Extra picks 'huge' for Stars, who restock the prospect pipeline via draft

Having the IIHF Under-18 World Championships in North Texas this year turned out to be pretty important for the Stars' draft.

Dallas took several participants, including three from Team Canada, which won the gold medal in Frisco in May. It turned out to be a significant factor for the Stars scouting staff, which had limited viewing because the pandemic closed several leagues.
"It was really good just to get out and get into a normal arena and see these players play live and in person," said Stars director of amateur scouting Joe McDonnell, who bases his work out of Ontario and had to do a lot of video scouting this year. "For the OHL players like Wyatt Johnston, he hadn't played, so to get him there and watch him live was a huge bonus for everyone that was there."
[RELATED: Full list of Stars picks at 2021 NHL Draft]
The Stars had the benefit of the entire front office being able to watch the tournament that was played at the team's training facility. That made it easy to take Johnston (23rd), Logan Stankoven (47th) and Conner Roulette (111th), who each played a role in Canada winning.
Overall, the Stars took 10 players in two days and replenished a prospect system that was drying up a little bit. Dallas had five picks last year and four the year before because of trades made to add players at the trade deadline. This year, Dallas entered with eight picks and grabbed two more when GM Jim Nill moved down from 15th overall in a trade with Detroit.
"Jim did a great job to get us the extra picks," McDonnell said. "That was huge."

McDonnell said the team had already targeted Johnston, a skilled forward who plays with Windsor of the OHL, so moving down to 23rd was a smart decision. He said that picking up players like Stankoven and Roulette felt good.
"Stankoven, the knock on him is his size, but anybody who is watching the games, there's room for small players as long as you have the high energy and compete level, and Logan definitely has that for sure," McDonnell said of the 5-foot-8, 170-pound center who plays with Kamloops of the WHL.
Stars owner Tom Gaglardi also is a part-owner of Kamloops, but Stankoven said he hadn't had that much interaction with Stars scouts. He said he had a Zoom call about a week ago, and that he was a little surprised when his name was called.
"It was a sigh of relief," he said. "I've just worked so hard, all the pucks I've shot in my garage, all the time I've spent in the gym and on the ice, just doing the extra, it's paid off. But just because I'm drafted, I know the work doesn't stop. It only gets harder from here. I'm just going to stay focused and working toward my goal."
Stankoven follows a trend for the Stars to target more skilled players. McDonnell said that while the style of the game is definitely trending toward more skill, and Dallas wants to load up as much as possible, the fact they're drafting smaller players with skill is simply because that's who's available.
"I think more players are skilled now," McDonnell said. "Ten years ago, a lot of teams were looking for the big rugged tough guys. Now, the kids all seem to have good skill, they can all skate, and they're just developing more so than ever."
Stankoven had 101 points (49 goals, 52 assists) in 38 games in AAA play in 2018-19 and was named the BC Hockey Under-18 Player of the Year. He said he's always trying to improve his skill.

"My shot. I've worked on it a lot," Stankoven said when asked about his strengths. "I've shot thousands and thousands of pucks, so I think that's one of the biggest assets I have. If I'm around the net or in the high slot, I'm going to shoot that all day. I think that's one of my strongest attributes, as well as my hockey IQ, just the way I can read plays and not force things."
Stankoven said he hopes to continue the chemistry he has started with Johnston on Team Canada.
"I've gotten to know Wyatt really well," Stankoven said. "He's a great human being, great family, and obviously a very talented player. I'm looking forward to playing with him in the future."
Also part of the large cadre of skilled players is Justin Ertel, who had to scramble to find games during the pandemic, but who has been familiar with McDonnell for a few years. Ertel's family is well-known in Ontario hockey circles, and McDonnell said he loves what the big forward (6-2, 187) brings. Ertel is scheduled to attend Cornell, draft pick Ayrton Martino is expected to play at Clarkson, and defenseman Jack Bar has been accepted by Harvard. That means the development curve could take some time, but McDonnell said he's a fan of letting players grow.
"We've got a lot of time with them, so they'll be able to develop," McDonnell said.

McDonnell said in talking to the players, he was impressed with how many found ways to improve themselves even when they weren't playing. Johnston added 20 pounds because of workouts in the gym. Stankoven said he believes he improved his shot.
"It was a bit of a crazy year, to say the least," McDonnell said. "We asked all of them how do you think this affected your overall development, and the impressive thing I got from all of them is just the off-ice things they did, getting stronger, more time in the gym. All these kids got to work out a lot more and put on some added weight and strength. So it was good."
And now, the Stars will see if those workouts will help improve play when the prospects get back on the ice in game situations.

"It's obviously a little bit of a jump from the USHL, but I'm excited to get going at Clarkson," Martino said. "It's a great program and obviously I have to tune up my game. I'm really looking forward to getting there."
Most of the prospects are expected to make a trip to Texas before they head off to their respective destinations, as Dallas will hold its development camp in September. Many also could participate in the Traverse City Prospects Tournament and the team's NHL training camp, so they could be right back in Frisco again -- a place where many became familiar with the franchise at the IIHF tournament.
"It was pretty cool," Stankoven said of participating in the Under-18s. "We were in Dallas not that long ago, I loved it there, I really enjoyed the environment."
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This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Mike Heikais a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHeika, and listen to his podcast.