Dallas Stars Prospects That Stood Out In Development Camp
The Dallas Stars finished up their 2017 development camp on Tuesday afternoon in Frisco. Here are a few of the prospects that stood out over the five-day span.
“The best way to predict your future is to create it.”
That’s a quote by former United States President Abraham Lincoln, and it couldn’t be more truthful. Instead of sitting around and waiting to see what your future holds, you have the power to craft it yourself. All it takes is hard work and perseverance.
NHL teams (the smart ones, at least) work off of this philosophy as well. They are constantly trying to better their future by adding talented prospects that give them a strong hope for the future.
The easiest way they do this is through the annual NHL Entry Draft, though there are also undrafted free agents and professional tryout contracts that are signed on a regular basis.
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Still, the bulk of each team’s prospect talent comes via the draft. That’s where the Dallas Stars have found the majority of their young talent that is currently on the roster. Jamie Benn, Radek Faksa, Brett Ritchie, Devin Shore, John Klingberg, Esa Lindell, and Julius Honka are just a few of the blossoming talents on the Dallas Stars’ roster that are from a Stars’ draft class.
And the new wave just arrived a few weeks ago. During the last weekend in June, the NHL held the 2017 NHL Entry Draft in Chicago, and the Stars used all seven picks that they had to work with in hopes of finding the next top talent across the league.
These picks were a few of the many prospects that attended the Stars’ development camp, which ended on Tuesday afternoon. Over the four days of on-ice sessions, here are a few of the prospects that really stood out and went the extra mile in camp.
Forwards:
Roope Hintz
The 20-year-old forward from Finland was probably one of the most impressive players in the entire development camp, and for good reason.
Hintz was drafted 49th overall in the second round of the 2015 Entry Draft by the Dallas Stars and has constantly been in Stars news, particularly over the past season. He has spent the past two seasons with HIFK in the Finnish Liiga, along with a few Finnish national teams.
In two seasons with HIFK, Hintz put up 27 goals and 50 points in 77 games. The center really came alive in the 2017 playoffs, scoring three goals and tallying 14 points in 14 games. After this past season, the speculation is that Hintz will be playing professional hockey next season, joining the Texas Stars in Austin.
He always finds the best offensive chance and knows how to incorporate his teammates. Hintz has great speed, an excellent shot, and has strong hands and puck-handling abilities. He’s an intelligent player and put all of this on for show at development camp.
Here is a video I got on Tuesday morning at development camp of a beautiful deke by Hintz. He’ll fit in well in Austin next year, that’s for sure.
Roope (ROHP-ay) Hintz with a pretty dangle in three-on-three. #thefuture pic.twitter.com/82DYcK2bkc
— Blackout Dallas (@BlackoutDallas) July 11, 2017
Jason Robertson
Another strong prospect who put on a show at development camp was 2017 second-round pick Jason Robertson.
He’s considered by some to be the most underrated player in the draft. In other words, he’s a top-ten talent that fell to the second round. Robertson is an incredible talent with natural scoring abilities, a wicked release, excellent playmaking skills, and an infectious personality.
He knows how to set up in the offensive zone and find the high-quality opportunity. Even when skating on the worst team offensively in the OHL last season, he found a way to put up 42 goals and 81 points in 68 games.
Dallas Stars
His skating was the one flaw that knocked him down a few spots in the draft projection, but he showed very few signs of that being a handicap at development camp. Robertson showed off all of his talents to their fullest extent at training camp and always had a ton of energy when on the ice. This is a guy that the Dallas Stars could see in the near future if he continues developing at his current rate.
Riley Tufte
The 2016 first-round pick had a good development camp following his freshman season at the University of Minnesota-Duluth in which he scored nine goals and tallied 16 points in 37 games.
The biggest pro about Tufte isn’t necessarily his ability to score goals, skate, or create plays; it’s his size.
Tufte is 6’5, 205 lb. at age 19. His size gives him a sufficient edge, and he knows how to use it. Throughout camp, there were plenty of opportunities for the forward to assert his dominance and use his size when controlling the puck in the zone.
He’s still a work in progress, but the 2017 development camp helped him show off all that he’s got through a freshman year in college.
Denis Gurianov
He didn’t skate the last two days of camp and only participated in on-ice activities on Saturday and Sunday, but his presence was still obviously felt in his time in action.
Gurianov is a powerful forward that can skate well and create chances on the rush. After being drafted in the first round of the 2015 draft by Dallas, he spent 2015-16 in Russia before moving to Texas full-time in 2016. He played the 2016-17 season with the Texas Stars in the AHL, scoring 12 goals and tallying 27 points in 57 games. His season ended by making his NHL debut with the Stars in their season finale.
Gurianov has a high ceiling and proves that whenever he is on the ice. He could be an “emergency call up” for Dallas next season and be a regular with the Dallas Stars in the next 2-3 years depending on how his skills and performance compares to other Stars’ prospects.
Defensemen:
Chris Martenet
The Dallas Stars drafted Martenet in the fourth round of the 2015 draft and took him as a project defenseman. He’s a massive defenseman, ringing in at 6’7, 212 lb. and loves to use his physicality.
He had a good camp, using his body for checking while remaining smart in defensive transitions.
Martenet should be playing for the Texas Stars next season after two years with the London Knights in the OHL since the draft.
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Gavin Bayreuther
The 23-year-old was signed by the Stars in March 2017 after going undrafted. He played four seasons at St. Lawrence University and was one of the most impressive defenders in the NCAA. He’s a prolific offensive defender with a smooth shot and great puck-moving abilities.
Bayreuther had a great camp, showing off his defensive IQ, closing out attacking opponents and finding a way to get the puck out of the defensive zone using the smart play. Give him a few seasons with the Texas Stars in the AHL and he could become a bright, young NHL blue line star.
Miro Heiskanen
This one is kind of a no-brainer. The no. 3 pick is regarded as the best defenseman in the 2017 NHL draft class, and that’s why Dallas used their third overall selection on him.
Heiskanen is a great puck-moving defender, knows how to position himself on the ice, and gives up minimal opportunities. He has a bright future and proved that in camp.
He could very well be considered the best defender on the ice at the camp, playing a smart and effective style.
After another year in Finland and one or two seasons in the AHL, Heiskanen could be a full-time NHL starter. His performance at development camp simply cut out any lingering doubt.
Goaltenders:
Jake Oettinger
It’s no secret that Oettinger is on his way to becoming an elite goaltender. After a freshman season that saw him assume the starting role at Boston University, he entered the draft as a likely first-round choice.
The Dallas Stars traded up to secure him at 26th overall, and could very well have found their newest franchise goaltender.
Oettinger had an excellent camp, showing off his incredible poise, positioning, and flexibility. He knows how to make the big save, take away second-chance opportunities, and handle the puck both in and out of the crease.
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The 18-year-old is heading back to Boston University for his sophomore season, where big things are once again expected of him. But after the camp he had, it doesn’t seem like he will have any trouble living up to the expectations. This could very well be the goalie of the future for the Dallas Stars.
Markus Ruusu
This was definitely one of the nicer surprises in camp. Ruusu was selected in the sixth round by the Dallas Stars in the 2015 draft and was considered a bit of a long-shot prospect.
But Ruusu has been working hard over the past two seasons, and looks like he is progressing well. He has spent the past in Finland, playing both with junior teams and in the Liiga.
In camp, he was outstanding. He made a couple of beautiful saves and was calm under pressure. He’s still a work in progress, but his camp was definitely something to keep an eye on.
Next: A Rundown Of All Seven Stars 2017 Draft Selections
Overall, it was another successful development camp for the Dallas Stars. The future looks bright.