Cranbrook has a storied list of hockey players who have reached the pros, and local blueliner Jace Coyle is hoping to add his name to the pile.

The 21-year-old defenceman recently attended the Dallas Stars training camp in Prince Edward Island, and was released to the Texas Stars in Austin for another tryout with the AHL affiliate.

"It was a great experience and big learning curve to be around NHL guys all the time," Coyle wrote in an email from Austin, Texas.

Although he had a good showing at camp in the practices and inter-squad games, he wasn't able to crack the lineup for any exhibition games, he continued.

"The guys who can consistently play hard and do all the little things right are able to separate themselves from the rest of the group," he said.

Despite the release, he was happy to be in an atmosphere, surrounded by professional hockey players and like-minded prospects hoping to make their mark.

"Guys like Stephane Robidas offered some advice on how they found success at that level," he said. "I learned the most just by watching what they do day in and day out and the level of professionalism they bring to the rink everyday."

Coyle has a Cranbrook connection with the AHL club, as it is captained by another local-Brad Lukowich, who has spent a few years with the Dallas Stars and hop scotched around the NHL, his last team being the Vancouver Canucks in the 2009/10 season.

"The roster isn't set in stone yet so I am not sure where I'll end up this year, but my goal is to stay in Austin and continue to develop," Coyle said.

He signed to the Dallas Stars as a free agent with a three-year entry-level contract in July after the 2010 NHL draft.

Coyle spent four years in the WHL; one with the Spokane Chiefs where he won a Memorial Cup before a trade landed him in Medicine Hat to play with the Tigers for three years.