Dynamic duo: How Nill and McDonnell make the most of the NHL Draft

The cost of winning could hit the Stars in the draft this year.

After helping to create a team that is filled with young talent that posted the second-best record in the NHL last season, Dallas has just three draft picks Friday and Saturday in Las Vegas. The Stars have traded away four of their picks (this year’s second to Calgary for Chris Tanev, this year’s third-round pick and sixth-round pick to Nashville for last year’s third-round pick, and this year’s fourth-round pick to Detroit for Vladislav Namestnikov). That means there is a lot riding on the first-round pick (29^th overall), as well as selections in the fifth and seventh rounds.

That’s a harsh reality, but it’s the price of chasing wins in the NHL.

“You become a good team and then you want to get even better, and so you start trading draft picks to get better,” said Stars GM Jim Nill. “Then you win, and all of the sudden you’re picking at the back end of the draft, so you definitely have to work even harder at it. That’s the price you pay.”

Nill has faith that his scouting department, led by longtime friend Joe McDonnell, can handle the challenge. They have done a pretty good job so far. There is a chance that nine of the team’s best players next season will have come in the draft and be in their 20s. Starting in 2015, Dallas took Roope Hintz at 49^th overall. The Stars then added the trio of Miro Heiskanen (3^rd), Jake Oettinger (26^th) and Jason Robertson (39^th) in 2017. Thomas Harley was taken 18^th overall in 2019, Mavrik Bourque was 30^th in 2020, Wyatt Johnston (23^rd) and Logan Stankoven (47^th) were selected in 2021, and Lian Bichsel (18^th) was taken in 2022. That’s an impressive run.

“You have to build your team through the draft, and our scouts have done a great job of finding those players on a consistent basis,” said Nill. “That has really given us the chance to create the roster that we have right now.”

The relationship between Nill and McDonnell is at the heart of all of this. The two have known each other since 1982, and Nill hired McDonnell when he ran scouting in Detroit. When Nill was hired as GM of the Stars in 2013, the first move he made was getting McDonnell to come along.

“Joe and I worked a long time together in Detroit and when I had a chance to bring him, I knew that was a priority,” Nill said. “With my background, I know a big part of the team is going to be built in the draft, so I wanted the best people I could get. I’m very comfortable with Joe. I know how he operates. He knows how I operate. It just seems to work for us.”

McDonnell said while he enjoyed his time in Detroit, he knew that he wanted to help Nill.

“Jim Nill is one of the best individuals in the world, so it wasn’t a hard decision to come here,” McDonnell said. “I had ties with Jim, he’s a very good friend, and he’s probably the best guy I know in the hockey world.”

McDonnell said Nill’s personality filters throughout the organization, and that is a huge help in scouting. Every organization has to put together its draft board, and that means scouts who cover regions will often be battling for “their” player. And while those arguments can get heated in other places, McDonnell said that doesn’t really happen with the Stars staff.

“We don’t really argue that much,” McDonnell said. “I’m not like that and Jim’s not like that, and I think that works for us. I think that’s one of the reasons Jim has won GM of the Year, because he knows how to have open communication and he trusts his people. You have to hire people you trust and then let them do their jobs, and that’s what we do.”

Dallas has a veteran group with long-timers like Mark Leach, Dennis Holland, Jimmy Johnston, Jiri Hrdina, Paul McIntosh, Shane Turner and Alex Lepore, among others. That is also one of the reasons they have been able to find players on a consistent basis.

“I think where it gets good is when you have continuity in your staff,” McDonnell said. “I think we have a great staff and we’ve been together for a long time, and that builds great chemistry. You can have discussions and you can agree and disagree. It’s been a great group.”

Both Nill and McDonnell know how hard it is to scout. While there is more video and statistical analysis available these days, these are still 16 and 17-year-old players, and the key is seeing them in person. That means flying and driving to a lot of games in the middle of the winter in some hard landscapes.

“That’s always the biggest challenge,” McDonnell said. “Some of these places aren’t easy to get to, and you have to really fight the weather, but that’s the job. I just think you have to see as many games as you can if you really want to get a good understanding of who these players are.”

One of best examples of that came with the Johnston pick. The pandemic shut down the OHL in Johnston’s draft year, so he was only seen in one international tournament as a 17-year-old. However, McDonnell had a strong book on Johnston from his 16-year-old season, and he had a gut feeling. Because Johnston had just 30 points (12 goals, 18 assists) in 53 games in his rookie OHL season, there wasn’t that much buzz. But McDonnell trusted his gut and Nill trusted McDonnell. The two had a long discussion about Johnston and where he might go, and McDonnell told Nill he could trade down and still get Johnston. So, Dallas sent the 15^th pick to Detroit and got the 23^rd, 48^th and 138^th picks. Preparation met opportunity.

“I give Joe so much credit for that,” Nill said. “I pushed him on it and he was very strong in his belief that he was the player and we could move down and still get him.”

That’s what trust can do for an organization.

And while it’s tough to look at this board and think that glory awaits, the Stars have a way of making things work. In 2021, Dallas had just four picks and found Harley 18^th overall. In 2020, they picked 30^th and grabbed up Bourque, who was the MVP of the AHL last season. Could Dallas make trades and get extra picks? Sure, but if the Stars don’t, McDonnell and Nill are prepared to seize whatever opportunity they can.

“Jim has done an incredible job to get this team to where it is, so we just deal with it,” said McDonnell. “We have three picks right now, and we want to make good on all three. That’s our job.”

This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.

Mike Heika is a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHeika.