Thomas Harley's learning the ropes, one fist bump at a time

There was a nice moment in the Stars' 4-2 win over Buffalo Sunday.
Defensemen John Klingberg and Thomas Harley were snapping the puck around the offensive blueline and helping create a nice cycle, and it was clear there was energy and chemistry starting to show. So when the play stopped, Klingberg skated down the blueline and gave Harley a little fist bump. It was a symbolic gesture for the 29-year-old mentor and 20-year-old student.

"He trusts me to make plays, and I have complete faith he's going to make the plays he can," Harley said. "I'm having a lot of fun out there with him. Just to have him come over and fist bump me means a lot."
Harley's played just 15 NHL games, but his current stretch is seven in a row. He played last season in the AHL and started this season with Texas but has found a place in the regular lineup with the big club. Mix that in with a few games next to a noted veteran like Klingberg, and there's some buzz around Harley.
"There comes a time when we've got to keep him here and see what he can do," Stars coach Rick Bowness said. "When you do that, he gains experience, you see who he plays well with, who he plays well against and how he handles different situations. His progress has been good."
Harley's been aided by the pandemic. When the Stars were asked to bring extra players to the playoff bubble in Edmonton, Harley was one of them. While typical rules between the AHL and Canadian juniors wouldn't have allowed Harley to play in the minors as a 19-year-old, he got to do that last season. As a result, he's been fast-tracked.

When you consider he's a 6-3 blueliner who can skate and was taken 18th overall in 2019, the mix is fortuitous for both sides. The Stars need more skill on defense, and Harley can provide it.
Still, that kind of skill typically needs to be protected, and that means a typical stint on the third pairing with instructions to not make mistakes. That might've been one reason Harley didn't have a point in his first 14 games. But last Sunday in Arizona, Bowness paired him with Klingberg, and he went back to that pairing this Sunday.
The result was Harley picked up a second assist on Roope Hintz' goal, his first NHL point.
"It's been coming for the past couple games," Harley said. "You grow up dreaming it's going to be a little more memorable than just a poke back down the wall. They don't ask how, they ask how many? So I'm happy."

It's a great story, really. It shows how he's been able to stay determined and patient, and it also shows that he has the respect of his teammates. Harley said he's watched Klingberg and talked to him for the past three seasons, and that the talented Swede has been a wealth of information.
Asked how he's developed his hockey sense, Harley said "I think some of it you're born with, but the more you watch and the more you play, the better you get. I've been watching Klinger for three years now, so I kind of understand the way he thinks and I kind of think the same as him. We complement each other pretty well, and I hope we can keep that going."
Bowness said that's a possibility. The team needs more scoring, and if the two skilled defensemen can play off one another, then the results could be positive.
"Thomas is very smart," Bowness said. "When he gets it, his head's already up. He's already looking and he kind of knows what he's going to do with it next. He makes very few poor decisions because of that."
Plus, Bowness said the pairing of Esa Lindell with Jani Hakanpää can be good in a shutdown role, so it could all work out.
That said, the Stars are in a playoff chase and they need to be ready for anything. Bowness said they want to be patient with Harley, and the plan is to let him grow.
"Mistakes are going to happen, and the key is to not make the same mistake," Bowness said. "As a defenseman, you're going to make mistakes. This league is very fast, and they force mistakes. He'll learn from them."
And when a veteran like Klingberg is just a fist bump away, that always helps.
"I'm just trying to support him all over the ice, and he's doing the same for me," Harley said. "I know he's going to get to open spots, and I just have to put it on his stick. It's pretty easy out there with him."
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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.