Dallas Stars Potential Draft Picks Could Play Big Role
In today’s NHL drafting is how you build a championship team because of the extraordinarily high cost of acquiring star players via trade or free agency. The Dallas Stars will look to do their part to build on their already strong core in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft this weekend.
This year’s battle for the top overall pick is between Connor McDavid from the ECHL and Jack Eichel from Boston University, but McDavid is almost certainly going to be an Oiler. The Stars find themselves with the twelfth overall pick in the first round and the forty-ninth overall pick in the second.
Dallas is desperately searching for a top-notch defender this year. According to DraftSite.com these are the defenders expected to find themselves drafted in the opening ten picks:
Noah Hanifin is projected to go third overall. He is a left-shooting, 6’2.5”, 201 pound “fluid” defender. His size is great considering his youth, he just newly turned eighteen, and his vision makes him a promising prospect; however, his expected placement in the draft makes him a reach for the Stars.
Ivan Provorov is projected to go eighth overall. He, like Hanifin, is a left-shooting defenseman who checks in at 6’0”, 200 pounds; however, Provorov is more offensive minded according to Bill Placzek. Considering the current defensemen at Dallas’ disposal I don’t think that yet another offensive minded d-man is in the plan for the Stars.
Ninth overall is expected to be Zack Werenski. Werenski is a 6’2”, 210-pound right-handed defender from the United States. Placzek claims him to be “a fine all-around defensive prospect who displays all the qualities necessary to progress as an NHL defender”, making him sound like the perfect fit for the Stars. His large frame and power play ability make him a prime candidate prospect for the Stars.
For Dallas to acquire any of the aforementioned players the teams ahead of them would have to draft another player seeing that the Stars don’t pick until 12th overall.
As with any draft there are dark horse candidates as well, Jamie Benn wasn’t picked up until the fifth round in 2007 and has since become the captain of the Stars, won a gold metal, and fought for the Art Ross trophy among NHL elite. While it’s unlikely Dallas will draft another Jamie Benn-level player this year, it’s entirely possible.
Here are other defensemen in this year’s draft that Dallas should also consider:
Noah Juulsen is expected to go twentieth overall. He is 6’0”, and 170-pounds of “shutdown defender” according to Placzek. He sounds like a solid pick for the Stars because of his defensive game and overall play.
Currently projected to go twenty-first overall to Detroit is Oliver Kylington. He is a six-foot tall, 181-pound, left-handed Swedish defenseman known for his composure on the ice. Kylington is described in a way that reminds me of current Stars d-man John Klingberg, and Dallas could always use another one of him.
If the Calgary Flames decide to pass on expected 49th overall Matthew Spencer, he’d be a great candidate for Dallas. His 6’2”, 194-pound frame would allow him to fill in quite nicely and he is considered a possible “up and comer” according to Placzek. Overall his smart play and strength on the puck make him a good option for the Stars to use their 51st pick on if he’s still available.
Lastly, there is Ryan Zuhlsdorf. Not only does the guy have a great last name, but his smaller 5’11”, 185-pound frame provides him with excellent skating ability. Although he would take a few years to develop into the player Dallas needs, he is a great option for the Stars to use their 100th overall pick on, despite him being expected to go 93rd overall by Washington.
There you have it Stars fans! Those are seven possibilities for the Stars to go after come draft day in June.
Who do you think the Stars will end up with? Leave your guesses and opinions in the comments. As always, thanks for reading!