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Dallas Stars: Five Surprise Players From The 2017-18 Season

By Josh Clark

CHICAGO, IL - FEBRUARY 08: Tyler Seguin
CHICAGO, IL - FEBRUARY 08: Tyler Seguin /
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SAN JOSE, CA – APRIL 03: John Klingberg
SAN JOSE, CA – APRIL 03: John Klingberg /

4. John Klingberg

It’s obvious that the Dallas Stars defense turned a significant corner in the 2017-18 season. With that new success came individual strides for each defender.

One of the biggest strides taken was by young phenom John Klingberg. In his fourth NHL season, Klingberg established himself as a reliable and confident top-10 defender in the league. He also became a Norris Trophy favorite back in February before hitting a slight regression in March and April.

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    • Klingberg is one of the more talented offensive defensemen in the NHL at the moment, and he proved it this year. The 25-year-old posted a career-high 67 points, including eight goals (which tied for the lead in goals by Stars defenders). He also posted a +10 rating and was 22nd in the NHL in time on ice by a defender with 24:04.

    He quarterbacked the Dallas power play and even experienced a new role on the penalty kill.

    But what really made Klingberg’s performance special this past year was his new defensive side. Klingberg jumped onto the scene as an offensive defenseman in his first three seasons. He was constantly pushing up into the offensive zone, taking chances and trying to get as involved in the offense as possible. This was a positive until the play broke down and found him out of position.

    This year, however, he rounded out his game. Under a new coaching staff, Klingberg found a fit in both zones, made the smart and easy plays, and learned how to be an effective shutdown player in the defensive zone.

    Klingberg’s game was nothing short of stellar and he was a consistent and reliable blue line presence. That can be difficult to find in today’s NHL.

    So one last time, all together now: Klingberg for Norris.

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