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Athlete of the Week: Stars goalie Nilstorp's hot streak leads to first NHL stint
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It hasn't taken Cristopher Nilstorp long to work his way up the Stars organization.
Just a few weeks into his stint with the Texas Stars, Nilstorp earned favor as the team's go-to goalie and posted some of the stingiest stats in the American Hockey League.
"He's been unbelievable. He's our backbone. Obviously, you need a good goaltender to be a winning hockey club, and he's given us a chance since the start of the year to have a chance at winning. Lately he's been unbelievable, and all year he's been solid," Stars defenseman Jordie Benn said.
Nilstorp notched wins in five straight games this January and has the AHL's fourth best goals against average this season. So it didn't come as a huge surprise when the Dallas Stars called him up for last week's NHL training camp.
"We wouldn't have signed him if we didn't think he had potential to play in the NHL," Texas Stars Head Coach Willie Desjardins said.
Nilstorp not only practiced well with Dallas, he earned the backup position on the Dallas opening day roster, a position that puts his talents to a bigger test.
"There are some different angles out there, the game is way faster. I have to be better to play the puck, I need to adjust that. There are a lot of things I have to work with and I do it every day, so I hope it's getting better and better," Nilstorp said.
Nilstorp was on the bench for the Dallas Stars season opener Saturday night against Phoenix. But he made his first start of his NHL career Sunday night.
The Dallas Stars have assigned Richard Bachman to take Nilstorp's place with the Texas Stars.