Sit back, relax and watch Jim Nill and the Dallas Stars draft scouts cook

Well, Stars fans, today is the beginning of the 2023 NHL Draft. We finally get to welcome the next wave of NHL talent from across the globe. Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve introduced you to some players that the Dallas Stars might consider drafting throughout the draft.

Later tonight we kick back and relax and watch the Stars’ scouts cook (as the youngsters would say). Let’s not get mad if the Stars decide to go in a different direction than what you want. The Stars have had those years where they take the best player available with their first pick they have available. They have definitely had those hit-and-misses some years but they find some of the best talent late in the draft.

Let’s go back to 2007 when the Stars selected Jamie Benn in the fifth round. A lot of draft scouts had him as a project and would need a ton of work to make the league. After some time down with the Texas Stars honing his craft, now he’s the Captain of the Dallas Stars and a 14-year veteran in the league.

Let’s not forget 2017 when the Scouts changed the entire future of the Dallas Stars franchise. The Stars would go on to draft Miro Heiskanen with the third overall pick. Later on in the first round after Chicago wanted to trade down, the scouts convinced Dallas Stars General Manager Jim Nill to take Jake Oettinger 26th overall. In the next round, the Stars ended up taking Jason Robertson 39th overall.

Fast forward to 2021, the Stars were able to draft Wyatt Johnston who just finished up a remarkable rookie campaign last season. Then they were able to scoop up Logan Stankoven in the second round as a bonus. Stankoven is so close to joining the Stars that it could be as soon as next season. It already has some fans drooling being on the same line as Jamie Benn and Wyatt Johnston.

In conclusion, just enjoy the NHL Draft and not get worked up about who the Stars selected in the draft. The Stars scouting department has a pretty good track record of finding gems in the later rounds. I mean look at how deep the Stars’ prospect pool is right now. It’s so good to the point we might not see some of these guys in a victory green sweater ever. Let’s just hop on for the ride and let Nill and his scouts cook in this year’s draft.