Another Stars draft pick joins the Barrie Colts this season
Emil Hemming was just signed to the Barrie Colts of the OHL to help with his development. Yesterday, the Colts announced they traded for Tristan Bertucci, the Stars' 2023 second-round draft pick. Here's more news about the trade yesterday.
I don't know what the Barrie Colts and Dallas Stars General Manager Jim Nill have planned. I wrote about how Emil Hemming will be playing with the Barrie Colts this upcoming season. Now, another Dallas Stars prospect is joining the team. The Barrie Colts announced they traded for Tristan Bertucci, the Dallas Stars second-round 2023 NHL Draft pick. That means two of the latest high draft picks for the Dallas Stars will be on the same team next season.
Now, the Barrie Colts have a good track record of developing NHL Talent. They have seen some big names leave the Colts and have long NHL careers. What's weird about this is that Dallas Stars owner Tom Gaglardi is the owner and governor of the Kamloops Blazers. You would think the Stars would try to get both Hemming and Bertucci in Kamloops for development. Here's what Bertucci needs to work on with the Colts this upcoming season.
Bertucci signed a three-year entry-level deal with the Dallas Stars in March of this year. Usually, when a draft pick gets an entry-level contract, he has a potential future with that hockey club. The Stars think Bertucci has a future on the blue line and wants the best development possible for him. According to the press release by the Colts, they view Bertucci as one of the top defensemen in the league.
Bertucci already has a great transition game and great defense. All he really needs to do is develop his offensive game, and he could end up playing for the Texas Stars in the next couple of years. Personally, playing for the same team will make it easier for the Stars to monitor their development. They will probably end up playing on one of the top two lines, and in some scenarios, they will see at the NHL level.
Stars' fans should follow the Barrie Colts on Facebook and Twitter. I'm sure we will see a lot of highlights from both Bertucci and Hemming this upcoming season. Both have what it takes to play in the NHL. It's just that they have to wait their turn to crack the Dallas Stars Opening Night Roster. Both are still young and need more development before competing in training camp. The future of both players is bright with the Stars' organization.