Stars GM Nill encouraged by AHL affiliate's success: 'Winning is contagious'

The Dallas Stars' AHL affiliate holds a 2-1 series lead in the Calder Cup Final, and general manager Jim Nill believes organizational success at any level is a positive indicator in terms of developing a "winning culture."

According to Mike Heika of the Dallas News, Nill - who helped run Detroit's minor league team for almost 20 years - put a premium on the strength of a team's AHL affiliate when deciding to make the jump to a GM position last summer. As such, he was "swayed by the proximity and the success of the Texas Stars" when considering the Dallas gig.

You have to build through the draft and grow your players, so you have to have the organizational structure to do that. Having been close in Detroit (Grand Rapids, MI), I know how much location matters. These players need to know you’re watching. They need to know you’re watching when they do good things; they need to know you’re watching when they do bad things.

The Texas Stars posted the best record in the regular season (48-18-10) and look to extend their AHL Final series lead over St. John’s to 3-1 in Game 4 Monday in Newfoundland.

Several members of the team could make the leap to the NHL in the coming seasons, as per Heika: "On defense, Jamie Oleksiak, Patrik Nemeth and Jyrki Jokipakka appear to have bright futures. Up front, Brett Ritchie, Radek Faksa, Curtis McKenzie and Scott Glennie could be ready to make the leap next season."

Head coach Willie Desjardins, however, may be destined for an NHL head coaching job.

“Winning is contagious,” Nill said. “We talk all the time about building a winning culture, and this is a big part of that.”