DALLAS — The Dallas Stars announced their 2026 NHL prospect tournament roster on Friday, a 22-player group of 12 forwards, eight defensemen, and two goaltenders. The tournament runs from Saturday, Sept. 12, through Tuesday, Sept. 15, at BELFOR Training Center inside Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, with the Detroit Red Wings, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Pittsburgh Penguins fielding the other three prospect teams.
Dallas opens against Detroit on Sept. 12 at 5:30 p.m. CT, plays Columbus on Sept. 13 at 2:30 p.m. CT, and closes against Pittsburgh on Sept. 15 at 9:30 a.m. CT. In the release, the Stars noted that the roster, schedule, and participating teams are subject to change.
A year ago, the event was a two-game series against Detroit at Comerica Center in Frisco. Detroit won the opener 6-2 on Sept. 13, 2025, and Dallas won the second game 6-5 on Sept. 14. Thirteen of the 22 players on this year’s roster were on that Frisco roster.
Emil Hemming And Cameron Schmidt Lead The Forward Group
Emil Hemming, the 29th overall pick in 2024, leads the forward group. In 2025-26, Hemming played 5 games for the Texas Stars in the AHL without a point, then returned to the Barrie Colts of the OHL, where he had 26 goals, 37 assists, and 63 points in 46 games. He added 15 goals, 13 assists, and 28 points in 21 playoff games as Barrie reached the OHL final and lost to Kitchener in four games. In August, NHL.com ranked Hemming the top prospect in the Dallas system and listed his projected NHL arrival as this season.
Cameron Schmidt, the 94th overall pick in 2025, led the WHL with 51 goals last season and finished third in the league with 100 points while splitting the year between the Vancouver Giants and Seattle Thunderbirds. In May, Seattle traded Schmidt to the Victoria Royals, where he will play in 2026-27.
The rest of the forward group is Ryan Brown, Justin Ertel, Christian Fitzgerald, Jaxon Fuder, Brandon Gorzynski, Dylan Hryckowian, Ayrton Martino, Charlie Paquette, Ellis Rickwood, and Artem Shlaine. Brown, the 155th overall pick in June, split 2025-26 between the London Knights and Sarnia Sting. Gorzynski, the 126th pick in 2025, played for the Calgary Hitmen and Prince Albert Raiders, and Paquette, the 222nd pick in 2025, played for the Guelph Storm and Brantford Bulldogs. Ertel, the 79th pick in 2021, and Martino, the 73rd pick in 2021, both spent last season with Texas, with Martino also playing for the Idaho Steelheads of the ECHL.
Fuder played the 2025 prospect games on a tryout, scored two goals in the two games, and signed a three-year, entry-level contract on Sept. 23, 2025. He split last season between the Red Deer Rebels and Edmonton Oil Kings. Hryckowian signed a two-year, entry-level contract on March 20 out of Northeastern University and finished the season with Texas. Shlaine had a goal and 2 assists in the 6-5 win over Detroit last September and played for Texas in 2025-26. Fitzgerald split the year between Texas and Wisconsin, and Rickwood split it between Texas and the University of North Dakota.
Tristan Bertucci, Trey Taylor, And Jakub Vaněček Anchor The Defense
On defense, Tristan Bertucci, the 61st overall pick in 2023, played 63 games for Texas in his first professional season and had 5 goals, 19 assists, and 24 points. Trey Taylor, signed out of Clarkson University as an undrafted free agent on March 24, 2025, played 70 games for Texas and had 8 goals, 18 assists, and 26 points. Jakub Vaněček, the 59th overall pick in June, had 14 goals, 21 assists, and 35 points in 59 games for the Tri-City Americans and returns to Tri-City this season.
Aram Minnetian, the 125th pick in 2023, signed a three-year, entry-level contract on March 24 after his season at Boston College. Jack Anderson signed a two-year, entry-level contract on March 18 out of Michigan Tech. Niilopekka Muhonen, the 158th pick in 2024, played for the Medicine Hat Tigers, and Mikhail Cherepanov, the 219th pick in June, played for the New Hampshire Mountain Kings of the NAHL. Connor Punnett split last season between Texas and Idaho.
Arno Tiefensee And Matthew Humphries Share The Net Before Training Camp
Arno Tiefensee, the 157th overall pick in 2023, and Matthew Humphries of the Oshawa Generals are the goaltenders. Tiefensee split 2025-26 between Texas and Idaho.
Dallas opens training camp on Sept. 17 at Comerica Center in Frisco. The preseason opens Sept. 19 against the St. Louis Blues at Enterprise Center at 6 p.m. CT, the first of four exhibition games, two of them at American Airlines Center.
