DavidCastilloAC

Get Hype (Or Not): The Utah Mammoth, Arizona fans are welcome to celebrate the playoffs at last edition You got this.

Previewing the Utah Mammoth, who I have making the playoffs. Very confidently. sticksandsalvos.substack.com/p/get-hype-o...

In Europe/AHL he always liked having the puck and being able to control territory - not having to react to someone leveraging territory against him. Scattershot offpuck movement, lack of positioning, weakside deficiencies: not at all surprised despite his 'reputation.' He is a rookie after all.

Such great work. Always cool to see people in analytics doing cutting edge stuff. Great to see Lian Bichsel rate so highly in this category - loosely defined as effective transition (the net effect of denying entries and exiting successfully) against the forecheck.

While I didn't appreciate Dennis Holland lying to me by saying he reads my work, I did appreciate his answer to what accountability looks like in the scouting community. It was super thoughtful, and not an angle I had considered.

Into the weeds with Dallas Stars amateur scout, Dennis Holland The man credited for discovering Jamie Benn answers a few Stars Stack questions about the process of scouting.

An interview with Dennis Holland, the scout credited with discovering Jamie Benn, talking about all things scouting for the Dallas Stars. dcastillo.substack.com/p/into-the-w...

Get Hype (Or Not): The Columbus Blue Jackets, 'if only Waddell didn't wildly overpay Heterov' edition Sorry Jackets fans. I like your team too. I just don't like their moves.

Previewing the Columbus Blue Jackets season ahead. sticksandsalvos.substack.com/p/get-hype-o...

Get Hype (Or Not): The New York Rangers, understanding Chris Dury's vision (lackthereof?) edition Are they really this bad?

Alright New York Rangers fans. Don't say I never gave ya anything. sticksandsalvos.substack.com/p/get-hype-o...

Stars Stuff: Nathan Bastian, the dog days of summer, and programming notes There's not much to talk about, but there's still plenty to write.

Some (more) personal reflections, Nathan Bastian, and why I love my darlings from Discord. dcastillo.substack.com/p/stars-stuf...

Hey. I had positive things to say!

A lot of 'classic' sci-fi writers are problematic. But I don't think it's just a politics thing. I think it's a "yea maybe this dude never belonged despite getting the billing" ala Joe Besser as a Three Stooge kind of thing.

Isn't it pretty well-established that Heinlein kind of sucks? Influential, sure, but someone I never really thought of in the class of Bradbury, Clarke, or Asimov. To say nothing of his lechery.

Get Hype (Or Not): The New York Islanders, searching for Mathieu Darche edition At last. Finally a mystery box team.

Previewing the New York Islanders. sticksandsalvos.substack.com/p/get-hype-o...

Get Hype (Or Not): The Pittsburgh Penguins, to sell or not to sell a star edition It's a long hard road, out of hell.

Previewing the Pittsburgh Penguins with nothing but jealousy. sticksandsalvos.substack.com/p/get-hype-o...

The most regressive thing I believe is that a firm, stinging slap to the face is the most effective means of regulating a straight man when he gets out of line. You want to play hierarchy? Here, have a backhand across the mouth.

Those are kind words that I will probably frame. Much appreciated Patrick!

holy shit

Get Hype (Or Not): The Anaheim Ducks should still feel ashamed for hiring Joel Quenneville edition Pat Verbeek is going for it. I guess?

Previewing the Anaheim Ducks. sticksandsalvos.substack.com/p/get-hype-o...

2025 Report Card: Jim Nill pushed the proverbial chips in. Is it too early to ask at what cost? Or should we be asking about when's the reward?

The final report card for the year is in. With so much to unpack, I tried to step back a bit, judging Nill less for the season, and more for the steps he took to get here.
dcastillo.substack.com/p/2025-repor...

Personal reflections on Kenny Jacoby's essential reporting on the Dallas Stars in USA Today When something you love becomes something else.

Sucks to have to write this about the Dallas Stars. But it's a lot easier than what some of these folks have gone through. dcastillo.substack.com/p/personal-r...

Whenever I hear someone criticize Butler's writing, I can't contain myself.

Not one to flex on this site, but finally completed the Lilith's Brood trilogy. In style. And yes, I've only read Dawn (which was and is fantastic in the ways that books that normally call themselves "cosmic horror" can never touch). So maybe not that much of a flex. But still.

The Complicated Cost of Growing the Game Hockey is not cheap in DFW, or in most places

Playing hockey in Texas is expensive, and increasingly popular. That's a tough thing to balance.
www.starsthoughts.com/p/the-compli...

Thomas Harley Is Even Better Than You Think The 23-year-old isn't just good—he's one of the most exciting young defensemen to come through the NHL in years. What does that mean for his future, and the Stars'?

My (other, other) latest: What the fancy numbers say about Thomas Harley, how he stacks up to the best of the best, and why he just might be better than the rest.
www.dmagazine.com/sports/2025/...

Thomas Harley Is Even Better Than You Think The 23-year-old isn't just good—he's one of the most exciting young defensemen to come through the NHL in years. What does that mean for his future, and the Stars'?

.@davidcastillo.bsky.social's latest is one of the most important Stars pieces you'll read this offseason. We knew Thomas Harley was good. But the data shows he's one of the most young exciting defensemen to come around in the last 20 years. What does that mean?

www.dmagazine.com/sports/2025/...

Thomas Harley Is Even Better Than You Think The 23-year-old isn't just good—he's one of the most exciting young defensemen to come through the NHL in years. What does that mean for his future, and the Stars'?

My (other, other) latest: What the fancy numbers say about Thomas Harley, how he stacks up to the best of the best, and why he just might be better than the rest.
www.dmagazine.com/sports/2025/...

Do be fair, Jake and Pete are some of the most generic names on the North American planet. Even more than Jason or David (although the last two sound cooler).

Get Hype (Or Not): The Philadelphia Flyers, could Rick Tocchet save us (?) edition They're hurting. But to what extent?

Previewing the 2025-2026 Philadelphia Flyers season.
sticksandsalvos.substack.com/p/get-hype-o...

2025 Report Card: Forget the Oettinger drama. What was up with team defense under Pete DeBoer? This year was a weird one. And not just because of DeBoer's TMZ moment.

Instead of reliving the Jake Oettinger, let's talk about the strange decline in Dallas' team defense under Jake DeBoer.
dcastillo.substack.com/p/2025-repor...

Get Hype (Or Not): The Nashville Predators, WTF is Barry Trotz even up to edition Don't ask me.

Previewing the Nashville Predators. sticksandsalvos.substack.com/p/get-hype-o...

2025 Report Card: Nils Lundkvist and the season that could have been. The story of the season for many players: injuries.

I don't know where Nils Lundkvist is headed, and neither do you. dcastillo.substack.com/p/2025-repor...