Stars goalie prospect Tiefensee 'on a good path' with guidance from Bishop

DALLAS -- Texas is a long way from Germany for Dallas Stars goalie prospect Arno Tiefensee, not only in the geographic sense but also in the physical sense.

“It’s hot out here, not used to that heat as a European,” the 22-year-old said during Stars development camp last month.

Selected by Dallas in the fifth round (No. 157) of the 2023 NHL Draft, the native of Weisswasser, Germany has established himself as the No. 1 goalie for Mannheim of Deutsche Eishockey Liga, the top professional league in his home country. Last season, he was 19-13-0 with a 2.43 goals-against average, .907 save percentage and one shutout in 32 games.

As part of the Stars organization, Tiefensee has had access to useful insight from Ben Bishop,  a three-time finalist for the Vezina Trophy as the top goalie in the NHL who now is a player development coordinator for Dallas after retiring at the end of the 2022-23 season.

“I got to go over to Germany last year and watch him play," Bishop said of Tiefensee (6-foot-4, 192 pounds). "He had a really good season. He’s taking his steps each year.

"His size and the way that he handles his body, he’s very square to the shooter and a lot of pucks hit him. That’s a good thing for a goalie. He’s got all the tools [for NHL success], it’s just about sharpening them.”

Which is part of the benefit Tiefensee got from attending development camp, taking a lot of time working on his game with Bishop and Dallas goaltending coaches.

“We talked about a couple of things, like puck-handling, looking for pucks better," Tiefensee said. "They gave me a couple of great tips. Bishop too, he’s been around the game for a lot of years now ... so he’s got great tips as well.”

With Jake Oettinger set as the Stars’ top goalie for the foreseeable future, Dallas has the benefit of letting Tiefensee develop in Germany before thinking about moving him to North America to get used to the smaller ice surface.

“Usually goalies are a little bit longer before they kind of figure it out and are ready for the NHL," Bishop said. "He’s on a good path right now.

“You’ve got to remember all these kids are still really young. You think about them, ‘Oh, they’ve been here a few years,’ but they’re still young. They still have a long way to go.

"You’ve got to be patient with them, especially with the goaltending. It takes a while to learn the game and learn what works for you and learn all the tricks of the trade.”