Top prospects collide at Tucson Arena for the inaugural Southwest Showdown, marking the Texas Stars' return to preseason action against rivals from Colorado, Utah, and Vegas.
On Tuesday, it was reported by DLLS Sports reporter Owen Newkirk that the Dallas Stars will be playing more than their preseason slate of NHL games starting Saturday against the St. Louis Blues.
Newkirk reported that the team's AHL affiliate, the Texas Stars, will be taking part in a preseason tournament of sorts at the end of September, according to Stars GM Jim Nill, squaring off against the AHL clubs of the Colorado Avalanche in the Colorado Eagles, the Utah Mammoth in the Tucson Roadrunners, and the Vegas Golden Knights in the Henderson Silver Knights.
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The event, known as the inaugural Southwest Showdown, will take place at Tucson Arena in Tucson, Arizona, running from Friday, September 25th through Sunday, September 27th. The Texas Stars are slated to open the weekend against the Colorado Eagles on Saturday before wrapping things up against the host Tucson Roadrunners on Sunday.
The event is coming together because the NHL has shrunk its preseason schedule to a smaller slate, and tournaments like this one are likely to keep popping up as a way for organizations to give their AHL affiliates game action and front offices more opportunities to evaluate certain players before the regular season begins.
For the Texas Stars, it also marks a notable change of pace, as the club had not played any preseason games since 2019.
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