2023-24 NHL Prospect Pool Breakdown: Dallas Stars

Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

For the Dallas Stars, it’s about quality over quantity.

The Stars have drafted as well as anyone, with a potential 10 players developed by the organization set to make the opening night roster. That includes the mega 2017 draft that saw Miro Heiskanen, Jason Robertson and Jake Oettinger taken in the first two rounds – with all three becoming cornerstone franchise players. There’s also Wyatt Johnston, who, after being a surprising pickup at No. 23 in 2021, has already established himself as the team’s No. 2 center of the future.

But the well is starting to dry up. With such a strong success rate at promoting talent to the big club, Dallas’ prospect pool is a little depleted. Logan Stankoven is one of the best prospects in the game today, while Mavrik Bourque and Lian Bichsel aren’t far away from being full-time NHLers. After that? It starts getting a little thin.

But that’s OK. Many top contenders have significantly worse prospect crops, especially Colorado. Everyone’s goal is to maximize value in the draft, and the Stars have been one of the leaders over the past decade. And even so, it’s not a completely barren wasteland – the Texas Stars shouldn’t look too bad next year. After that, who knows? Maybe a few surprises will come through the system.

Biggest Strength

While the team’s top two prospects are centermen, they’ve got an abundance of defensemen to choose from. Bichsel leads the way, while Christian Kyrou, Tristan Bertucci, Gavin White, Aram Minnetian and Jack Bar could all eventually become NHLers. They could still use another future top-four defenseman to join Bichsel, but they’re not exactly hurting these days, are they?

Biggest Weakness

There’s an excellent chance that not one of the team’s goaltending prospects ever reaches the NHL. They don’t need a future No. 1 because Oettinger has that locked up for the foreseeable future. Remi Poirier, a 21-year-old coming off of his first pro season, split the year between the AHL and ECHL, with his numbers looking solid in Idaho. But he’s still a long shot from being something tangible in the system. If they believe in Oettinger, and there’s no reason not to, they can just keep making sure he has a solid veteran behind him and move on for the next decade. But it wouldn’t hurt to have something to roll back on, just in case. You can never have too many goaltending prospects, and in Dallas’ case, they’re way too close to zero.

TOP 10 PROSPECTS

*Mavrik Bourque (Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports)*

Grade: B

1. Logan Stankoven, C/RW, 20 (Dallas Stars)

Drafted: No. 47, second round in 2021

One of the most dominant junior players over the past two years, Stankoven is ready for the spotlight now. He led the WHL in playoff scoring with 30 points in 14 games and was on the Memorial Cup all-star team with another nine points with Kamloops. Mix in a pair of gold medals with Canada at the world juniors, as well as the CHL’s player of the year award in 2022, and Stankoven has been an unstoppable force since the Stars somehow managed to select him in the second round in 2021. Stankoven seems one of the few that should have no issue overcoming a 5-foot-8 frame, with Stankoven saying he uses his lower center of gravity as an advantage to become dominant on faceoffs. And for a little guy, he’s feisty. You love to see it.

2. Mavrik Bourque, C, 21 (Texas, AHL)

Drafted: No. 30, first round in 2020

Bourque’s transition to the pro game was successful, with the 21-year-old putting up a solid 20 goals and 47 points in 70 games. It was no surprise, given his strong play in a six-game stretch with Texas during the COVID-affected 2020-21 season. He’ll fight to make the Stars this year, and might even knock off Stankoven to do it. Bourque isn’t big at 5-foot-10, but he might be one of the smartest prospects outside of the NHL right now. That alone will keep him around for a while.

*Lian Bichsel (Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports)*

3. Lian Bichsel, D, 19 (Texas, AHL)

Drafted: No. 18, first round in 2022

Among other events, Bichsel was an absolute treat with Switzerland at the world juniors. He had just two assists but was heavily involved at both ends of the ice and made his physical presence known. You’d expect that from 6-foot-5 player, but you don’t typically expect guys like him to skate as well as he does. Bichsel’s game is made up of violence and energy, and he’ll be an instant favorite once he cracks the Stars’ NHL lineup. For now, it’s time to get adjusted to the AHL.

4. Christian Kyrou, D, 19 (Texas, AHL)

Drafted: No. 50, second round in 2022

After recording no points in 21 games as a rookie and missing all of 2020-21 due to COVID-19, nobody could have seen Kyrou exploding for 18 goals and 60 points in 2021-22. But the younger brother of Jordan Kyrou took things a step further with a tremendous 77-point campaign between Erie and Sarnia this year, making him one of the most dominant offensive defenders in the league. Assuming he’s full-time with Texas in 2023-4, it’ll be interesting to see how his defensive game continues to develop.

5. Ayrton Martino, LW, 20 (Clarkson University, NCAA)

Drafted: No. 73, third round in 2021

Martino was a popular figure in his draft year after crushing the competition in the OJHL and, later, the USHL. He had 38 points in 37 games with Clarkson last year, showing his chops as a stout playmaker. He just knows where he needs to be and gets the puck to his teammates with little difficulty. He’s a hard-working winger who could build a career in the middle six. There isn’t much NHL-drafted talent on Clarkson, so Martino will be leaned on heavily again.

*Tristan Bertucci (Steven Ellis/Daily Faceoff)*

6. Tristan Bertucci, D, 18 (Flint, OHL)

Drafted: No. 61, second round in 2023

Bertucci’s best quality is how he thinks the game. He won’t beat you with high speed or physicality, but he’ll outsmart you to create a play. He’d often look one step ahead of the attackers in Flint, with his deceptive movements with the puck making him difficult to stop. I’d like to see him improve his mobility and find a way to work in some more footspeed.

7. Matthew Seminoff, RW, 19 (Texas, AHL)

Drafted: No. 179, sixth round in 2022

Kamloops was a force in the WHL this year, and Seminoff’s improved production as a fourth-year forward was a big reason why. He recorded a career-high 31 goals and 82 points while also being a truly dangerous off-puck attacker. I’m not sure he’s a big producer at the NHL level and he needs some AHL seasoning, but there’s some raw talent here for Seminoff to potentially become a steal out of the sixth round.

8. Riley Damiani, C, 23 (Texas, AHL)

Drafted: No. 137, fifth round in 2018

Damiani was a bit of a longshot to make the NHL after going in the fifth round in 2018. But two solid OHL seasons in Kitchener afterward, followed by an impressive point-per-game campaign in 2020-21, helped Damiani push himself into the long-term conversation. He had a seven-game run with the Stars in 2021-22, registering two points. But ever since, it feels like Damiani’s progress has been stunted. He hasn’t been able to surpass his rookie run, and even saw his numbers drop this past year despite playing a career-high 59 points. The clock is ticking.

*Riley Damiani (Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports)*

9. Chase Wheatcroft, C, 21 (Texas, AHL)

Undrafted, free agent signing in 2023

Overage scoring stars are a dime a dozen in major junior, but it’s still impressive that Wheatcroft finished second behind Connor Bedard for the WHL scoring lead. He was initially draft eligible in 2020 but had just an average rookie campaign. He never really exploded until his move to Prince George – his third WHL team – when he broke through with 47 goals and 107 points. A solid playmaker, he showed what he could do with the puck on his stick this year, adding some extra goal-scoring attributes to his game. He’s an excellent setup man, but his skating is just average and his defensive-zone game leaves a lot to be desired. But given he was a free agent signing, he could end up being a nice, cheap pickup.

10. Matěj Blümel, LW/RW, 23 (Texas, AHL)

Drafted: No. 100, fourth round in 2019 (Edmonton); signed as a UFA by Dallas in 2022

One of the oldest prospects in the system, Blümel made his mark on North America after spending three years playing pro hockey in Czechia. The 2022 IIHF World Championship standout had a solid 19 goals and 44 points in 58 AHL games and even skated in six NHL games, scoring once. He has decent strength and a good shot to work with, but is there enough to make him more than just a bubble call-up guy?

Other notables: Aram Minnetian, D (18), Artyom Grushnikov, D (20), Jack Bar, D (20), Brad Gardiner, C (18), Antonio Stranges, LW (20), Gavin White, D (20), Angus MacDonnell, C (18), Albert Sjoberg, RW (20), George Fegaras, D (19)

Previous 2023-24 NHL Prospect Pool instalments

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