Stars Return Captain Curtis McKenzie to Texas in First Camp Reassignments
Dallas released McKenzie from his NHL tryout and reassigned several prospects Tuesday; the Texas captain remains under AHL contract.
Curtis McKenzie is returning to the Texas Stars after Dallas released him from his NHL professional tryout Tuesday, according to Stars Thoughts. The forward remains under a one-year AHL contract with Texas for the 2026-27 season, the club announced. He has captained the team since 2021-22.
Dallas also moved Angus MacDonnell, Niilopekka Muhonen and goaltender Arno Tiefensee out of its NHL camp group, Stars Thoughts reported. CBS Sports reported that Tiefensee was loaned to Texas.
Ryan Brown, Mikhail Cherepanov, Brandon Gorzynski and Jakub Vaněček were returned to their junior teams, while goaltender Matthew Humphries was released from his amateur tryout, according to Stars Thoughts.
Coach Glen Gulutzan told Stars Thoughts that new preseason restrictions on veteran participation have required Dallas to use roughly equal numbers of NHL players and prospects in its second and third exhibition games. Tuesday’s first practice group in Frisco consisted of professional players, with Rémi Poirier and Brandon Halverson in goal.
