Dallas Stars: Who to Watch For at Development Camp

The Dallas Stars will hold their annual development camp next week, giving fans a chance to watch some of the prospects in action. The preliminary roster is already out and it includes several noteworthy players.

Development camp is normally in July, but the Dallas Stars decided to hold camp right after the draft this year.

During the week, prospects usually spend some time each day on the ice showing off their skills to the coaches, management, and fans in attendance. The team released the full schedule last week along with the roster. In past years, the camp has usually included a scrimmage on the last day, though one is not listed specifically on the released schedule.

Here is a list of players to watch for next week.

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Whoever the Dallas Stars draft with their first round pick

No one knows how the NHL Draft will shake out this weekend. It’s possible that the Dallas Stars trade their current 13th overall pick. If they don’t, there are several potential options for the Stars, including Barrett Hayton, Joe Veleno, and Joel Farabee. It’s also possible that someone ranked in the top 10 falls to the Stars after being passed over.

Development camp will act as the first glimpse for fans at whoever the Dallas Stars do end up drafting with their first pick. It will provide a jumping off point for arguments all summer long about whether the Stars made the right pick or not, so be sure to keep a close eye on him to form an early opinion.

Riley Tufte

Speaking of first round picks, Riley Tufte will be making his third appearance at development camp. Tufte, who plays left wing, was drafted 25th overall in 2016 from the Fargo Force of the USHL. He chose to take the college route, playing for the University of Minnesota – Duluth for the past two seasons. He also played in World Juniors this year, where the US took bronze.

Like most players, Tufte’s had his share of injuries. He spent part of the 2016-17 season at UMD injured. He also missed the 2016 World Juniors due to a broken wrist. In addition to that, he was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes as a kid, but that shouldn’t hold him back. Fans have seen that players can certainly play with diabetes (see: Bobby Clarke, Max Domi, and former Stars forward Toby Petersen).

Tufte is a big player, standing 6’6″ and 215 pounds. He’s also coming off a strong season with UMD, where he was third in points while leading the team in both goals and shots. He also helped UMD win their second national championship this year. They advanced to the Frozen Four in 2017 as well.

Denis Gurianov

Going back one more year in the draft, the Dallas Stars took left wing Denis Gurianov 12th overall in 2015. Gurianov spent this past season playing in Austin with the Texas Stars, where he also spent the 2016-17 season. Before that, he was playing with Lada Togliatti of the KHL in his hometown.

Gurianov did play a single game for the Dallas Stars when he was called up for the last game of the season in 2016-17. He didn’t do much in that game, but his time with the Texas Stars is more telling of what he can do. He’s been struggling to find his footing the past two seasons, but he’s shown some improvement. That improvement is just slower than typically expected from a 12th overall draft pick.

Next season is the last year of Gurianov’s three-year entry-level deal. If he wants to make the roster, he’s going to need to make some pretty big strides forward over the summer and early in the new season.

Nick Caamano

During last year’s training camp, Nick Caamano was a pleasant surprise. The right winger was a fifth round draft pick in 2016, and everyone’s seen how fifth round draft picks can turn out here in Dallas (see: Jamie Benn, John Klingberg, Marty Turco).

Caamano had a fantastic summer last year. He was impressive at the prospect tournament in Traverse City, Michigan. After that, he played well through training camp, making it through several rounds of cuts. He played in a few preseason games before eventually being sent back to the OHL, but he left a lasting impression of what he could do.

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During the 2016-17 season, Caamano played a few games with the Texas Stars but spend most of the year in the OHL. He was traded from the Flint Firebirds to the Hamilton Bulldogs a third of the way through this past season and went on to win the OHL Championship with his new team. After his season with the Bulldogs ended, he was brought up to the Texas Stars during their Calder Cup run as a black ace.

It’s unlikely that Caamano makes the NHL roster right out of the gate this fall, but he’s certainly made a point to ensure his name is in the mix. Development camp and training camp will provide him the opportunity to show the new coaching staff that last fall’s impressive showing wasn’t a fluke.

The Surprise Player

Every year, there’s a surprise or two – a player you never expected to be particularly impressive having a breakout camp. Last year, it was Nick Caamano. Fans will see who it is this year once camp gets underway next week.

Next: 2018 NHL Draft Day Details Determined

For my money, I’d put it on whoever the Dallas Stars draft in the fifth round this year. That’s pick 137 and we’ll see who that is on Saturday. Until then, are there any other players you think fans should keep an eye on? Who do you think might be the surprise?