Dallas Stars Draft Preview: A History Of Their First Picks
By Tom Dorsa
The Dallas Stars will be, barring any trades, drafting third in the upcoming Entry Draft. Let’s take a look back to their previous selections.
For the Dallas Stars, the third overall pick in the 2017 National Hockey League Entry Draft is the highest overall selection in the organization’s 25-year history. Because on Saturday, April 29th, the odds went in their favor.
The Stars had a 5.8% chance at receiving the number one overall pick, and an 18.3% chance (or, one in six) chance at a top three selection. Thankfully for us, the ping pong balls dropped accordingly on Draft Lottery night and Dallas received the third pick despite only having the eighth-worst record in the League.
The New Jersey Devils and the Philadelphia Flyers (neither of whom had worse records than the Colorado Avalanche or Arizona Coyotes), were awarded the top two selections.
Third place in the Draft, nonetheless, is the highest the Dallas Stars/Minnesota North Stars franchise has casted a Draft pick since the 1988 1st overall selection used on Hockey Hall of Famer and NHL 100 honoree, Mike Modano.
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This tells me the Stars will undoubtedly pick a superb player. While Nolan Patrick, a Brandon Wheat Kings center, and Halifax Mooseheads forward Nico Hischier are the consensus one and two picks, there truly isn’t a solidified third pick.
The Stars, as you’ll begin to see now, are accustomed to making on-the-fly decisions when it comes to drafting first round talent. Here’s a rundown of each Dallas Stars first round Draft pick of all-time.
1993 SUPPLEMENTAL DRAFT:
9th Overall: Jacques Joubert – Center – Boston University (NCAA).
Jacques Joubert failed to play a single National Hockey League game.
1993 NHL ENTRY DRAFT:
9th Overall: Todd Harvey – Right Wing – Detroit Junior Red Wings (OHL).
Todd Harvey had 38 goals and 61 assists in 239 games with the Dallas Stars.
Notable Pick: With their second-round selection, the Dallas Stars picked Jamie Langenbrunner, a winger from Cloquet High (Minnesota). The former Team USA Olympic captain was an instrumental part of Dallas’s two straight appearances in the Stanley Cup Final.
Related Rundown:: The Top 100 Players in Dallas Stars History
1994 NHL ENTRY DRAFT:
20th Overall: Jason Botterill – Left Wing – Kamloops Blazers (WHL).
Jason Botterill, recently hired as general manager by the Buffalo Sabres, played 21 games with Dallas, having zero goals, zero assists, 42 penalty minutes.
Notable Pick: At 124th overall in Round 4, the Stars selected Cambridge High (Massachusetts) goaltender Marty Turco, who emerged as a long-time starter and future NHL All-Star.
1995 NHL ENTRY DRAFT:
11th Overall: Jarome Iginla – Right Wing – Kamloops Blazers (WHL).
Jarome Iginla totalled zero games played with Dallas due to a December 1995 trade to Calgary for Joe Nieuwendyk. 1,300 career points with Calgary, Pittsburgh, Boston, Los Angeles, and Colorado.
1996 NHL ENTRY DRAFT:
5th Overall: Richard Jackman – Defenseman – Sault St. Marie Greyhounds (OHL).
Richard Jackman amassed 16 games played with Dallas, zero points overall. Was traded for Cameron Mann of the Boston Bruins in 2001.
Dallas Stars
1997 NHL ENTRY DRAFT:
25th Overall: Brenden Morrow – Left Wing – Portland Winterhawks (WHL).
Perhaps the greatest Stars’ first-round pick of all-time, Brenden Morrow played 835 games in 14 seasons with the Dallas Stars – including seven seasons as the team captain – scoring 243 goals and adding 285 assists.
1998 NHL ENTRY DRAFT:
39th Overall: John Erskine – Defenseman – London Knights (OHL).
John Erskine enjoyed a lengthy, 12-year NHL career as a penalty killing defenseman, however only 107 of his 491 career games came with the Dallas Stars. Erskine gave the Stars two goals and two assists.
1999 NHL ENTRY DRAFT:
32nd Overall: Michael Ryan – Left Winger – Boston College High School (Massachusetts).
Michael Ryan never competed in a single game for the Dallas Stars, but cracked the NHL roster under the Buffalo Sabres and Carolina Hurricanes to scored seven goals and eight assists in 87 career games.
2000 NHL ENTRY DRAFT:
25th Overall: Steve Ott – Center – Windsor Spitfires (OHL).
Steve Ott was a legendary fan favorite in the city of Dallas for his heavily underrated skill and playmaking ability, coupled with his unforgettable tenacity and knack for getting under an opponent’s skin. Ott scored 85 goals and 135 assists in 566 games in a green jersey.
2001 NHL ENTRY DRAFT:
26th Overall: Jason Bacashihua – Goaltender – Chicago Freeze (NAHL).
Jason Bacashihua played a total of zero minutes with the Dallas Stars despite the very high selection of the Michigan native. Bacashihua appeared in a brief role with the St. Louis Blues later in his career.
Notable Pick: At 162nd overall, the Stars chose a left-winger from Karpat Jrs (Finland) by the name of Jussi Jokinen, who potted 20 or more goals with the Stars three separate times.
2002 NHL ENTRY DRAFT:
26th Overall: Martin Vagner – Defenseman – Hull Olympiques (QMJHL).
Martin Vagner failed to play a single NHL game, although the Czech defender re-entered the Draft and was selected by the Hurricanes in 2004.
Notable Pick: With pick number 43, the Stars picked a defensive mainstay from the Sault St. Marie Greyhounds named Trevor Daley. Daley played 756 games with the Stars and tallied 231 points.
2003 NHL ENTRY DRAFT:
33rd Overall: Loui Eriksson – Left Winger – Frolunda Jrs (Finland).
Loui Eriksson was an integral part of the Dallas Stars from 2006 to 2013, prior to being the most significant return for the Boston Bruins in the Tyler Seguin trade. Eriksson, who scored an impressive 36 goals on 20% shooting percentage, netted 357 points in 501 Stars games.
2004 NHL ENTRY DRAFT:
28th Overall: Mark Fistric – Defenseman – Vancouver Giants (WHL).
Mark Fistric was a heavy, physical defenseman with an optimal level of penalty killing skill for the Dallas Stars. In 257 games with Dallas, Fistric scored just three goals and 20 assists.
2005 NHL ENTRY DRAFT:
28th Overall: Matt Niskanen – Defenseman – Virginia High (Minnesota).
Matt Niskanen is a sensational puck-mover who minimizes his mistakes with great speed and puck-handling. He did exactly that for the Dallas Stars, tallying 82 points in 277 games, and now is a Washington Capitals.
Notable Pick: At 33rd overall, just five picks after Niskanen, the Stars selected current Nashville Predators first-liner James Neal from the Plymouth Whalers (OHL). Neal and Niskanen were both sent to Pittsburgh in exchange for Alex Goligoski in 2011.
2006 NHL ENTRY DRAFT:
27th Overall: Ivan Vishnevskiy – Defenseman – Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (QMJHL).
Ivan Vishnevskiy played over 100 AHL games in the Dallas system, but only suited up in five games for the NHL club, assisting on two goals for his team.
2007 NHL ENTRY DRAFT:
50th Overall: Nico Sacchetti – Center – Virginia High (Minnesota).
Nico Sacchetti was unable to play in a single Dallas Stars game, never appearing in an NHL contest after being drafted straight out of high school.
Notable Pick: At 129th Overall, the Stars selected the only player to win the Art Ross Trophy in the franchise’s history, left winger Jamie Benn from the Victoria Grizzlies (BCHL). Benn, with 517 points in 585 games, currently serves as team captain.
2008 NHL ENTRY DRAFT:
59th Overall: Tyler Beskorowany – Goaltender – Owen Sound Attack (OHL).
Tyler Beskorowany, like many Dallas Stars goaltending prospects, eventually flamed out and was unable to compete in an NHL contest.
2009 NHL ENTRY DRAFT:
8th Overall: Scott Glennie – Center – Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL).
Scott Glennie, despite being a part of the Texas Stars’ 2014 run to the Calder Cup title, played just one sole game for the Dallas Stars, a late 2010-11 match in which he was absent from the scoresheet.
Notable Pick: With the 159th pick in the Draft, the Stars chose gritty winger Curtis McKenzie from the Penticton Vees (BCHL). McKenzie, after once leading the Texas Stars in goals, has fit in nicely as a fourth-liner with Dallas.
2010 NHL ENTRY DRAFT:
11th Overall: Jack Campbell – Goaltender – U.S. National Development Team (USHL).
Jack Campbell was the first goaltender taken in the 2010 Draft, denoted as a future NHL superstar in the crease. However, after over 150 AHL games, Campbell was eventually traded to the Los Angeles Kings after just one start with the Stars.
Notable Pick: the 131st overall selection in the Draft was used by Dallas on masterful puck-moving defenseman John Klingberg from Frolunda Jr (Sweden). Klingberg finished fifth in Calder voting in 2014-15 and sixth in Norris voting in 2015-16, as the Swede looks to be a staple of the Stars roster for a long time.
2011 NHL ENTRY DRAFT:
14th Overall: Jamie Oleksiak – Defenseman – Northeastern University (NCAA Hockey-East).
Jamie Oleksiak was dubbed as the next Zdeno Chara for his 6’7″ frame and smooth skating, but has not come to fruition in Dallas like a first-rounder should, and might be on his way out this off-season. Oleksiak has six goals and 13 assists in 119 career NHL games.
Notable Pick: With the 44th overall selection, the Stars netted themselves a future top-six volume scorer, Brett Ritchie of the Sarnia Sting (OHL). Ritchie, who will likely be protected in June’s expansion Draft, has 22 goals and 12 assists in 117 games in the NHL.
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2012 NHL ENTRY DRAFT:
13th Overall: Radek Faksa – Center – Kitchener Rangers (OHL).
Radek Faksa is arguably the best first-round Draft pick from the Dallas Stars in a decade, as the defensive center is a potential Selke Trophy winner in the near future. Faksa, 17 goals and 28 assists in 125 NHL games, is undoubtedly a huge part of the Stars’ future.
Notable Picks: at 61st overall, the Dallas Stars selected speedy center Devin Shore from the Whitby Fury (OJHL), but it didn’t end there: Esa Lindell was drafted from Jokerit Jrs (Finland) at 74th overall, and Gemel Smith was taken at 104th out of Owen Sound (OHL).
2013 NHL ENTRY DRAFT:
10th Overall: Valeri Nichushkin – Right Wing – Chelyabinsk Traktor (KHL).
Valeri Nichushkin jumped out of the gates as a rookie, but had his struggles under Lindy Ruff’s system and departed for the KHL last off-season. Nichushkin has 23 goals and 41 assists as a Dallas Stars forward.
Notable Pick: At 40th overall, the Stars picked smooth-skating forechecking winger Remi Elie from the London Knights (OHL), right after the 29th pick of the Draft, center Jason Dickinson of the Guelph Storm (OHL).
2014 NHL ENTRY DRAFT:
14th Overall: Julius Honka – Defenseman – Swift Current Broncos (WHL).
Julius Honka is a future puck-moving, transitional maestro with a 65-point potential in the NHL. The former AHL All-Star will be with the big league club come the start of next season, after a five-point, 16-game performance late last season.
2015 NHL ENTRY DRAFT:
12th Overall: Denis Gurianov – Right Wing – Tolyatti (Russian Junior League).
Denis Gurianov struggled out of the gate in his first North American appearances early on in the AHL season before Team Russia selected him to compete in the World Junior Championships, where the young, three-zone player excelled and upped his confidence throughout the remainder of the hockey season. Gurianov made his NHL debut in the season finale for the Dallas Stars, a three blocked-shot and one-hit performance.
2016 NHL ENTRY DRAFT:
25th Overall: Riley Tufte – Left Wing – Minnesota-Duluth (NCAA – National Collegiate Hockey Conference).
Riley Tufte, the most recent Dallas Stars first-round Draft pick, enjoyed a successful 18-year-old season at Minnesota-Duluth with nine goals and seven assists in 36 games. The 6’5″ lefty is a long-term project for the Dallas front office.
Next: Dallas Stars Must Keep Seguin In Mind During Offseason
The Stars will add on to these first round selections when the NHL Draft kicks off on Friday, June 23rd in Chicago, Illinois. Stay tuned to Blackout Dallas as our Draft coverage continues.