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Dallas Stars Re-Sign Jyrki Jokipakka, Hire Jeff Reese

By Josh Clark |

The Dallas Stars turned the Monday blues into something special today. Just moments ago, the Stars announced that they had re-signed rookie defenseman Jyrki Jokipakka to a two-year extension.

Jokipakka played a majority of the season for the Stars, and was one of the many young prospects on the Stars blue line. Jokipakka’s skill increased as the year moved on and by the end he was one of the most diligent members of the Stars blue line.

Here is the press release from DallasStars.com:

Dallas Stars General Manager Jim Nill announced today that the club has signed Jyrki Jokipakka to a two-year contract extension. Per club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Jokipakka, 23, made his NHL debut in the 2014-15 season, posting 10 points (0-10=10) in 51 games with Dallas. The defenseman opened the 2014-15 campaign with the Texas Stars of the American Hockey League (AHL), registering five points (3-2=5) in 19 AHL contests. Jokipakka also represented Finland at the 2015 IIHF World Championship in the Czech Republic, where he tallied two points (2-0=2) and a +2 plus/minus rating in eight games on the international stage.

He has skated in 87 career AHL contests, all with Texas, and has earned 26 points (8-18=26) over two seasons in North America. Prior to his time in the AHL, Jokipakka appeared in 159 career games in SM-Liiga with Ilves-Tampere, recording 44 points (15-29=44) and 56 penalty minutes.

“Jokipakka thinks the game well and has the tools to grow into an extremely dependable player in the NHL,” Nill said. “Over the last season, he grew leaps and bounds and proved that he could play effectively at this level. We fully expect him to continue that growth and become a big part of our defensive unit in the years to come.”

The 6-foot-3, 210-pound native of Tampere, Finland was originally selected by Dallas in the seventh round (195th overall) of the 2011 NHL Draft.

But this wasn’t the only good news. In the same sitting, Jim Nill also announced the hiring of a new Dallas Stars goaltending coach, Jeff Reese. There had been rumors of the Stars being in talks with Reese as he was still a member of the Philadelphia Flyers organization, but nothing was confirmed. Except now they are.

Once again, here is the next press release from DallasStars.com:

Dallas Stars General Manager Jim Nill announced today the appointment of Jeff Reese as Goaltending Coach. Previous Goaltending Coach Mike Valley will remain with the organization, transitioning to Director of Goaltending Development. The announcement rounds out Head Coach Lindy Ruff’s coaching staff for the 2015-16 regular season along with Assistant Coaches Curt Fraser and James Patrick and Video Coach Kelly Forbes.

Reese, 49, spent the last six seasons as the goaltending coach for the Philadelphia Flyers before departing in March. In that time, his goaltenders combined to post a 228-161-52 record with a 2.63 goals against average, a .910 save percentage and 20 shutouts. In his time with Philadelphia, he was pivotal in the development of Steve Mason and Sergei Bobrovsky.

Prior to his time with the Flyers, he spent 10 seasons with the Tampa Bay Lightning coaching staff, where he was responsible for working with all goaltenders in the Lightning organization, as well as assisting in the assessment of amateur goaltenders for the NHL Entry Draft. His time with the Lightning included their 2004 Stanley Cup championship.

Over parts of 11 seasons in the NHL with the Toronto Maple Leafs (1987-88 through 1991-92 and 1998-99), Calgary Flames (1991-92 to 1993-94), Hartford Whalers (1993-94 to 1995-96), Lightning (1995-96) and New Jersey Devils (1996-97), Reese posted a 53-65-17 record with a 3.66 goals-against average and five shutouts in 174 contests. In 11

appearances in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, he had a 3-5 mark with a 4.08 GAA.

Reese holds NHL records for most assists and most points by a goaltender in a single game, set when he had three assists for the Calgary Flames in a game against the San Jose Sharks on Feb. 10, 1993.

Reese was selected by Toronto in the fourth round (67th overall) in the 1984 NHL Entry Draft. He was born on March 24, 1966 in Brantford, Ontario.

Valley, 38, completed his sixth season as the Stars goaltending coach. In his new role, he will oversee the development of the team’s goaltending prospects at all levels. In addition, he will assist in the assessment and evaluation of all potential free agents at the professional and amateur levels.

Prior to joining the Stars, he spent the 2008-09 season as an assistant goaltending coach for the Nashville Predators/Milwaukee Admirals and as a volunteer goaltending coach for the University of Wisconsin, his alma mater. Outside of his work with the Stars, Valley owns and operates Elite Goalies High Performance and Private Instructional Camps.

Valley played six years of professional hockey (1998-2004) after initially being signed as a free agent by the Vancouver Canucks following his sophomore year of college. His career includes stints in the AHL, ECHL and Swedish Elite League. In 2005, he returned to the University of Wisconsin to complete his bachelor’s degree in Communication Science and Rhetorical Studies.

“Each season, we look to improve every facet of our organization,” said Nill. “With Jeff, we had an opportunity to add to and enhance our group as a whole. He has done tremendous work with several goaltenders in his time and that experience is invaluable. It also allows for us to use Mike’s complete skillset, which will benefit our goaltending pipeline. His relationships and knowledge of the goaltenders around the world will greatly impact the way we evaluate talent at the professional and amateur ranks, as well as how we prepare our own players.”

The great thing about this is that the Stars are keeping Mike Valley in the organization and even giving him a role that requires more research. It’s a great day in the Stars organization, and a proud one as well.

So, the first move has been made in the Dallas Stars 2015 offseason campaign. Time to keep your ears open and eyes peeled for the next three weeks or so. Get ready.

Next: Cody Franson Could Save The Dallas Stars Defense

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