Dallas Stars Will Host 2018 NHL Draft: What You Need To Know

The hockey world will be centered in Dallas for two days in the summer of 2018 as the Dallas Stars host the 2018 NHL Draft. Here is all that you need to (and can possibly) know at this point in regards to the party that is to take place.

On Friday afternoon, it was nothing more than a strong rumor. On Saturday evening, the rumor was confirmed as fact: the Dallas Stars and the city of Dallas will host the 2018 NHL Entry Draft.

The announcement was made on Saturday at the Stars’ Reunion Lawn Party by different members of the Stars personnel, NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly, and Dallas mayor Mike Rawlings.

At this point, feel free to let a scream of delight out if you haven’t already. Even if you already have, you can let out another one. We won’t stop you; instead, we’ll join you. That’s how noteworthy this truly is.

This will be the first time in history that the city of Dallas hosts an NHL Entry Draft, which means it will be the first time that the Dallas Stars play host to the entire league. It’s a big deal to not only the city of Dallas, but also the Dallas Stars franchise and fan base as a whole.

Dallas Stars

After all, it can be difficult being a hockey fan in a non-traditional hockey market at certain times. Sometimes you assume a certain level of respect that never ends up being shown to you. Instead, you are dismissed for liking an “unsuccessful” team in a “lacking” market. It can be hard to make your case.

The Dallas Stars have beaten a pretty rough path ever since coming to Dallas. In the late 1990’s, no one argued that Dallas wasn’t a plausible spot for a hockey team because the team got results. The Stars were one of the most powerful teams in the NHL towards the end of the century.

But what have they done since their Stanley Cup win in 1999 and appearance in the Final in 2000? They have one appearance in the Western Conference Finals, three appearances in the Western Conference semifinals, and only two postseason berths in the last nine years. With that, the city of Dallas and the Stars as a whole have somewhat lost their reputation in the NHL market. Even though we know that the hockey community is flourishing in North Texas, the outside hockey world is not on the same wavelength.

Hosting the 2018 NHL Draft will help with restoring that reputation, though the quickest medicine will be getting results on the ice and taking the NHL by storm early on in the 2017-18 season.

Once the season is over and done with (and the Dallas Stars potentially hoist their second Stanley Cup), the draft will be the first big thing to happen across the league in the 2018 offseason. That means that the city of Dallas and the American Airlines Center will be hopping.