Dallas Stars Have Promising Future With Mattias Janmark
By Josh Clark
The Dallas Stars made a rather inquisitive decision on opening night when they started Mattias Janmark in his first NHL game. Now that the season has rolled along, it’s clear that Janmark is a big piece of the Stars future.
The Dallas Stars hockey club seems to have a knack for turning prospect-level talent into NHL-ready players. From the lockout season when Alex Chiasson became the hot topic amongst rookies, to last season when John Klingberg entered talks of being the best defender in the NHL, they have quite the extensive list.
Not to mention Cody Eakin, Antoine Roussel, Brett Ritchie, and Radek Faksa. The list seems to go on and on. But sometimes the Stars make the next NHL competitors out of players that don’t even begin in their farm system. One of those players is Mattias Janmark.
Last season, the NHL trade deadline took place on March 2, 2015. The day before the deadline hit, the Dallas Stars made a big trade moments before their game against the Anaheim Ducks.
In the midst of a slump, the Stars dealt their third-highest points producer Erik Cole and a third round draft pick to the Detroit Red Wings. In return, they received prospects Mattias Janmark, Mattias Backman, and a second round pick.
It seemed like a clear move at the moment that proved the Stars were sellers. Their season had not turned anywhere close what people had assumed it would have been prior to the beginning of the 14-15 year, and they had little options. So they sold a veteran in the final year of his deal to a playoff competitor for prospects.
But Stars GM Jim Nill has a proven track record of knowing what he is doing, and this trade was another clear example of that.
While Backman continues to grow and learn in the minors, Janmark is taking the Dallas Stars offense by storm. After only playing one game with the Texas Stars of the AHL last season, that is apparently all he needed to prove himself.
The Stars made an intriguing decision on October 8th, 2015 when they kicked off their season against the Pittsburgh Penguins. During the morning skate, Janmark ran line rushes with the fourth line.
It ended up being the first NHL game of Janmark’s career, and he did not disappoint. Just 1:39 into the game, Janmark scored his first NHL goal on his first NHL shot during his first NHL shift. That’s a lot of firsts.
The 23-year old is a proven center who can also play on the wings. He has played in every Stars game this season, and has fluctuated from throughout the lineup. Even though he has shifted lines and line mates during the year, his production has remained consistent. Through 58 games this season, he has scored 13 goals and tallied 24 total points. He is the seventh highest producer offensively for the Stars.
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In his last five games, Janmark has five points. This includes the lone goal against the Blues last night and the game-winning goal against the Predators the night before. Not bad for a first year player making $733,750 on a two-way contract good through next season.
Janmark’s ability to continue his efficiency even when his spot is not confirmed is nothing short of encouraging. He is also a strong candidate to be one of the Dallas Stars’ longterm centers as the hopeful future of this organization unravels. Things are definitely looking up for a trade that was completed not even a year ago that seemed helpless at the time it was made.
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Mattias Janmark has a strong future in the NHL, and could very easily be one of the Dallas Stars best forwards in the coming years. As it always seems to be, we have Jim Nill to thank for that.