In any other organization, Mavrik Bourque would've spent the better part of last season in the NHL.

Scoring at better than a point a game in the AHL, the Dallas Stars 2020 first-round pick has the profile of a first call-up option, at a minimum. The talent-rich, win-now Stars didn't need his services, though; they stayed relatively healthy and had no issue scoring goals. This is a team that could afford to be patient.

Bourque’s extended stay with their farm team, the Texas Stars, may yet be a blessing. His 77 points in 71 games won him the league’s scoring title and were enough to allow him to capture AHL MVP honours. He punctuated that season with a dominant playoff performance, putting up 11 points in seven games before joining the NHL Stars as a black ace.

Hot on the heels of this distingu