I’m a Dallas Stars fan. I also like building things: wiring up APIs, messing with AI, writing code, and staring at hockey numbers until a take shows up. Stars Lab is where those hobbies meet. Not a startup pitch. Not a 32-team encyclopedia. A personal desk for this team — something I can open after a game, argue with, and keep improving because it’s fun.

After a weird third period I don’t want another hot take factory or a giant table with forty columns. I want a quiet Stars desk I built myself — something I can open at 11pm, poke at, and keep making better because the process is half the fun.

The fan question (the only one that matters)

Every Star has a gold AAV — the verified paycheck for 2026–27. On the new 84-game schedule that becomes a night rate: AAV ÷ 84.

After a game I want one clear read: did he earn the deal that night, or miss it?

Bargain or underwater. Cleared or missed. Tap the name, see the card. That’s the habit I’m designing for — game ends → last night → argue the paycheck.

What you’ll see here

  • Last night — how each Star played: box score, cleared or missed (sample tape until opening night).
  • The desk — Cap Rink + roster when you want the whole sheet.
  • Player cards — tap a name for last-five nights vs the paycheck rate.
  • Articles — short writing when I have something worth saying. Day-to-day chatter lives on X; the durable take lives here.

Until puck drop, 2026–27 starts at 0 GP. Last year’s games are not this year’s progress. You’ll see prior tape labeled as a sample so the night language is familiar before the season tips.

What I’m doing under the hood (for fun)

This is the part I enjoy that you don’t have to care about — but it’s why the site feels the way it does:

  • Coding the desk and the earn cards.
  • Playing with APIs and data pipelines so the numbers stay honest.
  • Tuning a model, then checking it against deals I trust (gold AAVs from real PRs).
  • Using AI where it helps me think or write faster — still my takes, still Stars-first.
  • Shipping small, ugly, useful pieces instead of waiting for a perfect product.

Stars Lab is me taking the hobby seriously enough to put it on a URL.

What this is not

  • Not a CBA / LTIR machine.
  • Not “all 32 teams, please click your club.”
  • Not auto-spam on X. When I post, I mean it.
  • Not pretending the model is scripture. Numbers support the argument; they don’t replace watching the game.

How to hang out with it

Open the desk. Browse the roster. Read a card. Follow along on X for the day to day. Come back here when you want the board and the writing in one place.

I’m building this because I love the Stars and I love making things. If that combo is useful to you too — welcome. If you just want to see whether Robertson cleared last night — also welcome. That’s the point.