The Iowa Stars had an up-and-down December. The month started off well enough with alternating one-goal wins and losses the first four games of the month and a 4-1 victory over Milwaukee Dec. 11, but then the I-Stars went on a five-game slide heading into Christmas, including a 10-2 shellacking by the Chicago Wolves Dec. 15. A 4-1 victory over Quad City the day after Christmas was then followed by an 8-3 loss to the Peoria Rivermen. However, Iowa managed to rescue the month with two wins and head into 2008 with a 17-17-1-1 record, salvaging hopes for the playoffs.

Of some trouble during the month was the fact that nearly all veteran forwards went dry offensively. During the team’s five-game losing streak, Iowa scored only 6 goals. Iowa allowed 21 goals during that span. Not only did most of the top forwards go dry, but the defense lost most of its remaining physical presence when Mark Fistric was recalled to Dallas. The lack of offense amongst the veteran scorers and the lack of physicality at defense combined to make December especially challenging for goaltender Tobias Stephan, whose numbers took a beating.

The I-Stars also faced significant injury problems, as Tom Wandell missed the entire month due to a ribcage injury, Aaron Gagnon missed the last seven games of the month due to a shoulder injury, Vojtech Polak missed seven games due to an ankle injury, Bryce Lampman missed two games due to a foot injury, and James Neal suffered a knee injury against Peoria Dec. 30 and was expected to miss six weeks. Perttu Lindgren even missed the last game of December due to a tooth infection.

However, the month was not without some highlights. B.J. Crombeen took his game to the next level and scored more goals in one month than he previously had in his AHL career, Jussi Timonen was acquired from Philadelphia and added valuable depth to the blue line, and Rich Clune fit in immediately upon recall from Idaho.

The month also closed with a most unexpected surprise: the return of Konstantin Pushkarev from Russia.

The Idaho Steelheads also faced injury depletion on their roster, skating as few as 12 skaters in some games, which was compounded by the recall of Clune to Iowa and the signing of rookie Mark Bomersback to a tryout contract by the I-Stars at the end of the month. However, the Steelheads managed to go 9-5 in December, thanks in large part to the standout goaltending of Steve Silverthorn. The team’s Major League Baseball-like schedule meant that Idaho played five straight games (from Dec. 19 through Dec. 28) against Las Vegas, whom they went 4-2 against for the month. Idaho also faced Phoenix five times in December and won all five, but were swept by Fresno in a three-game road series early in the month.

In the spirit of the recent holidays, included in this month’s Dallas Stars Minor Pro Review is a section including a “Gift to Iowa,” a “Gift from Iowa,” and a “New Year’s Resolution” for each player, some of which are serious and some of which are tongue in cheek.

As follows is the Dallas Stars Minor Pro Report for the month of December.

Iowa Stars

# 31 Tobias Stephan, G

December was a trying month for Stephan.

He continued to be Iowa’s undisputed number one in net, starting 12 of 14 games in net for the month and playing in 13. However, Stephan’s number took a hit when he gave up 6 goals on 8 shots in relief in a 10-2 loss to Chicago Dec. 15 and 4 goals on 21 shots Dec. 28 against Peoria, in which he was pulled after 30:09 in the 8-3 loss, a loss which Head Coach Dave Allison considered one of the worst losses in franchise history. In the Peoria game, Stephan was pulled for his protection, not because of his own play.

A pair of 4-1 victories over Milwaukee and Quad City during the month, in which he made 32 and 39 saves respectively, helped keep his numbers at a respectable .904 save percentage and 2.68 goals-against average to end December. Stephan’s 12 wins tied him for ninth in the AHL in victories and his 2 shutouts tied him for thirteenth in AHL, both with Grand Rapids’ Jimmy Howard. His 3 shootout wins, all tallied in October and November, still placed him second in the AHL, having made 17 saves on 19 shootout attempts.

Stephan’s play wasn’t always pretty, but his results far surpass those of any other netminder to play for the Iowa Stars this season, as no other Iowa goaltender had a save percentage over .860 to end December.

Gift to Iowa: A save percentage above .900.

Gift from Iowa: A starts ratio that is starting to rival what he had with Kloten in Switzerland.

New Year’s Resolution: Scramble in net less and make more timely stops to bail out defense.

#3 Trevor Byrne, D

December saw some improvement from Byrne, but not enough to propel him up the depth chart.

The fifth-year pro ended the month as the only defenseman to have played in all 36 games for the Iowa Stars, and he had the -10 rating to prove it. With Mark Fistric in Dallas for half the month, Byrne received a little more ice-time with d-partner Ethan Graham. Although he had only 1 assist for the month and was only a -2 for the month, Byrne’s passing game showed more confidence as December went on. However, the 27-year-old was still having more passes intercepted than one would like to see, especially out of a veteran.

Although Byrne stepped up a bit in December, AHL-contract defensemen Chris Lee and Ethan Graham stepped up their games even more, meaning Byrne was still the fifth or sixth defenseman on the team for much of the month. In fact, Byrne could find himself a healthy scratch when Fistric returns, as Graham has stepped up his game that much.

Gift to Iowa: A healthy body.

Gift from Iowa: The benefit of playing all 36 games despite miscues.

New Year’s Resolution: Cut down on turnovers and utilize his 6-foot-4, 210-pound frame more effectively in physical play.

#8 Jussi Timonen, D

Having previously played with five defensemen in a few games, the Dallas Stars traded a seventh round pick Dec. 10 to the Philadelphia Flyers for Jussi Timonen, who was assigned to Iowa that same day.

The younger brother of Flyers defenseman Kimmo Timonen came to Iowa with 7 assists in 14 games, but he was more than happy to come to the I-Stars.

“Because we (the Phantoms) had nine defensemen, I was a healthy scratch, like, 12 times this year,” Timonen noted in a post-game interview in December.

Actually, Timonen had been a scratch in 11 of 25 games for the Phantoms, all the more frustrating after having played in 14 games in the NHL for the Flyers in 2006-07.

Timonen was consistently a top-four defenseman for the I-Stars in December, often playing on the first pairing with Nolan Baumgartner. The 24-year-old Finn finished the month with 4 assists in 10 games, behind only Chris Lee in points per game amongst Iowa Stars defensemen (not including the traded Mario Scalzo).

However, the smooth skating Timonen still has work to do. Along with moving the puck, he’s fairly good at angling opponents to the boards, but he is not so good at rubbing out these attackers once he does. If the 6-foot-0, 193-pound blueliner can cut down on the number of attackers who bounce of his attempted checks along the boards, he’ll become a good two-way defenseman.

Gift to Iowa: A top-four or five AHL defenseman that moves the puck well.

Gift from Iowa: A chance to play every night.

New Year’s Resolution: Improve physical play.

#14 Nolan Baumgartner, D

With Mark Fistric earning recall during December, it became clear that Baumgartner was ninth on the Dallas Stars’ depth chart on defense. That said, he’s still the number one in Iowa.

The 12-year-pro continues to play in all situations for the Iowa Stars. He was on the first pairing for December, often playing with Jussi Timonen after the Finn was acquired, and was a regular on the power play and the penalty kill. However, his 2 goals and 6 assists on the power play were second on the team amongst defenseman, behind Chris Lee’s 3 goals and 7 assists, as Lee’s play began to mirror Mario Scalzo’s as December progressed.

The 31-year-old blueliner ended the month on a high with a two-assist performance in the I-Stars’ 5-4 victory over the Houston Aeros Dec. 31, which gave him 1 goal and 4 assists in 14 games for the month and 2 goals and 10 assists in 34 games for the season.

Baumgartner’s importance became more evident in December during Fistric’s recall, as the 6-2, 205-pounder was Iowa’s only defenseman with any semblance of a physical game. Had Benoit Pouliot dropped the gloves with Baumgartner Dec. 31, Baumgartner would have picked up his second fighting major of the season, too, after he took umbrage to getting hacked by the skilled forward in a one-on-one battle in front of Stephan. He’s not as effective physically as Fistric, or Niklas Grossman, but he does have some intensity.

Gift to Iowa: Leadership from the blue line.

Gift from Iowa: Prime ice time to prove his NHL worth.

New Year’s Resolution: Reduce turnovers and step his game back up the level he was playing in 2005-06 with the Vancouver Canucks.

#26 Bryce Lampman, D

December brought its fair share of frustration to Bryce Lampman: he missed two games (Dec. 21 and 22) due to a badly bruised foot, and he also saw the team acquire Jussi Timonen, a defenseman very similar to himself.

The move to Iowa hasn’t helped Lampman establish himself as the puckmoving defenseman that he wants to be. He picked up only 3 assists in 12 games in December and saw only sporadic time on the power play after the acquisition of Timonen. He’s also averaged less than a shot per game (9 shots in 17 games for Iowa) and even went five consecutive games without a shot (Dec. 4 through Dec. 14).

Lampman finished December with 1 goal and 3 assists and 4 goals and 6 assists in 33 games for the season (including his time with the Norfolk Admirals prior to his acquisition). None of his points with Iowa have come on the power play.

The 25-year-old may be Iowa’s best defenseman at clearing the puck from the defensive zone, especially off the boards and the glass, and his physical game is slightly superior to Timonen’s, but Lampman was losing the battle for ice time to the Finn.

Gift to Iowa: Puckmoving defenseman who can clear the zone well.

Gift from Iowa: A team that’s not bumping up against the AHL veteran rule.

New Year’s Resolution: Establish self over Timonen for more power play time and improve physical play.

#7 Marty Sertich, C/LW

As mentioned above, many of the veteran I-Stars scoring forwards went dry offensively for much of December, and Marty Sertich was one of the driest.

Having tallied 19 points in 22 games heading into December, Sertich only added 6 points in 14 games in December. Generally playing on the first or second line, Sertich had a five-game scoreless streak Dec. 19 through Dec. 28.

However, Sertich ended the month on a high note with a goal Dec. 30 in a 3-2 victory over Peoria and two goals the next night to beat Houston 5-4. Also, of some consolation, five of Sertich’s six points during the month came from goals, tying him for second in Iowa goal-scoring with Janos Vas and behind only Toby Petersen. Sertich is also second in I-Stars power play scoring with 5 goals and 7 assists, behind Petersen. His 12 goals and 13 assists in 36 games placed him second in Iowa scoring as December concluded.

One of Iowa’s top offensive threats, the I-Stars desperately needs Sertich scoring goals and setting up plays if it’s going to maintain any semblance of a one-two punch at center.

Gift to Iowa: A Marty Sertich that has not missed a single game after missing 36 last season and that is still battling despite his size.

Gift from Iowa: A myriad of talented forwards to play with.

New Year’s Resolution: Add additional size to 5-foot-8, 165-pound frame, if possible.

#10 Marius Holtet, RW

Save for Iowa’s Dec. 11 match-up against Milwaukee, Holtet’s December was an abyss.

Holtet scored 2 goals against Milwaukee and was a +2 that evening, unfortunately it was the only game of the month that the fourth-year pro would tally any points. The 23-year-old right winger played in all 14 games, but generally found himself on the third or fourth line. Making matters worse was the fact that Holtet was a -9 for the month, giving him a team-worst -14 rating. With only 4 goals and 4 assists in 32 games, Holtet has not provided much offense to help his plus/minus, and only four of those points came at even strength.

The futility is not from any noticeable lack of effort, nor any lack of ability. Holtet still displays his powerful stride, hard shot, and stickhandling prowess, but he has not been able to raise the game of those around him on the third or fourth line. The “Nasty Norwegian” is also not as nasty as he once was. He still lays out his heavy hits from time to time, but not with the frequency that he once did; and if he’s not going to be scoring, he might as be contributing with a noticeable physical presence.

Gift to Iowa: Two game-winning goals.

Gift from Iowa: Continued ice time despite scoring woes.

New Year’s Resolution: Regain confidence and return to his physical game.

#11 Aaron Gagnon, C

Don’t let Aaron Gagnon’s 0 goals and 0 assists in 10 games fool you, he’s made a difference and he belongs in the AHL.

Recalled from Idaho Nov. 24, Gagnon helped form an energy line with B.J. Crombeen and James Neal. Gagnon continued to forecheck diligently and fired two shots on goal in each of the seven games he played in December before suffering a shoulder injury that forced him to miss the final seven games of the month. The shoulder injury only adds to a difficult season for Gagnon, as he suffered a high ankle sprain in September at the Traverse City Prospects Tournament, which kept him out until mid-October.

When Gagnon returns, he will not need to make any real changes in his game to start scoring points. If he keeps playing the two-way game he was playing, the points will start to fall in his direction. However, he may find himself assigned to Idaho when he is healthy, depending on who Iowa has available at that time [Note: Gagnon was indeed assigned to Idaho Jan. 8].

Gift to Iowa: Two-way energy line center.

Gift from Iowa: Insertion on the third line.

New Year’s Resolution: Stay healthy.

#13 Konstantin Pushkarev, RW

He name wasn’t even on the roster in the media packet for the I-Stars’ game Dec. 31 against the Houston Aeros, but it was leaked before the game the Pushkarev had returned, and all doubt was eliminated when he took warm-ups. Pushkarev skated on the second line with Sertich and Crombeen in his first game back and tallied an assist, giving him 1 goal and 6 assists in 9 games with Iowa.

Pushkarev left in early November after CSKA gave him an offer he couldn’t refuse, but things soured quickly.

“I played four games and got injured, and after that they fired me and said, ‘You’re a bull---- player,’” Pushkarev recalled in a post-game interview Dec. 31.

Pushkarev mulled over other options in the Super League, including Novokuznetsk, Lokomotiv, and Amur. He also considered HC Dmitrov of the Russian High League (Vyshaya Liga), which was around 40 kilometers from where he had been in Moscow with CSKA. The Kazakhstan native also received calls from Kazakh teams in the Russian High League, but decided to come back to North America.

“Here, there are the younger guys who want to improve, who want to play in the NHL, so they’re battling hard every single day,” Pushkarev said of his AHL teammates. “They never take a day off.”

Pushkarev also said that the work ethic in Russia was lacking.

“A lot of older guys, who play for the national team, they all played before in the Super League and they play and they don’t want to work,” Pushkarev said. “It's kind of not, really, a good feeling in the team, around the team.

“It’s kind of like beer league.”

Pushkarev injured his shoulder in Russia and the shoulder still isn’t 100 percent, but it’s playable. The 22-year-old also suffered a finger broken in mid-October, adding injury-plagued to an already tumultuous season. Regardless, Pushkarev is ready to work and improve, and he knows he needs to work on.

“I have to shoot the puck more,” Pushkarev said of himself. “Sometimes, you know, I handle the puck too much, trying to do something better and better and think, ‘Okay, maybe, ahhhh,’ and after, like, time’s gone and I’ve got nothing.

“I will try to work on that.”

The young Kazakh also said he wants to add some strength to his 6-foot-0, 185-pound frame and work on his defensive game, although Pushkarev is already good about finishing his checks with some force despite his slender frame.

He was one of Iowa’s most dynamic forwards when he left, and he arrived at the right time, with James Neal going down to injury.

Gift to Iowa: Returning from Russia.

Gift from Iowa: Welcoming him back with open arms.

New Year’s Resolution: Stay in North America, shoot the puck more, gain strength.

#15 Perttu Lindgren, C

He scores!

After 27 games, Lindgren scored his first AHL goal, in a 4-1 victory over Quad City Dec. 26. The 20-year-old center had his best month offensively by scoring 2 goals and 4 assists in 13 games in December, but missed the final game of the year with a tooth infection.

Lindgren’s increase in offense came thanks in large part to skating with B.J. Crombeen, who was, and is, willing to venture into traffic to get the puck and battle around the net. The Finn has displayed top-notch passing abilities throughout the season, especially when he’s allowed to set up in the offensive zone, such as on the power play, but he’s tentative to engage in physical battles on the forecheck or around the net. In fact, he lets off noticeably down low when most other forwards would be finishing their check. (Insert “the only thing he checks is his coat at the door” joke here)

Although Lindgren is thin at 6-foot-0, 185 pounds, this is same size as Konstantin Pushkarev, who finishes his checks with some authority. Lindgren would create a lot more chances for himself and his teammates if he were willing to pay the price to get the puck. For now, he has to be paired with power forwards who can do that job for him and feed him the puck for further distribution.

He’s already shown the ability to use his stick in open ice to strip opponents of the puck, especially on the backcheck, but Lindgren’s effectiveness will continue to be limited until he incorporates some of Pushkarev’s, or Sertich’s, willingness to finish checks and venture into traffic.

Gift to Iowa: Keen passing ability when set up in offensive zone.

Gift from Iowa: B.J. Crombeen (someone that’ll venture into traffic to get the puck).

New Year’s Resolution: Accept and embrace the physicality of North American hockey.

#17 Rich Clune, LW

Sent down to Idaho after serving a six-game suspension for coming off the bench in an altercation in the pre-season, Clune was recalled Dec. 7 after Vojtech Polak went down with an ankle injury, and he fit in right away.

Clune was inserted into the energy line with Gagnon and Crombeen upon recall, as James Neal moved up on the depth chart. He moved back to the fourth line as the month went on, but his presence helped B.J. Crombeen concentrate more on offense and less on having to answer the fighting bell. After only 12 games with the I-Stars, Clune had seven fighting majors, whereas Crombeen only had two fighting majors during December. But, it’s a fine line for Clune between playing an intense, aggressive game and going overboard.

“That’s the story of my life, trying to find that line,” Clune said in a mid-December post-game interview.

The 20-year-old left winger was considered one of the best hitters in the OHL, and he has good speed, but he knows he still has a ways to go.

“You think you’re a good hockey player and then, you’re not a good hockey player, you know what I mean?” Clune said of jumping to the AHL.

“There’s so much more to learn and there’s so much more to take in,” Clune added. “I just keep my mouth shut and listen to what guys have to say.”

Then Clune, who’s known to chirp a bit on the ice, corrected himself.

“Well, I don’t keep my mouth shut all of the time, but, for the most part, I just listen to what the coaches have to say.”

Clune ended the month with 3 assists for the I-Stars and he had 1 goal and 9 assists in 19 games for Idaho when he was recalled to Iowa. As far as the NHL is concerned, the 5-foot-11, 195-pound Clune hopes to follow in the footsteps of Phoenix Coyotes left winger Daniel Carcillo and New Jersey Devils right winger David Clarkson, both of whom came out of the OHL and had similar offensive numbers and size.

“I think I can see myself turning into, like, a Clarkson or Carcillo-type player, and then obviously those guys are probably trying to turn into the Brenden Morrows of the world, and Tomas Holmstroms, guys like that that had those sort of battles when they were younger and now they’re pretty complete players,” Clune said.

Clune met a personal goal by earning recall before Christmas. Up next is scoring his first AHL goal.

Gift to Iowa: Scrappy left winger that will fight.

Gift from Iowa: Recall from Idaho.

New Year’s Resolution: Score first AHL goal, follow in footsteps of Carcillo and Clarkson.

#18 James Neal, LW

Just when things were really starting to pick up for Neal, he was taken out of the line-up by an untimely injury.

Neal was playing on the first line as the month was coming to a close and had a goal Dec. 26 against Quad City, a goal Dec. 28 against Peoria and two assists Dec. 30 against Peoria before he suffered a knee injury when checked along the boards. He missed the final game of the month and was expected to be out six weeks. He also missed the 10-2 blowout at the hands of the Chicago Wolves Dec. 15 due to the flu (missing a blowout with the blowouts?) and was also a scratch Dec. 22, which would have been his third game in four nights after just coming off the flu.

Neal finished with 3 goals and 4 assists in 11 games for December, boosting his season totals to 5 goals and 7 assists in 32 games.

Neal was playing some of his best hockey before suffering the unfortunate injury, now it’s just a waiting game as to when he can return the line-up.

Gift to Iowa: Power forward on power play

Gift from Iowa: Opportunities on the first line and on the power play.

New Year’s Resolution: Return to late December form after knee heals

#19 Toby Petersen, C

Like many of the Iowa Star veteran scorers, Petersen went through a short slump (four games Dec. 14 through Dec. 21), but the captain still led the team in scoring for the month of December.

Petersen scored 4 goals and 7 assists in 14 games, giving him 16 goals and 19 assists in 36 games for the season, which placed him tenth in AHL scoring with 35 points and sixth in goal scoring. He also paced Iowa in team scoring, not surprisingly, 10 points ahead of Marty Sertich’s 25.

The 29-year-old still centered the first line, played the point on the first power play unit, and received significant penalty killing time. His 5 goals and 8 assists on the power play paced Iowa in power play scoring, from the point no less. In addition, Petersen was still a +1 after playing in all 36 games for a team outscored 98 to 124.

Petersen is in a league of his own on the Iowa Stars’ roster, and it would be an injustice if he does not represent Iowa at the AHL All-Star Game in Binghamton.

Gift to Iowa: NHL-caliber player, leadership, heart and soul of them team.

Gift from Iowa: Chance to play defense (Oh wait, gift, hmmm…).

New Year’s Resolution: Strengthen back to help carry team on.

#21 Janos Vas, LW/RW

Of the veteran I-Stars who had been scoring the first two months, none went as dry as Vas.

Entering December with 9 goals and 10 assists in 22 games, Vas had only 3 goals and 2 assists in 14 games for the month. The Hungarian had a nine-game goalless streak Dec. 4 through Dec. 22 that was compounded by a five-game pointless streak Dec. 14 through Dec. 22.

All was not lost for Vas in December, though. He closed the month with two goals and one assist in his final four games of the month, although one was an empty net goal. More importantly, for his long-term development, Vas was starting to finish his checks with more force, one of the areas that the 6-foot-1, 205-pound winger needed to improve on to become as physically consistent as he needs to become in order to play in the NHL as a third or fourth liner.

Vas, who turns 24 in January, may still be among those considered for recall if Dallas needs a forward, but B.J. Crombeen is right on his heels, if not passing.

Gift to Iowa: Surprise scorer of the season.

Gift from Iowa: Prime ice-time in all situations.

New Year’s Resolution: Further improve physical game.

#22 Junior Lessard, RW

Check that last introductory paragraph, perhaps Junior Lessard went as dry as Janos Vas.

Lessard was recalled by Dallas Dec. 5, after scoring two goals and three assists in his four previous games, and played two games for the big club before being re-assigned to Iowa again Dec. 8, rejoining the team in San Antonio against the Rampage. The first-line right winger went scoreless Dec. 8 and Dec. 9 in San Antonio but scored a goal and an assist Dec. 11 against Milwaukee. After, that Lessard had 1 goal and 0 assists in the final nine games of the month. The fourth-year pro ended the month fourth in I-Stars scoring with 10 goals and 11 assist in 33 games.

The 27-year-old did still lead Iowa in power goal scoring at the end of the month with 6 tallies on the man-advantage, and he also had 3 power play assists, placing him fourth in Iowa power play scoring behind Petersen, Sertich, and Lee.

Although Lessard is noticeably faster in 2007-08 than in previous seasons and often does little things in the offensive zone that do not show up in the box score, he certainly must pick it up offensively if he is to warrant further consideration by Dallas.

Gift to Iowa: Improved speed.

Gift from Iowa: Toby Petersen.

New Year’s Resolution: Find offensive game again.

#23 Tom Wandell, RW/C

There’s not much to say about Wandell for December, as he did not play a single game, kept out of the line by a ribcage injury.

One must wonder if Wandell will be assigned to Idaho when he returns, depending who is available to Iowa when he does return. An assignment to Idaho might do Wandell well, as injuries to the Steelheads would ensure he receives prime ice time upon his return and play in a scoring role again. [Note: Wandell was assigned to Idaho Jan. 8]

Gift to Iowa: Speedy forward with some skill and scrappiness.

Gift from Iowa: Free backstage pass to the I-Stars for half of November and all of December.

New Year’s Resolution: Return to health and re-establish self in Iowa line-up.

#24 Vojtech Polak, W

If Vojtech Polak had a battle site, it’s name would be Wounded Ankle.

He started the season by suffering an ankle injury in training camp that kept him out of action until Oct. 16. He then injured his ankle in early December, tried coming back Dec. 9 against San Antonio, and then missed the next six games. Then, Dec. 31 against Houston, Polak went down in a heap in front of the scorer’s box after being checked and had to be helped off the ice, suffering yet another ankle injury.

In between ankle injuries, Polak has scored 5 goals and 6 assists in 25 games for the I-Stars. In December he had 1 goal and 3 assists in 7 games. However, of greater importance, Polak has played with more energy since November and has finished his checks more often, although the 5-foot-11, 180-pound Czech winger is certainly no big hitter.

Consistency has been the big knock on Polak, considered a natural goal scorer, but it’s hard for him to work on that if he’s consistently injured. Polak will have to add some strength or do something to improve his durability and his ability to compete game in and game out if he’s going to have a future in anything other than the Czech Extraleague.

Gift to Iowa: Improved effort since November.

Gift from Iowa: Free access to Iowa training staff, injury punch card (get four injuries and the fifth is free).

New Year’s Resolution: Gain strength necessary to withstand rigors of North American hockey.

#44 B.J. Crombeen, RW

When Crombeen scored his first goal of the season, against Manitoba Dec. 4, one (specifically the author) had to wonder then and there if it might open the flood gates, due to the nature of the goal.

Crombeen’s tally against the Moose came thanks to hounding Manitoba defenseman Jimmy Sharrow on the forecheck and then stripping the skilled blueliner of the puck in the trapezoid when the former Atlanta Thrashers draft pick attempted to cut back. In one smooth motion, Crombeen took the puck from Sharrow and skated around the net to slam it past Drew MacIntyre for a wrap-around goal. It was a goal that the Dallas Stars must have envisioned the power forward scoring when he was drafted in the second round of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft.

And how the flood gates opened in December.

Crombeen entered December with 0 goals and 3 assists in 20 games, playing primarily on the fourth line. He showed signs of life after being scratched Nov. 10 and 13 and even more signs of improvement when paired with Aaron Gagnon and James Neal on an energy line, but then the 22-year-old scored 6 goals and added 3 assists in 14 games in December. For those keeping track, that’s more in one month than he had scored in his AHL career.

The 6-foot-2, 210-pound right winger also continued to fire shots (43 for the month) from all over and play his physical game, but he did not need to fight with the frequency he had in previous months. Crombeen had eight of Iowa’s ten fighting majors heading through December (Nolan Baumgartner and Junior Lessard had the others) – he dropped the gloves only twice in December. Rich Clune was able to pick up the slack, though.

Not only did Crombeen raise his game, he helped raise the game of Perttu Lindgren when the two were paired together. Lindgren, weary of physical battles, was able to have Crombeen get the puck and feed it to him. Crombeen was also able to do some of the dirty work in front of the net and have Lindgren feed him.

Crombeen was also starting to excel in being able to get himself open and separate from opponents when skating the puck more often (by keeping his feet moving at all times), which allowed him to use his considerable shot.

Suddenly, Crombeen is back in the picture amongst Dallas Stars prospects.

Gift to Iowa: Six goals in December.

Gift from Iowa: Increased ice time on the second and third lines.

New Year’s Resolution: Duplicate December every month.

Idaho Steelheads

Alexander Naurov, F

What happens when Aaron Gagnon, Rich Clune, and Mark Bomersback are recalled to Iowa, and Greg Rallo, Colin Sinclair, and Brent Shepheard all go down to injury? Alex Naurov plays in all 14 games for the Idaho Steelheads in December.

That said, Naurov did not break out and light the ECHL on fire. In fact, he only had one assist, giving him 1 goal and 2 assists in 24 games for Idaho to end December.

He did start to take more shots, though, 26 for the month after taking only 8 shots in 10 games in November, which is a start.

“He’s got good patience with the puck there, but we’re trying to teach him to shoot pucks,” Idaho Head Coach Derek Laxdal said in an early January telephone interview. “He’s got a great shot and we want to make sure he uses that, because he’s just going to beat goaltenders with his speed and velocity.”

Progress is slow with Naurov, though, even though the Russian is starting to take more pride in his game.

“One thing he has done is he’s watched more film with us, he’s taking some film home, and I think he’s a little bit more dedicated to the North American game,” Laxdal said of Naurov. “You can only lead a horse to water, you can’t make him drink it.

“I think he’s starting to drink some water.”

That said, player after player has received recall to Iowa or a tryout contract while Naurov remains in Idaho. Gagnon and Clune were both recalled before Naurov, to no surprise, but free agent Mark Bomersback was also called up from Idaho at the end of December and played very well. Matt Beaudoin, a top scorer for the Dayton Bombers of the ECHL, and Jon Booras of the Bloomington Prairie Thunder (IHL) also received tryouts over Naurov.

The grains of sand are pouring down in the hour glass until the day of reckoning for Naurov’s time with the Dallas organization.

“He’s seeing Gagnon get called up, he’s seeing Clune called up, and then he sees a free agent get called up,” Laxdal said. “I mean, let’s call a spade a spade here.

“He’s got so say, ‘Hey, you know what? That could be me getting called up if I’m playing at the top of my game.’”

The injuries and recalls to Iowa will only last so long, too, assuming Iowa regains some semblance of a healthy roster, meaning Naurov’s opportunity to make an impact in the ECHL is, like the McRib, a limited offer.

“He’s got to understand there’s only a small opportunity to take the bull by the horns here, so he’s got to do it,” Laxdal added. “It’s so small.”

Gift to Idaho: IOU

Gift from Idaho: Ample ice time with injury-decimated roster.

New Year’s Resolution: Commit self to learning English, repay IOU by buying into North American game and playing defense first and then utilizing considerable skill on offense.

Up to the NHL

#5 Mark Fistric, D

After an emergency recall in November, Fistric received his first real chance at the NHL when he was recalled by Dallas Dec. 19.

The recall came thanks in part to Dallas’ desire to have seven defensemen during the NHL’s holiday roster freeze with Philippe Boucher sidelined after shoulder surgery. Fistric played his first NHL game Dec. 23 against Montreal with Mattias Norstrom out due to a tweaked knee. The 21-year-old played the next two games before being scratched Dec. 31 against Nashville when Norstrom returned to the line-up. However, Fistric played Jan. 2 and 3 when Sergei Zubov was scratched due to a hand injury. After Zubov returned to action Jan. 5, Fistric was sent back to down to Iowa Jan. 7, having averaged 11:32 minutes of ice time and tallying an assist Jan. 2.

While in Dallas, Fistric was dearly missed by the I-Stars in late December, as he was the team’s only physical defensive defenseman after Nicklas Grossman was recalled Nov. 8. Without Fistric, Iowa had trouble in one-on-one battles around the net and along the boards, and no defensemen were effectively standing up opponents in the neutral zone or at the blue line.

Fistric’s recall came after he had tallied 3 assists in 7 December games for Iowa, boosting his AHL offensive totals to 1 goal and 4 assists in 28 games. His return to Iowa should help the I-Stars regain a physical presence at defense, although 6-foot-2, 215-pound tryout defenseman Brett Westgarth (a Princeton grad who had been playing for Flint of the IHL) was signed on Jan. 4 to add some size, and another right-handed shot.

Because Fistric does not have to clear waivers (unlike Nolan Baumgartner), he’s the favorite to be recalled to Dallas again and has established himself as the organization’s eighth defenseman, and now he’s been able to gauge himself against NHL competition. It’s not looking likely that Fistric will be in Iowa to start 2008-09.

Gift to Iowa: Intimidating physical presence.

Gift to Dallas: Reliable eighth defenseman

Gift from Iowa: Chance at recall

Gift from Dallas: Recall

New Year’s Resolution: Return to Dallas, for good.

[Note: Fistric was recalled to Dallas on Jan. 11]