The prospects will join the rest of the roster in training camp beginning Thursday in Frisco, and that will lead to the preseason opener Saturday and then the regular-season opener on Oct. 10 against Nashville.

Stars General Manager Jim Nill answered a few questions before the Traverse City trip.

 The Traverse City Tournament has been reduced to just two teams and two games, but is it still important for your players to make the trip up there and compete against players of the similar age and experience?

 It’s the best thing for players’ development. They need to get the games in before camp, they need to be ramping up to meet a higher level of play. We’ve been going to this tournament for 20-something years, so it’s been a great learning tool, and we want to continue that. It takes time to get players ready, and even for some of our veteran players at that level, this is a great opportunity to get ready. We’ve got some good young players. What did they learn from their first year pro? Did they take that next step?

Q: How do you assess the summer, and do you like where you are right now?