Report: Dallas Stars sign undrafted free agent Connor Punnett
According to Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek, the Dallas Stars have signed 20-year-old free-agent defenseman Connor Punnett to a contract.
The deal will kick in during the 2024-25 NHL season.
The Dallas Stars have signed rugged defenceman Connor Punnett of the Oshawa Generals.
— Jeff Marek (@JeffMarek) March 7, 2024Punnett is in his fourth OHL campaign, splitting the season between the Barrie Colts and Oshawa Generals. The North Bay, Ontario native had 31 points in 34 games before a trade later in the season, with the rugged blueliner putting up five goals and 19 points in 25 contests with Oshawa.
After a strong season with the North Central Predators, Punnett was drafted 19th overall by Saginaw in the 2019 OHL Draft. He split the 2019-20 season between the Spirit and Barrie, putting up six points in 51 games. But it became clear his bread and butter was playing a physical, in-your-face game, something that has made him so effective for so long.
In 2019, Punnett made his Team Canada debut at the U-17 World Hockey Challenge, registering three points in five games. He played one game in Sweden the following year, skating in a contest with Kalmar HC in HockeyEttan while the OHL sat format due to COVID-19.
Since then, the 6-foot-2, 198-pound blueliner has gone on to register 30 goals and 115 points in 240 OHL contests. He was highly coveted during ahead of the OHL Trade Deadline, with Oshawa managing to pick up his services for the team’s playoff run. With Punnett in the lineup, the Generals are 7-1-2 over the past 10 games and third overall in the Eastern Conference with 75 points – one behind the first-place Brantford Bulldogs.
Punnett is expected to spend the 2024-25 season playing with one of Dallas’ two minor league affiliates – either the AHL’s Iowa Stars or the ECHL’s Idaho Steelheads.
The Stars will skate next against the Anaheim Ducks on Friday night, hours after the completion of the NHL Trade Deadline. They’ll finish up their three-game California road trip against Los Angeles on Saturday, a game they hope will come easier than the 7-6 win over San Jose on Tuesday.