Dallas Stars sign Thomas Harley to a two-year, $8 million contract

FRISCO, Texas -- Dallas Stars General Manager Jim Nill announced today that the club has signed defenseman Thomas Harley to a two-year contract through the 2025-26 season. The two-year deal is worth $8 million and has an average annual value (AAV) of $4.0 million.

In his first full NHL season, the 23-year-old led Stars blueliners in goals (15) and ranked second in assists (32) and points (15-32—47) in 79 games played. He led NHL defensemen in overtime goals (3) and shared eighth in goals. He also led the Stars in plus-minus (+28) and ranked second in blocked shots (135).

"Thomas is one of the league’s top young defensemen,” Nill said. “His performance last season was a testament to the way that he has worked on and off the ice to become a better player. We are looking forward to his continued growth and helping anchor our blueline for many years to come.”

During the 2023-24 regular season, he was one of three defensemen in the NHL to have a power-play goal, shorthanded goal and an overtime goal. Harley became the fourth-youngest defenseman in franchise history to score an OT goal, following Julius Honka (21 years, 122 days on April 4, 2017), Bob Rouse (21 years, 233 days on Feb. 6, 1986) and Miro Heiskanen (22 years, 88 days on Oct. 14, 2021) on Dec. 18, 2023 vs. Seattle. He recorded overtime goals in consecutive games from Jan. 25-27, becoming the sixth defenseman in NHL history to do so.

Harley recorded four points (0-4—4) in 19 postseason contests with the Stars during the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. He ranked second on the team and fourth in the league in blocked shots (50) and third among NHL defensemen in takeaways (15). Harley assisted on the series-winning goal in Game 7 of the First Round vs. Vegas and averaged 23:52 time on ice per game.

A native of Syracuse, New York, Harley has recorded 53 points (16-37—53) in 119 regular-season contests. He's also made three separate appearances in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, earning 13 points (1-12—13) in 39 games with Dallas. Internationally, the blueliner won a silver medal with Team Canada at the 2021 World Junior Championship and led the tournament with a +14 plus/minus rating.

The 6-foot-4, 206-pound blueliner was selected by Dallas in the first round (18th overall) of the 2019 NHL Draft.