspended all season, and the WHL only just recently began playing. The QMJHL, meanwhile, started their season in October, before shutting down a few weeks later. The league resumed in January, and the process has been rocky: protected environments for some teams here, individual clubs shutting down there, as the provinces of Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick all handle their COVID-19 situations separately.
Photo by Andy Devlin/NHLI via Getty Images
On February 5th, just under 11 months since they last took the ice for a game (March 11th, 2020), the Texas Stars returned to action in the American Hockey League. Like the National Hockey League, this return is far from normal (a drastically shortened season, significantly fewer fans in the stands during games, etc.), but it
is hockey nevertheless, as the league and its players are taking the risk to try to make it work.
Of important note for the Dallas Stars, this resumption in play provides an opportunity for many of the organization’s top prospects to get some all-important game experience. Ice time is necessary for the development of young players, and the organization is undoubtedly hoping for smooth sailing as some important pieces of the team’s future get going again.