When the Dallas Stars didn’t want Wyatt Johnston to attend the World Juniors tournament in August, it wasn’t because they didn’t think it could be a helpful boost for the youngster. It was to give him any time and space necessary to prepare for training camp in September as both people within the organization and player felt there was a palpable chance of making an opening night roster for him.
When that officially happened, it wasn’t because of some preferential treatment over the likes of Logan Stankoven or Mavrik Bourque, who are always mentioned together with Johnston as the next wave of Stars offensive talent.