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Dallas Stars Seeing Great Potential With Philippe Desrosiers

By Josh Clark

Feb 27, 2016; Dallas, TX, USA; A view of a hockey puck and stick and face off circle during the game between the Dallas Stars and the New York Rangers at the American Airlines Center. The Rangers defeat the Stars 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 27, 2016; Dallas, TX, USA; A view of a hockey puck and stick and face off circle during the game between the Dallas Stars and the New York Rangers at the American Airlines Center. The Rangers defeat the Stars 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /
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There is significant chatter going on at the Dallas Stars development camp right now about goaltending below the NHL level. There seem to be three competitors for the two spots on the Texas Stars, and one of them is beginning to stand out.

The 2013 NHL entry draft was a pretty full one for the Dallas Stars. Following five years of making trades and receiving draft picks in return all while missing out on the playoffs year after year, the Stars were exceedingly active in the drafting process.

Dallas boasted a total of nine picks in the 2013 draft and used every single one of them. This was set to be quite an interesting draft for Dallas as well. With nine total picks, including the tenth pick overall, there was a pressing need to draft some quality prospects, some that could be ready for the NHL as early as 2014.

It was also the first draft for Jim Nill as general manager of the Stars. Nill had just been hired two months prior and had a lot expected of him.

Looking back on it now, the ’13 draft is very likely Nill’s best draft class over the past four years. Out of the nine players selected, eight are still in the system. The ninth player, being Nicholas Paul, was traded to the Ottawa Senators in 2014 in exchange for Jason Spezza.

While their last two picks have not done anything significant over the past few years, the other six picks have made some decent and significant contributions to the organization.

The only problem is that most connect the 2013 draft to Valeri Nichushkin and Jason Dickinson, and tend to neglect the rest of the picks. While Nichushkin has been a member of the Dallas Stars for three seasons now and Dickinson is knocking on the door in the AHL, there are other players selected by Dallas that are making some significant contributions.

One of those is goaltender Philippe Desrosiers. After being drafted in the second round of the 2-13 draft, Desrosiers has been all around the system while working his way up to the professional level. In 14-15, he played in the QMJHL and ended up being named the Goaltender of the Year in the league.

That performance was enough to move him up to the ECHL this year. Playing with the Idaho Steelheads, the 20-year-old posted a 15-7-6 record with a 2.34 goals against average and a .913 save percentage. He finished the season on an incredible 12-1-4 run as he would help lead the Steelheads to the postseason. They lost in the first round to the eventual champion, the Allen Americans.

He also had a brief stint in the AHL, going 5-5-0 with a 2.82 goals against average and a .903 save percentage while backstopping for the Texas Stars.

“It was good. First ten games in the ECHL were rough but after that, I took my run,” Desrosiers told Stars Inside Edge. “I played ten games in the AHL, which was great for me.”

So what does that mean for the Quebec native? If things go well, it could very well mean a full-time job in the AHL next year. With 2010 first round pick Jack Campbell falling through and being traded away during the 2016 draft to Los Angeles, the goaltending gig is wide open. The Stars have three goalies in development camp at the moment who will fight over the two open spots.

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Maxime Lagace and Landon Bow (who just signed an AHL contract with Texas this offseason) had impressive seasons last year as well, so the competition is tight. There is a strong chance for Desrosiers to grab one of the spots.

Philippe Desrosiers could very well be one of the brighter prospects down the road for the Dallas Stars. It’s been over a decade since the Stars were able to avoid recycling NHL goaltenders and simply call on a goaltender in the system to come up and produce. It would be nice if Desrosiers could be the first one to turn that bad luck around.

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We’ll see how development camp and training camp roll along, but the Stars could definitely see Desrosiers in Cedar Park next season. Either way, there is a bright future ahead for the young goalie.

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