Desrosiers Relishing Opportunity as Texas Stars Starter
CEDAR PARK, Texas -- Professional hockey has been a bumpy road for Philippe Desrosiers. Once a promising prospect in a Dallas Stars organization that sorely needed a goaltender of the future, his inconsistencies and failure to adjust to pro game hindered his initial development.
A former second-round draft pick, he started the 2018-19 season, his fourth year as pro, with the ECHL's Idaho Steelheads, even after struggling with Idaho to the point of the Dallas organization temporarily assigning him to a different ECHL club. But Desrosiers kept working.
And when the Texas Stars needed him to step in for Landon Bow, the usual starter who was recalled by Dallas on February 7, he answered the call in the most emphatic of ways. The hard work and stellar play came to fruition when Desrosiers pitched a 29-save shutout in a 2-0 Texas win over the Tucson Roadrunners on Friday night in Cedar Park.
"It's always good to win, but when you get a shutout, it's even better," the 23-year-old goalie said on Friday. "With Landon called up, it has given me more ice time, and I am here to play."
Desrosiers has played lights out hockey since inheriting the starting job in the place of Bow. In four consecutive starts, the former Rimouski Oceanic netminder has posted a 2-2-0-0 record, a .949 save percentage, and a 1.52 goals against average. Especially for a depleted Texas Stars club, without Bow, AHL goals leader Joel L'Esperance, and the speedy, skilled Roope Hintz, that kind of play is huge.
"I thought Phil was outstanding. He made some timely saves out there, especially down the stretch," Texas head coach Derek Laxdal said. "With Bow up [with Dallas], Phil has played the last four games and has played well, he's giving us a chance to win every night."
The Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec native credits Texas Stars goaltending coach Jim Bedard, who is in his third year with the club. Bedard, a veteran of the National Hockey League and a three-time Stanley Cup champion as a goalie coach with the Detroit Red Wings, has laid out a game plan for Desrosiers that plays more to the netminder's strengths.
"Me and Jimmy work hard every day. Our game plan is really simple, play outside of the paint and challenge the shots," Desrosiers said. "Challenging the shooter is how I'm going to be successful. I'm not very big, so I have to challenge."
"He comes out, challenges the shots, and controls the rebounds. I thought his rebound control was outstanding," Laxdal said on Friday night. "I'm very happy for Phil. Phil has stepped up here."
Desrosiers will likely return to a reserve role when Bow, filling in for the injured Ben Bishop in Dallas, returns to the Texas Stars roster. For the time being, he is the best option in the crease for the 2018 Western Conference champions, and will continue to get reps in many of Texas's future games.
"It's easy to get in and be good every game, so I like it," Desrosiers says. "It's huge."
Other Texas Stars Notes:
The Stars sit at 25-20-3-2 with 55 standings points, good for the fourth and final spot in the Central Division's playoff race. Texas leaped over Rockford and Milwaukee, both idle on Friday, with the two points earned against Tucson.
Texas lost the offensive contributions of Joel L'Esperance to Dallas when the rookie center as recalled on Friday. However, Dallas reassigned forward Denis Gurianov, who joined and played for Texas on Friday. Both Gurianov and L'Esperance were AHL All-Star Classic participants.
The Stars complete their weekend set against the Roadrunners on Saturday, February 16 at HEB Center at Cedar Park. After that, Texas only faces Central Division opponents for the rest of the season, a 25-game stretch that features exclusively four-point games. Derek Laxdal says "At this time of the year, every shift counts, every shot counts, and it's good to see our guys respond. Every game is a playoff game for us, it doesn't matter who we're playing."
Robbie Payne scored his first career goal in Friday's win, while teammate Michael Mersch scored his 100th pro marker in the victory.
