Get to know your Dallas Stars 2022 NHL Draft Class
Dallas Stars NHL Draft Selection Round 1 Pick 18: Lian Bichsel, Defenseman, Sweden
Ever since Jamie Olesiak left the Stars in the Expansion Draft a season ago, fans have been wondering if they would ever get the same kind of Defenseman like him again. General Manager Jim Nill heard your demand and drafted 18-year-old Lian Bichsel from Sweden.
Nill could have gone after a couple of very skilled forwards that were available at 18 but chose to stick with bolstering the defenseman in the farm system. With John Klingberg most likely leaving the Dallas Stars in free agency this year, now is the time to possibly draft his replacement.
My Analysis:
Bichsel is not going to be your everyday scoring defenseman for the Stars. His 6’6 frame makes him more of a physical checking presence on the ice like Olesiak was in his tenure with the Stars which they lacked this past season.
Time frame: 2-3 Years
Bichsel is more than likely going to stay in Sweden to continue to grow and develop. The Stars don’t need to throw him out there on the ice immediately and possibly ruin his development. When he turns 21 is when I would bring him over to Cedar Park and see how he does down there.
Grade: A
The reason why I give this pick an A is due to the Stars sticking to drafting based on what they need versus who the best available was. I know I said on Twitter when they went on the clock last night to pick Lambert who was the best player available. Got to give credit to the front office for drafting a player in a position that we need vs who the best available was.
Bischel Highlights:
The moment Lian became a Star ⭐️ @ATT | #NHLDraft | #TexasHockey pic.twitter.com/OkQPxyzSs4
— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) July 8, 2022
Dallas Stars NHL Draft Selection Round 2 Pick 50: Christian Kyrou, Defenseman, Erie Otters (OHL)
The Dallas Stars would have another pick in the 2nd round and fans pretty much knew which direction they were going in after the 1st round. The Stars would end up selecting another defenseman Christian Kyrou with the 50th pick.
If the last name sound familiar to Stars fans, he is the little brother of Jordan Kyrou that was selected in the second round of the 2016 draft by the St. Louis Blues. Kyrou was ranked 4th in the Ontario Hockey League among defensemen with 60 points (18 G and 42 A) this past season.
My Analysis:
He looks like a promising scoring defenseman that could be a part of the Star’s offense for a very long time. You can see in his highlights below that he likes having the puck on his stick and creating opportunities to score.
Time Frame: 3-4 years
He needs to work on his skating and can do that with the Erie Otters since he can’t leave the team until he’s 20 to play in the AHL. That’s really the only thing he needs to work on. Might need to be down in Cedar Park for a year until the Stars clear some contracts on the roster if he’s ready for the NHL.
Grade A:
The reason why I’m giving this pick an A is due to the fact that Kyrou can be a scoring threat in the future. Another reason is he is a right-handed defenseman which the Stars lack in their prospect system.
Highlight:
https://twitter.com/OHLHockey/status/1507354112014303235?s=20&t=X-HRuBt_N1jVm6vreEMQSA
Dallas Stars NHL Draft Selection Round 3 Pick 83: George Fegaras, Defenseman, North York Rangers (OJHL)
After the first two rounds it seemed like the Stars had drafted enough defenseman in this draft. With this pick, Nill basically confirmed that the Stars were really locked in on drafting defenseman. With the 83 pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, the Stars selected 18 year old defenseman George Fegaras from the North York Rangers of the Ontario Junior Hockey league.
Fegaras scored 48 points (13G 35A) last season with the Rangers and plans to attend Cornell university in the fall.
My Analysis:
He’s an all around defenseman who has great awareness both sides of the ice and has the potential to be great with the Dallas Stars. I think him going to Cornell is a great thing so he can continue to learn and develop as a player.
Time Frame: 4-5 years
He needs to go all 4 years to Cornell and get his degree while playing hockey. That gives time for the Stars to make room for him in Dallas or Cedar Park. There’s also the possibility by the time he is ready for the NHL that the Stars could trade him for draft picks or another prospect.
Grade: B
The reason why I’m giving this a B is the Stars should have went with a forward or a wing at this selection. It’s odd that a franchise would draft three players in the same position. The only good thing that I see coming out of this pick is he’s another right-handed defenseman.
Dallas Stars NHL Draft Selection Round 4 Pick 115: Gavin White, Defenseman, Hamilton Bulldogs (OHL)
You would think by the 4th round that the Stars would be done drafting defenseman for the night. Well Jim Nill basically sent the message to the league we aren’t done drafting defenseman for the night. With the 115th pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, the Stars selected Defenseman Gavin White from the Hamilton Bulldogs of the OHL.
White finished his first season with the Hamilton Bulldogs ranked fifth in the league with assists (46) and 8th among points (56). He joins the other 3 defenseman that the Stars have already drafted in this years draft.
My Analysis:
White’s playing style more like a set up defenseman with his accurate passing. He finished with 46 assists last season so his awareness on the offensive side of the puck is really great. Can also move up the ice very fast in a short amount of time.
Time Frame: ?
The reason why there’s a question mark above this is due to one factor, Artem Grushnikov. Grushnikov is a Stars Defenseman prospect that the Stars have in their system. I would like to see if the Stars can time it where both of them make the team at the same time and be paired up.
Grade: A
Have to give it to the scouting department once again with a 4th straight defenseman drafted this year. The Stars have drafted two other defenseman from the Bulldogs and it could pay off big time down the road.
Dallas Stars NHL Draft Selection Round 6 Pick 179: Matthew Seminoff, Right Wing, Kamloops Blazers (WHL)
The Stars finally got to their final pick of the 2022 NHL Draft and the Stars drafted players for both of their needs going into the draft. This pick was basically going to be a “best player available” pick and the Stars hit the jackpot. The Stars drafted Matthew Seminoff with the 176 pick in the draft to cap off their draft class.
The reason why I’m saying the Stars hit the jackpot with this pick is multiple reporters had him going early on in the second round and he dropped all the way to the Stars midway through the 6th round. Personally I had him going in the third round so this was a huge win for the Stars.
My analysis:
A Right Wing that has a high ceiling to become a scoring threat in the NHL. I can tell you once he gets to the league, he will go on a revenge tour and punish the other franchises for letting him drop that low in the draft.
Time Frame: 5 years
He’s going to spend at least a couple due to the AHL rule with the CHL and then spend a couple of years in the AHL. Depending on how he does over the next couple of seasons with the Kamloops Blazers, he might be fast tracked and put on the main Stars roster.
Grade A+
The reason why I give this an A+ is due to the fact we were able to draft a prospect with a second round grade all the way down in the 6th round. That is super rare to happen to a prospect with the skill and talent Seminoff processes. He might just join the ranks with Jamie Benn as a late round draft steal.
Conclusion
Overall the Stars had an pretty amazing draft I would have to say. While drafting 4 defenseman in a row is an ideal strategy, it could pay off for the Stars down the road. I can’t wait to see how these 6 young players develop under the Stars guidance the next couple of years.