Forward Cameron Hughes will make his Dallas Stars debut in Tuesday night’s game against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden.
The Stars recalled the 29-year-old forward from the Texas Stars Monday following injuries to three of their forwards during the first three games of the East Coast road trip. Hughes, who has not played in an NHL game since 2021 when he played for the Bruins, will slot in on the fourth line with Oskar Bäck and Arttu Hyry, Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said.
“I haven’t watched him play, but [Texas Stars GM] Scott White’s on the trip and obviously [former Texas Stars coach Neil Graham] had him last year,” Gulutzan said. “High hockey IQ, highly competitive, drafted by Boston, so it’s a nice fit here to come in here and play tonight.”
The 29-year-old has two games of NHL experience and has spent the last two seasons in Cedar Park, achieving a career best in points and assists this season. He leads the AHL with 50 assists and shares second with 66 points.
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The Edmonton, Alberta, native was originally selected by Boston in the sixth round (165th overall) of the 2015 NHL draft. Both of his NHL games played were with the Bruins.
Since the road trip began Thursday, the Stars have lost three forwards to injuries — Sam Steel to a lower-body injury Thursday against the Islanders, Nathan Bastian to a hand injury Saturday against the Penguins and Michael Bunting to a lower-body injury Sunday against the Flyers.
Gulutzan said Tuesday he is expecting all three to miss at least a few more games.
“It’s not going to be for a bit,” he said. “I would be an optimist if I said maybe we could get one of them back in the next 10 days. That would be an optimistic outlook for them.”
Defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin will also fill in Tuesday for Tyler Myers, who was injured Sunday against the Flyers. Gulutzan did not provide a timeline for Myers’ return, but Dallas has eight healthy forwards to lean on.
The Stars are far more depleted at the forward position, now without Bunting, Steel, Bastian, Roope Hintz, Radek Faksa and Tyler Seguin.
Faksa has not played since the Olympics, and Hintz has played just one game since. Both players have begun skating and are expected to return closer to the playoffs. Forward Tyler Seguin, who tore his ACL in December, is out for the season.
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