DALLAS — Dallas Stars general manager Jim Nill said Thursday that Dallas has needed its scouts to keep finding players while he uses draft picks and prospects to improve the NHL roster.
Nill discussed the approach during an NHL Network interview.
“Our scouting staff has done a great job. On the amateur side, they’ve done a great job drafting. We’ve hit two or three, four years in a row there with some great picks,” Nill said. “And then we used a lot of those picks to go get a player like Mikko Rantanen. And then our scouts have done a great job in the college ranks and in the free agent ranks finding players.”
“And you have to have those players coming up, especially when you get a team, our team, we’re in that contending window,” Nill continued. “So my job is to see what can get us over the hump. Do we need to add something? And so I’m giving up draft picks, I’m giving up some of our prospects. So it’s important to be able to find those players, which our staff has done a great job with.”
What The Dallas Stars Have Left To Draft With
Dallas did not make its first selection in the 2026 NHL Draft until No. 59. The Stars also picked at Nos. 155, 187, 197, and 219.
A large chunk of their missing draft capital went out in the Mikko Rantanen trade. Dallas sent Logan Stankoven, a 2026 first-round pick, a conditional 2028 first-round pick, and third-rounders in 2026 and 2027 to Carolina in March 2025.
At No. 59 this June, Dallas selected defenseman Jakub Vaněček. He had 14 goals and 21 assists in 59 games with the Tri-City Americans of the WHL last season.
The Core Dallas Drafted
Miro Heiskanen went third overall in 2017. Jake Oettinger went in the first round of the same draft, and Jason Robertson went in the second.
Roope Hintz was the 49th pick in 2015. Thomas Harley went 18th in 2019, and Wyatt Johnston was a first-round pick in 2021. Captain Jamie Benn lasted until the fifth round in 2007 at No. 129.
The College And Free Agent Side
Justin Hryckowian was undrafted out of Northeastern before signing with Dallas in March 2024.
He had 60 points in 67 games for Texas in 2024-25 and was named the AHL’s outstanding rookie. Hryckowian followed that with 14 goals and 16 assists in 81 games for Dallas last season. He finished 13th in Calder Trophy voting and signed a two-year, $1.9 million extension in January.
Arttu Hyry played 20 regular-season games, totaling 3 goals and 2 assists, before getting into four playoff games. On July 1, Nill said the trust Hyry earned in the playoffs had given him a chance to compete for a roster spot.
Dallas finished 50-20-12 with 112 points last season, placing second in the Central Division. Minnesota eliminated the Stars in six games in the first round.
Training camp opens Sept. 17 at Comerica Center in Frisco. Dallas starts the regular season Oct. 2 against the St. Louis Blues at American Airlines Center. The game is scheduled for 8 p.m. CT on TNT.
