Mattias Backman isn’t going to grab your attention.

In a 60-minute game the Swedish defenseman isn’t flashy and he doesn’t stuff the stat sheet with just four assists in 15 games. He also avoids the penalty box and hasn’t committed an infraction since a questionable hooking call in the second game of the season.

So, to the casual observer, Backman is an unknown. He blends into the background and is seemingly biding his time as other players take on larger roles.

However, take a deeper look at what Backman is doing in the background and watch him closely from buzzer to buzzer.

You’ll notice the 23-year-old is always in the right position and rarely turns the puck over. He’s rarely on the ice for a goal against – only six this season – and he’s quietly leading the Stars in plus/minus with a plus-11. That plus-11 ranks sixth in the AHL and — because of a concussion — Backman has played fewer games than any other player in the top-10.

Backman isn’t the top-billing on the Stars defense – that distinction belongs to Stephen Johns and Esa Lindell – but he’s the constant calm factor Texas needs for 15 to 18 minutes a night in the defensive zone. Entering this week 57 percent of Backman’s tracked starts have come in his own end, tops amongst Texas defensemen.

“He’s a smart player,” Stars coach Derek Laxdal said earlier this season. “Very good and always in the right place.”

And he’s doing it against the other team’s best players. According to CHLStats.com, which started tracking AHL advanced stats this season, amongst Texas defensemen Backman has faced the most difficult competition.

It’s a small sample size, but the Stars are a better team with Backman in the lineup. Texas is 2-4 without him, while the Stars are 10-4-1 – a .733 points percentage – with Backman in the lineup.

That’s why it shouldn’t be a surprise Backman reemerged on the Stars blue line after missing four games with a concussion.

Backman didn’t play much in his first two games back against the Charlotte Checkers and Ontario Reign since Patrik Nemeth was conditioning for two weeks in the AHL. But, on the recent road trip to California he played big minutes in three of the four games and was plus-3.

He even added a rare assist on Devin Shore’s game-winning goal against the San Diego Gulls.

“My body feels great, I knew it was going to be hard to get a spot on the team again since we have a lot of Ds here,” Backman said. “But I battled through everything. I’m going to keep going here.”

It’s been an odd season for Texas Stars defensemen. Thanks to the NHL club’s logjam on the blue line – eight healthy defensemen – the AHL defensemen have a glass ceiling keeping them from reaching the NHL.

That hasn’t stopped Backman from impressing his new organization. Dallas acquired him and Mattias Janmark in a trade for Erik Cole back on March 1 with the Detroit Red Wings.

And Backman had some question marks around him when he was acquired. He had started last season with the Grand Rapids Griffins, but was frustrated with playing time and ultimately finished the year with Linkopings HC in the Swedish Hockey League.

That could have scared off potential suitors, but Dallas general manager Jim Nill liked what he saw from the Swedish prospect both before the 2011 draft (Backman went in the fifth round, 146th overall) and when Grand Rapids squared off with Texas in the 2014 Calder Cup playoffs.

Backman was surprised at the time of the trade, but he said during exit interviews following last season that playing with Texas would be a “fresh start” for his career.

And it’s been just that.

While Janmark may appear to be the bigger splash, and certainly a steal, from the trade, Backman has quietly turned into quite an asset for Dallas.