When the Dallas Stars advanced to the 2020 Stanley Cup Final this past summer against the Tampa Bay Lightning, prospect Thomas Harley was there.
Sure, he wasn’t actually getting into games, but he was there. He was in the bubble environment with the team up in Edmonton, he was skating in practices, he was learning from the coaching staff, he was learning from his teammates. And while actual game experience is the best way to learn and develop as a prospect, those few months that Harley lived through have to be the next best thing.