Traverse City News and Notes: Goaltender watch

Richard Bachman's first game at the NHL Prospects tournament didn't go the way he had hoped, but he's taking in stride,  hoping to learn from it and moving forward.

"It was good to get that first one out of the way, make some adjustments and get better from here on out," said Bachman, who allowed eight goals on 38 shots in a 9-6 loss to St. Louis on Sunday. "There were one or two that I would definitely like to have back. They had some great scoring chances and we were still right there in the game, so you'd like to have a couple of more saves and hopefully get that win. There were some positives to take from it."

Bachman and fellow goaltender Tyler Beskorowany were back on the ice early Monday morning working with Stars goaltending consultant Mike Valley.

"He faced a lot of good scoring chances, but I don't think anyone can say it was his strongest performance or the performance that he wanted," Valley said of Bachman's game Sunday night. "It's going to be an adjustment coming from college to pro hockey. Everything happens a little bit quicker, guys do it a little bit better. It's going to take some time. I know he didn't have much specific goaltending coaching in Colorado College, so it's just going to be real advantageous to him to get back in the routine of having somebody watching him on a weekly basis and giving him that feedback that he needs."

The athletic Bachman, 22, turns pro this season after two years of college hockey, where he was 39-20-11 with a 2.24 goals against average and .922 save percentage. The tournament in Traverse City is a first step as he starts making that adjustment to a different level of hockey.

"I've got to learn stuff at these games, adjust to the different speed. Things are faster out there, guys are a little bit smarter," Bachman said. "I think there little adjustments I can make pretty quickly, then go into training camp, try to get better every day and really make that adjustment to pro hockey."

Bachman is expected to compete for a job with the Texas Stars of the AHL, but there's a good chance he could play with Idaho of the ECHL, where he would be able to get plenty of playing time.

"I think he is in the same place Mike Smith and Dan Ellis were when they turned pro," Stars Director of Scouting and Player Development  Les Jackson said. "He'll get some experience in camp and then we'll put him in either Austin or, most likely, Boise, where he can play every night and get the pro game underneath him. He's got good ingredients, a good past and he's had good success. Who knows where he goes in the future but he sure looks like someone who can grow and be a player."

And that's Bachman's goal right now - growing as a player.

"I'd love to be in Austin, but I want to play and develop," Bachman said. "That's my number one goal for right now - to become a better hockey player and work my way up after that."

Fresh start for Beskorowany

Stars goaltending prospect Tyler Beskorowany is looking at this season as a fresh start. The 19-year-old was traded this offseason to the Kingston Frontenacs from the Owen Sound Attack, a move he's excited about.

"New team in front of me, new coach," said Beskorowany, the Stars' 2nd round pick (59th overall) in 2008. "It's a new start for me altogether."

Beskorowany and Scott Stajcer, a 2009 New York Rangers draft pick, were the two goalies in Owen Sound last season. That left the team with two No. 1 goalies and not enough playing time for both. One of them was expected to get moved and that ended up being Beskorowany. 

"Kingston took me in, I'll be number one there and I have to prove myself number one," Beskorowany said.

There's more to prove this season as well. Beskorowany wants to prove that he's worthy of earning an entry-level contract with the Dallas Stars.

"I want to have a good season, prove to everybody that I capable to playing at the next level and prove to Dallas that I am capable of playing on that team or on any of their affiliates anywhere," he said.

Beskorowany got off to a good start at the NHL Prospects tournament in Traverse City, stopping 29 of 30 shots in a 2-1 shootout loss to Minnesota on Monday. He also stopped the first four shots he faced in the shootout before being beaten on a slick move by the Wild's Christopher Foucault.

"Solid game, good in the shootout too," said Texas Stars coach Glen Gulutzan, who is coaching the Dallas prospects. He has a very calm demeanor in there."

Stars goaltending consultant Mike Valley praised Beskorowany's play after the game, also noting his play with the puck and positioning. Prior to the game, Valley gave a breakdown of Beskorowany.

"I like Tyler. He has something you can't teach, which is size," Valley said. "He's 6-4 and covers a lot of space. He's still and young and one thing about youngsters is that they are just learning how to be goaltenders. It takes time to learn how he can use that 6-4 frame to his advantage, how he covers space, how much space he can cover, when he has to move and when he doesn't have to move. I like the quickness that he has. I think he is real strong down low. There's certainly aspects of his game we need to tighten up and work with, but so far what I have seen from him I like."

And Valley was saying he liked what he saw from the young netminder after Monday's game against Minnesota.

Stars fall 2-1 in shootout

The Stars dropped their second straight game at the tournament, falling 2-1 in a shootout to the Minnesota Wild. Despite the loss, coach Glen Gulutzan saw improvement from the first game, a 9-6 loss to St. Louis.

"Way better. We went from 23 chances against last night to ten," Gulutzan said. "The simple message to the guys was we are building, it's a process and if you believe in the process you'll keep playing like that, and then you'll get better results."

Michael Neal scored the lone goal for the Stars with Sergei Korostin picking up the lone assist.

Tyler Beskorowany stopped 29 of 30 shots in regulation and overtime and then four of five in the shootout.

Sergei Korostin, Tomas Vincour, Jamie Benn, Scott Glennie and Kyle St. Denis all failed to score for the Stars in the shootout.

The Stars don't play Tuesday, but are scheduled to practice in the morning. They play Columbus on Wednesday.

Valley on the job

It hasn't been officially announced yet, but Mike Valley is the new Dallas Stars goaltending consultant and is on the job in Traverse City this week, working with Richard Bachman and Tyler Beskorowany.

“I’ll be overseeing all the goaltenders,” Valley said of role. “My primary responsibility is to take care of Marty Turco and Alex Auld, but at the same time we have Brent Krahn, Matt Climie and Richard Bachman. It’s going to be important to make sure that their development is coming along as well. I am going to be working with all the goaltenders, but Joe (Nieuwendyk) wants to make sure that Marty and Alex are getting what they need.”

Valley said he's spent some time with Turco already, working with the Stars No. 1 netminder at the beginning of the month.

“He and I have hit it off really well, spent a lot of time on the phone,’ Valley said. “We’re on the same page.”

Prospect snapshot: Michael Neal

Left wing Michael Neal, the younger brother of Stars forward James Neal, has had a strong showing in the first two games at Traverse City. He scored the lone Dallas goal in Monday's game and was a member of what was probably the team's most effective line in the first game on Sunday.

He's a physical player with good size, and he's shown in Traverse City that he is willing to go to the net.

Neal, a 5th round pick (149th overall) in 2007, had nine goals and 12 assists in 66 games with Belleville and Sarnia of the Ontario Hockey League last season.  Neal missed all of the 2007-08 regular season due to a knee injury.

"He's a longer term project in my opinion," said Texas Stars GM Scott White. "He's been banged up a little bit, missed a year of hockey. That's kind of slowed his transition a little bit. We look forward to him to challenging in Austin and starting his career."