In what has become an annual ritual, the Dallas Stars announced today that they will re-up their affiliation with the Idaho Steelheads. This year's announcement comes with the added bonus of a two-year agreement. Up to this point, each agreement was a single season. It's a strong vote of confidence for Neil Graham, who was in his rookie season as the coach and GM of the team.
It is interesting to compare how Texas has used its ECHL affiliate over the past seven years. Now that the organization's depth is more established, they are using the Steelheads more to their advantage and having fewer PTO players from other ECHL clubs.