Dallas Stars sign Tristan Bertucci to three-year, entry-level contract
Dallas Stars general manager Jim Nill announced Friday that the Stars have signed defenseman Tristan Bertucci to a three-year, entry-level contract beginning in the 2024-25 season. According to CapFriendly, the contract has an average annual value (AAV) of $950,000.
The Stars drafted Bertucci at No. 61 overall in the 2023 NHL Draft. Bertucci becomes the first player of the Stars’ 2023 draft class to sign his entry-level contract.
Tristan Bertucci #TexasHockey
3 year entry-level
$878k cap hit | $950k AAV
Breakdown:
Yrs 1 & 2: $775k + $95k SB + $80k GP PB
Yr 3: $800k + $95k SB + $55k GP PBhttps://t.co/tzFiKzyL44
Bertucci has spent the 2023-24 season with the Flint Firebirds of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) where he has compiled nine goals and 32 assists for 41 points in 56 games. Bertucci ranks second on the Firebirds in assists and fourth in points, he ranks 20th among OHL defenders.
The North York, Ontario product was selected No. 7 overall by the Firebirds in the 2021 OHL Priority Draft and made his OHL debut the following season where he tallied 13 points in 62 games as a rookie. Bertucci is in his third season with Flint, he currently is an assistant captain on the team and throughout his three years in the OHL he has complied 21 goals and 83 assists for 104 points in 181 games., he has added five points in 18 OHL Playoff contests. Internationally, Bertucci represented Canada at the IIHF World Under-18 Championships during the 2022-23 season, he appeared in seven games, winning a bronze medal.
Flint currently sits in eighth in the Western Conference with a 29-30-3-1 record and 62 points through 63 games, they are currently clinched for a playoff position. Flint sits two points back of Guelph and Owen Sound in a tight race to round out the remainder of the OHL season.
Daily Faceoff prospect analyst Steven Ellis had this to say about Bertucci in last year’s final 2023 NHL Draft rankings, “Bertucci’s best quality is how he thinks the game,” Ellis said. “He won’t beat you with high speed or physicality, but he’ll outsmart you to create a play. Other than that, though, I’m not completely sure he has an NHL future. I’d like to see him improve his mobility and find a way to work in some more footspeed.”