Dallas Stars: Ty Dellandrea Fully Embraces First Professional Experience
It’s been four weeks since the Dallas Stars spent their first-round draft pick on Ty Dellandrea. And through his first week in Dallas, he learned plenty and immersed himself with the hockey culture in Texas. The overall experience will follow him back to his next season in Flint.
One month ago today, the Dallas Stars and the city of Dallas shifted to the center of the hockey world. The 2018 NHL Draft kicked off from the American Airlines Center and started a two-day span of new beginnings, a little bit of offseason frenzy, and overall excitement.
And throughout the two days, 217 young and hopeful prospects fulfilled their biggest dream when their name was called by an NHL team.
Eight of those players became the newest members of the Dallas Stars organization, including first-round pick Ty Dellandrea. And even one week after the draft, it still didn’t feel seem real to him.
“It does a bit, yeah,” Dellandrea said when asked whether it still felt like a dream on the last day of development camp. “It’s pretty crazy. But coming here and being able to use the practice facility and meet everybody, it kind of seems more real. But I don’t think it’s really kicked in yet. So, it’s cool.”
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When Dellandrea had his name called by the Dallas Stars (Jamie Benn and Mike Modano, to be specific) at thirteenth overall on the first night of the draft, it came with a moment of intense elation.
“It was unbelievable,” he said. “Two guys that you look up to in the hockey world for years. To have your name called by Jamie, it’s something that I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”
At the moment he was drafted, there was a bit of speculation from Stars fans. Many mock drafts had Dellandrea falling in the 18-25 range, so there was a bit of surprise. But Dellandrea himself wasn’t surprised in the slightest, which speaks volumes about his confidence. Joe McDonnell, the Stars’ director of amateur scouting, shared the same confidence in a post-draft interview.
“In the end, it’s Ty Dellandrea that we’re most excited about,” McDonnell said. “That’s why he was our first-round pick.”
Upon being selected, the following week was a little bit of a whirlwind for Dellandrea. The Dallas Stars began their annual development camp on the following Monday. The camp ran through Friday and was a chance for the newest draft picks and some of the organization’s top prospects to meet up and take a week to not only show off their skills, but also learn new techniques to take back to their various minor leagues. Dellandrea was no different.
“I’ve learned a lot,” Dellandrea said following the final practice on Friday. “Rich [Peverley] and JJ have done a lot to help us on and off the ice and everybody has been a huge help. I don’t know if there’s one thing in particular that I’ve learned, but a bunch of good habits to take back with me to Flint.”
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The camp was a chance for Dellandrea and the other prospects to get to know each other. In addition to skating and playing with each other on the ice, they also had events scheduled outside of the rink, such as racing go-carts midway through the week. It was all a part of building the relationships between players that just might be skating together in the NHL in the years to come.
“I’ve met a lot of new people and knew some people that I got closer with,” he said. “I got to room with an old roommate and that kind of thing. It’s been a cool week getting to know people, rebuilding those friendships, and also getting to know all the training staff and management. It’s cool.”
It was an eventful week for the first-round pick who didn’t know much about the state of Texas or its corresponding hockey culture until the moment he was drafted. On the first night of the draft, Dellandrea talked highly about his experience walking to the stage with the hometown crowd cheering around him.
“It’s been great. Just hearing the fans after my name got called. I was speechless, really, to hear that roar and be able to walk down past the stage and hear them cheering. The culture seems phenomenal.” -Ty Dellandrea
Plenty of Dallas Stars fans also showed up at each day of development camp to watch, and Dellandrea took notice.
“Yeah it was really cool to see all those fans in the crowd watching,” said Dellandrea. “It was a fun week and it was nice for the fans to come out and support even a little scrimmage like this.”
Dellandrea is currently a member of the Flint Firebirds in the OHL and is in a bit of a tough spot at the moment. The Firebirds finished in last place in the Western Conference this past season with a record of 20-43-3-2. But in the middle of the fire was Dellandrea, trying to put out the flames and keep things steady through his play.
The 18-year-old center played in 67 games this past season, scoring 27 goals and tallying 59 points. He finished first on the team in goals scored and second in total points. It was a tough season to endure, but it helped Dellandrea learn what it takes to be a pro and carve through tough situations.
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“Yeah, I think it has a lot,” Dellandrea said about if the adversity in Flint has helped him. “To be able to not go through the greatest season but still be able to grow as a team and grow as an individual. I think that’s something I’ve learned to do well and I’ve learned to handle adversity pretty well. It’s been a good ride and I’ve learned a lot.”
“It’s how he competes,” said GM Jim Nill following the first night of the draft. “We like how he improved during the season. It was his attitude. He went to a team that was a mess and said, ‘I want to be part of this and help to change the culture and everything else.’ That was a big part. And then to watch him when he did go to the tournaments, he played with better players and he was an elite player and really showed his skill at prospects games and under-18’s. He really got to flourish in those situations.”
And in his first full week as a Dallas Stars prospect, he made sure to make the most of each experience.
“Just seeing how hard everybody works and how hard I need to keep working as well,” Dellandrea said about his one big takeaway from the week. “It’s cool to see first rounders that are here from other drafts and other great, great prospects as well. Just how hard everybody works and how hard I need to keep working. You never learn too much and you always have to learn from everybody and from the coaching staff, you can’t ever stop learning. Just to keep my ears open and kind of be like a sponge and take it all in.”
It was a long and action-packed week for the Dallas Stars’ newest first-round pick. The scouting staff and management speak highly of Dellandrea, and that says a lot about where he already is in his career.
Dellandrea spent his first full week in the blazing heat of Texas, donning the Victory Green jersey for the first time and truly getting a firsthand look at the organization and the Dallas hockey culture.
“I didn’t know much,” Dellandrea said about the hockey culture in Dallas. “But it seems like the fans are unreal and they’ve got a good base for them, so that’s awesome.”
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Dellandrea will now head back to Flint and the OHL for the 2018-19 season. But these next few years will carry a much different weight now, and Ty Dellandrea is ready to take it all on.
Funny how much one week in Dallas can do for a rising hockey prospect.