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Matias Vanhanen

• Position: LW

• Profile: 5’11, 176lbs

• League: WHL (Everett Silvertips)

• Stats: 21 goals, 66 assists, 87 points (62 games)

• Player Class: Specialist

• Player Type: Pillar of Support, Efficient Attacker

Vanhanen has one of the more impressive resumes you’ll find for a player slated to go beyond the second round. Not only has he played in a man’s league (the Liiga; briefly), but he didn’t skip a beat making the transition to North American hockey. His eye-popping point totals would be one thing. But his production has been fantastic on the international stage as well. This is not a player to spotlight simply because he’s Finnish. He’s just a skilled player, and that includes 24 points in 18 playoff games for a Silvertips squad that went to the Memorial Cup. The numbers speak for themselves. As does his talent.

Vanhanen is a very meat and potatoes scoring forward. And I mean that in a good way. He has a good read of the ice not just as a threat with his hands, but as a wheelhouse passer. Despite his size, he has no problem working around and in front of the net, and has just enough agility to play with translatable pace. He’s also responsible in his own end. I’m actually kind of shocked he’s considered such an afterthought. On an Everett team stacked with talent — Carter Bear (Detroit), Julius Miettinen (Seattle), and next year’s golden boy Landon Dupont1 — he led everyone in points (!). Yes, he’s an overager, but except for Dupont, he’s younger than Bear and Miettinen.

Keep in mind, he was functionally a point per game player for the U18 and U20 World Junior squads for Team Finland. He had three points in four games for Team Finland in last year’s Glinka Gretzky Cup, and eight points in five games in this year’s Memorial Cup. Only reason he stopped is because Kitchener was a freight train2.

At this point, you’re probably wondering why Vanhanen isn’t a bigger name in this draft. A few reasons. Close to the cutoff or not, overagers will always have a harder time drawing interest from teams who don’t want to feel like they missed anything the first time. Sure, there are exceptions. Andrew Shaw and Tanner Pearson were overagers. But for the most part, it’s hard for 30-plus teams to miss all seven rounds. There’s also the size issue. It’s unlikely he’ll become that much bigger, especially as an older prospect, and he doesn’t have the kind of speed or agility you would prefer in a smaller forward. Then there’s the Dupont factor. Dupont is not a generational prospect (Matthew Schaefer just beat him for that title), but he is a very very good one, and that stacked team makes it hard to assess player production. Think back to that NTDP team in 2019, where players like Cam York, Alex Turcotte, Henry Thrun, and John Beecher got more shine from playing with Jack Hughes, Cole Caufield, Trevor Zegras, and Matt Boldy (good god what a team). This gives Vahanen that awkward, low floor, low ceiling type profile that tends to be the kiss of death for any drafting team.

Do I buy all of that? Not really. Again, he was productive on the international stage too. But it’s not without merit. At the same time, I have zero problem with Dallas taking a flyer on a talented, super productive left winger in rounds six and seven. He would instantly become Dallas’ third best forward prospect behind Emil Hemming and Cameron Schmidt. And unlike those two, he plays a position the Stars lack right now. Why not?

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Landon Amrhein

• Position: RW

• Profile: 6’5, 192lbs

• League: WHL (Calgary Hitmen)

• Stats: 10 goals, 21 assists, 31 points (64 games)

• Player Class: Generalist

• Player Type: Well-Rounded Worker, Dynamic Creator

Playing for a decent Calgary Hitmen squad, Amrhein was a depth forward who stood out for the reasons that NHL teams tend to notice. He’s a massive dude, but he’s a massive dude who has small man’s skills. His low point totals are what they are — which is to say, not much — but this is the classic project; a player with an intriguing enough toolkit that will make any team eager to roll the dice on his profile.

Watching Amrhein is almost alarming. He doesn’t do anything anything you would expect a player of his size to do. His game is built on playing around opponents rather than through them. He showcases soft hands, and much more of a playmaker’s tradecraft than a shooter, power forward, or net front driver. He’s a lumbering skater, but leverages his puck handling to play with more pace that the lack of raw speed would otherwise allow.

Your first thought might be ‘oh, sounds familiar!’ It’s always tempting to think of prospects in terms of their ceiling. For whatever reason, players with more size seem to get this benefit of the doubt more than players without. But the downside is that players like this tend to have very low floors. The guy that immediately springs to mind is Kyle McDonald. The plus-sized Texas Stars forward has been a decent contributor for the Texas Stars, but like Amrhein, isn’t layered enough offensively to leverage his size in other ways. Two different players obviously, but the similarities showcase why a project rarely becomes potential in practice.

In addition, Dallas is flush with right rings. They already have Emil Hemming and Cameron Schmidt in the system, which would really make this potential pick feel like a punt if they used their second rounder on him. Especially with the decent mix of right-shot defenders, centers, and left wings (next week I’ll be profiling Matias Vanhanen, Ryan Roobroeck, and Filip Novak) that will likely be available; players with higher floors and higher ceilings no less.

All the same, having seen Amrhein more than others following Brandon Gorzysnki while he was with the Hitmen, I feel like I can confidently say that Amrhein will have a big year next season when he’s given a bigger role. And as we discussed with Olivers Murnieks, BPA right? If Amrhein is available in the late rounds, you could certainly do worse than take a flyer on a 6’5 playmaker.

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(Super quick: if you’re curious how I categorize prospects, click here.)

Olivers Murnieks

• Position: C (shoots left)

• Profile: 6’1, 192lbs

• League: QMJHL

• Stats: 7 goals, 13 assists, 20 points (31 games)

• Player Class: Generalist

• Player Type: Well-Rounded Worker, Puck Police

On the surface, the Latvian’s numbers don’t jump off the page. He had only 20 points in 31 games in the QMJHL, which is pretty meager. And that’s putting it as diplomatically as possible. Especially for the Q, which is one of the higher scoring levels of juniors.

However, if you’re wondering why he’s projected to go in the second round, it’s due to his international work. For Team Latvia in the World Juniors, he scored 6 (through seven games) and 4 points (through five) for the U18 and U20 squad, respectively. That’s impressive given the clear step up in competition. This is also something that scouts tend to spotlight.

While your first thought might be ‘recency bias’, some of those reasons are valid. Because prospects follow a development curve, one can and should expect prospects to get stronger as the season wears on. All of sudden their tools are synced with the system they play, their teammates, and the adrenaline of international tournaments. Plenty of prospects have risen late due to their second half and international work. Bennett Sennecke, Nico Hischier, and Miro Heiskanen are just a few examples. Murnieks is following that curve.

Watching some of the tape, like his counting stats, his skills don’t jump off the page either.

He’s not fast or super skilled. But I see a decent mix of elements. His puck handling is solid for a player with his profile, which bodes well for someone who can play through contact around the net. While there’s nothing elusive about his offense, his direct approach is still an overall plus. He has a one-timer he’s unafraid to unleash, and he has enough functional passing skills that Team Latvia was willing to leverage it on the power play. More critically for making the potential jump, he looks strong off the wall with his movement and hands, not to mention awareness; something young players have to get used to when transitioning into the NHL that they don’t experience as much in juniors. He’s committed to Boston College this year, so no team will have to wait long to find out where he’s at in his development curve.

I know that some fans are probably rolling their eyes. “A two-way center??? Dallas needs those like they need another move to a new stadium.” I share this sentiment insofar as Dallas’ makeup is already center heavy. Playing wing has its’ own benefits. You need the needle as much as you need the sword.

But the guiding principle of proper drafting is best player available, right? If your second round pick tops out as a bottom six center, is this really that bad? In addition, Dallas has a pretty good record with those bottom of the first and second round pick centers: Roope Hintz, Logan Stankoven, Wyatt Johnston, and Mavrik Bourque. I don’t ever like appealing to authority, but I would definitely have to stand up and take notice if the Stars’ scouts thought Murnieks was their guy. As much as I hate comps (no two players are alike), I feel like there’s a lot of Colton Sissons in Murnieks’ game. You gotta be happy with that if your magic bean sprouts into that.

I’ll be profiling one player a day starting tomorrow. These will be relatively short; just 300-500 word profiles. Given where Dallas is picking — Rounds 2, 5, 6, and 7 (two picks) — we obviously won’t be looking at Ivar Stenberg, Chase Reid, or Gavin McKenna. But round two will have at least one or two fallers. I won’t focus on those players too much. We’ll instead settle on players that are overagers (players who didn’t make the cut the previous draft, but who had glow-ups), late rounders, and players who may not be drafted. But you’ll like the ones I will spotlight. I’d say ‘don’t get your hopes up’ but what the hell kind of fun would that be?

So today will be a rundown of Dallas’ current prospect pool. If you’re one of the sickos that follows the prospect writing in-depth, then today is unfortunately, not really for you. Today is back to basics. It’s for readers who don’t follow Dallas’ prospects; if not for people that have little to no interest in the draft and who’s in the pipeline. That is not a value judgment of your/their fandom. Most fans just want to see their team win, and hopefully win a Cup. What do players not in the NHL have to do with it? I get you. But aren’t stories more interesting when you follow from beginning to middle to end? The draft is where every team’s story begins, regardless of whether teams build through it. Even Vegas had to build through the draft, albeit indirectly. After all, they don’t get Mark Stone without the 15th overall pick from 2017, Erik Brannstrom.

With that, let’s get to the rankings. You’ll notice a couple of odd-looking categories. The following three graphs I’ve copy and pasted from my 2025 NHL Draft Top 32. Apologies for the laziness. I didn’t know how else to do this, and I suspect Stars readers didn’t read that piece to begin with.

So every player ranked here will have a player class and a player type. Here ‘player class’ refers to either a generalist, or a specialist. I define a ‘generalist’ as an impact player that tends to work within a spectrum of broad skills. Conversely, a specialist is an impact player that tends to work within a spectrum of specific ones. This does not mean that a player can’t be both. Nor is it a value-assessment. Nico Hischier is what I could consider a generalist, while Thomas Harley would be considered a specialist. Their games contain elements of both despite leaning one way over the other. Leaning one way or the other doesn’t make them flawed in and of itself however.

When it comes to player types, here I’m stealing directly from Louis Boulet’s work on player types in the NHL, and his badge system. While his work is mostly theoretical, he is working with data to approximate player styles as they relate to who generates offense as well as production (efficient attackers), players who transition more effectively or not (elusive carriers), strong tertiary types (pillars of support), chance creator/distributors (scoring threat) PP/PK specialists, and more. For a full glossary, you can click here. A lot of these will seem intuitive, but they are meant to allude to specificities within player archetypes. For each type I’ve listed two: one primary, one secondary.

This is not based on any kind of deep dive into the scouting process, or anything stats-based I’ve created on my own. I’m neither an analyst, nor a scout, no matter how hard I pretend to be. I’m a writer. This is my way of adding language to the process for myself and my own edification. IMO distinguishing between generalists and specialists is a lot cleaner than referring to players as one-dimensional, two-way, or hybrid. After all, plenty of one-way players are multilayered, just like plenty of two-way players are not. I like using Boulet’s badgework to cut through comps, since no two players are ever alike, and doing so always feels inaccurate at best, and misleading at worst.

One last thing: the following ranking is a ranking of players under the age of 23. This is not an artificial cutoff. As Namita Nadakumar’s research revealed, the median prospect takes approximately four seasons to make an NHL roster1. So without further ado…

Emil Hemming

• Age: 19

• Position: RW

• Profile: 6’2, 200lbs

• League: OHL/AHL

• Stats: 26 goals, 37 assists, 63 points

• Player Class: Generalist

• Player Type: Efficient Attacker, Elusive Carrier

Unlike his post-draft year, Hemming didn’t need one half of the season to get going. Along with Cole Beaudoin, he was the center of the Barrie Colt’s attack, playing big minutes, on the power play, and on the penalty kill. He scored 15 goals in the playoffs (without Beaudoin in the Finals no less), bringing his full season total to 91 points. Despite the Colts laying an egg in the OHL Finals versus Kitchener, Hemming scored arguably his best goal of the season that series.

At his best, Hemming is efficient and elusive. There’s just enough talent and fortitude to create around and through the competition with his speed, size, and tenacity. He’s not a certified Dawg as the adults trying to sound like kids like to say, but he has a net front drive the Stars will need when he’s ready. Hemming tops the Stars prospect list for one simple reason. My summer hot take is that he is ready. As always, don’t take my word for it. Don’t take my words for anything, in fact. See for yourself.

Cameron Schmidt

• Age: 19

• Position: RW

• Profile: 5’7, 170lbs

• League: WHL

• Stats: 51 goals, 49 assists, 100 points

• Player Class: Specialist

• Player Type: Dynamic Creator, PP Specialist

For a player who hit 100 points — the third best mark in the WHL behind only Markus and Liam Ruck, and the top mark in goals with 51 — the talk around Schmidt has been surprisingly quiet. A third round pick who has elite speed and a great shot? What’s not to love?

I hate talking about a player’s flaws when they were picked at the end of the third round, but let’s dig in. While 100 points is impressive, there’s no doubt that some of the noise is coming from carving up bad defenses in a lower league. Schmidt still plays like a forward who doesn’t have to worry about being punished for trying to do too much. The defining feature of every effective NHL goal scorer is being able to threaten the shot without shooting. The more of a threat you can be by linking with teammates and the more respect goalies and defense have to give your teammates, the more effective the shot itself becomes. And that’s not even counting the difference in traffic and how lanes get clogged up at the NHL level. Schmidt still doesn’t have that switch.

However, that’s not to say that what he does is somehow ‘easy.’ The trick for Schmidt will be how he makes things easier on himself by leveraging others and developing more playmaking habits. As is, I don’t see his size itself being a problem. While the comps to Logan Stankoven are goofy — Stankoven played center in juniors, and thus, in addition to being much stockier, had a natural instinct to cover more ice offensively and defensively — Schmidt is not the proverbial soft peach. He gets stuck in there, doesn’t back down, and goes to the hard areas. He has, by far, the highest ceiling of any Dallas prospect, and one of the higher ceilings of any prospect his age. The next step will be adding layers to his specialist mindset. If he gets there, watch out.

Brandon Gorzysnki

• Age: 19

• Position: LW

• Profile: 6’2, 190lbs

• League: WHL

• Stats: 27 goals, 42 assists, 69 points

• Player Class: Generalist

• Player Type: Pillar of Support, Elusive Carrier

Stars Stack favorite, Gorzysnki, is exactly what you hope for with a fourth round pick: a magic bean with potential to sprout. With 69 points, nicely up from 42 in his D+1 year, Gorzysnki became a workhorse for both the Calgary Hitmen and the Prince Albert Raiders, logging over 20 minutes a night. His playoff run was cut short with an injury, but don’t be fooled by his profile. Like Hemming, Gorzysnki might profile like a five-tools player, but there’s some genuine skill lurking beneath the rugged surface. Despite his size, Gorzysnki skates like a short king, displaying quality edgework and clean movement in open and closed ice. His puck skills are pretty limited, but they’re not absent. If anything, I sometimes get the impression that he hides some of them due to his simplistic approach. He’s committed to Arizona State next season, so how his game translates to the NCAA will tell us a lot about his ceiling.

Tristan Bertucci

• Age: 20

• Position: LHD

• Profile: 6’2, 187lbs

• League: AHL

• Stats: 5 goals, 19 assists, 24 points

• Player Class: Generalist

• Player Type: Pillar of Support, Well-Rounded Worker

If Bertucci were a right-shot defender, I suspect he’d get more love. As is, a case could be made that be belongs higher on this list. Not enough is said about exactly what he accomplished. Being 20 and playing in a man’s league, his numbers are extremely impressive, especially when you consider the start the Texas Stars had. There’s not much to Bertucci’s game on paper but that’s not a bad thing. He profiles like a transition defender, using his skating to defend rush plays, and attacking downhill when needed. If we had tracking data, I have the sneaking suspicion that he’d shine when it comes to the details of the game. If it weren’t for the bloated glut of left-shot defenders, he might even have a path towards in the NHL in a few years. Expect him to grow into a more prominent role next season.

Aram Minnetian

• Age: 21

• Position: RHD

• Profile: 5’11, 209lbs

• League: NCAA/AHL

• Stats: 2 goals, 9 assists, 11 points

• Player Class: Generalist

• Player Type: Puck Police, Puzzle Piece

Of all the prospects on this list, Minnetian is the hardest to get a read one. For years, he was one of my favorites. Playing on a stacked Boston College team, his role in the top four was certified. While his offense is limited, and won’t translate at the NHL level, he’s not an absentee landlord with the puck. What he lacks in skills he makes up for in decision making, playing well within his means. He really is a shutdown defender by trade. Though he’s not a burner, he’s agile and works some beautiful edges to beat forecheckers and occasionally make plays in the neutral zone. On the negative end, I thought he really punted his senior year with BC, regressing to the point of dropping a few spots in the rankings. Suddenly his reads were weak, and his decision-making totally inconsistent. But in his brief stint with the Texas Stars, he looked exactly like the player that got myself and prospect nerds hyped. Not only did he look better, he was locked into the blue line next to Trey Taylor at the end of the playoffs when head coach Toby Peterson could have easily gone with someone else. He’ll need at least a full season before we entertain the notion of a callup, but what a boon for Dallas’ blue line if they could develop a quality right-shot depth defender2.

George Fegaras

• Age: 22

• Position: RHD

• Profile: 6’2, 212lbs

• League: NCAA

• Stats: 5 goals, 16 assists, 21 points

• Player Class: Specialist

• Player Type: Pillar of Support, Puzzle Piece

Fegaras isn’t on this list just because he’s a right-shot defender. He’s on this list because he’s been a steady top four blue liner for Cornell pretty much his entire tenure. A throwback puck mover with pro size (it should be noted that he’s really grown physically; he was 188lbs when he was drafted, having put on 24lbs since then), Fegaras is intriguing as a north-south attacker from the backend. While I have him classified as a specialist, it’s worth noting that he plays both sides of special teams. My only regret with covering Fegaras is that Cornell’s Blair Witch level camera work never allowed me to do extensive video analysis. Fegaras is currently unsigned, so this may not be for naught, but he makes the top eight on my list.

Matthew Seminoff

• Age: 22

• Position: RW

• Profile: 6’0, 190lbs

• League: AHL

• Stats: 24 goals, 26 assists, 50 points

• Player Class: Specialist

• Player Type: Well-Rounded Worker, Scoring Threat

Talk about a glow-up. Seminoff zigged more than zagged to begin his AHL career. A solid rookie season was followed by a slump of a sophomore season, resulting in a demotion to the ECHL. His third season in the A’ would be a charm, as he hit 20 goals (his specialty), playing big minutes next to Artem Schlaine and Cameron Hughes that included a solid postseason run with four points in five games. Unlike most of Dallas’ forward prospects, Seminoff has some legit, blue chip hands. The way he controls the puck, angles in and out, his release, vision, and ability to capitalize in the offensive zone is high level. His lack of speed and agility will hold him back at higher levels, but his hands will no longer hold him back at the AHL level. He’ll age out of this list in December, when he turns 23, but he’s earned this spot for now.

Atte Joki

• Age: 18

• Position: C

• Profile: 6’2, 201lbs

• League: Liiga

• Stats: 4 goals, 8 assists, 12 points

• Player Class: Generalist

• Player Type: Shutdown Stalwart, Puck Police

Except for the World Juniors, where he didn’t leave an impression — admittedly I’m a hard sell with shutdown forwards — I didn’t get a chance to see Joki throughout the year. However, I’ll defer to friend of the Stars Stack (and book club amigo!), Andrew Epps, who has a much more extensive profile on Joki, which is well worth your time, and is also a bit more favorable.

Charlie Paquette

• Age: 20

• Position: RW

• Profile: 6’2, 207lbs

• League: OHL

• Stats: 29 goals, 34 assists, 63 points

• Player Class: Generalist

• Player Type: Pillar of Support, Well-Rounded Worker

Rounding out the list at #9 is the Canadian overager who has experience at wing as well as center. For an overager, Paquette’s numbers don’t set the world on fire, but he was nearly a point per game for two different teams, and continued his production into the postseason, where his Brantford Bulldogs went deep into the playoffs. Paquette was super impressive at the prospect tournament last season, where he displayed more skill in the playmaking department than scouting reports led me to believe. He’s agile for his size, and seems to have decent vision for a player who profiles like depth. Last month Dallas signed him to an AHL contract (though not an entry-level deal, it should be noted), which means the Texas Stars will have the chance to see if his net-front style can translate.

Closing thoughts

The Texas Stars will be a hot ticket this upcoming season for Dallas fans who want to see the next ones. Hemming, Minnetian, Bertucci, and Paquette will all be playing in the AHL, which is half of Dallas’ top eight. Obviously, none of this means that any of these players are on the cusp of getting more than chicken fingers in the pressbox. But it does mean that they’re officially on the clock.

Keep in mind, there are plenty of players worth paying attention to beyond the core young group. Dylan Hryckowian, Remi Poirier, Trey Taylor, Ayrton Martino, and Niilopekka Muhonen are all players that should be on your radar given their history. However, having a cutoff works best IMO to manage expectation. It’s certainly possible for the older players to end up making a cameo, but this is about averages and probability; not anomalies and possibility.

I would expect the 2026 draft to change some of this ranking dynamic. Dallas’ second rounder will immediately be in the pipeline’s top three. There are some genuinely spicy options for where Dallas will be picking, including some right-shot defenders (this draft has quite a few of these, even if most of them will be gone by the time the Stars pick) and left wingers. But there will be some BPAs who play right wing and left-shot defense, so we won’t skip them either.

With all that said, for those that stick with the draft coverage, than you for reading.

The end result only looked like a disaster on the surface. Through five games, Hemming went pointless. However, so did most of the Texas Stars forwards. The Stars from the south didn’t win a single game in October, scoring only 10 goals through six games. Hemming turned into collateral damage. He went back to the OHL and did what he usually does: play both sides of special teams, and score goals.

Hemming’s season may not look like a success on the surface. But it very much was. 63 points in the OHL looks low for a D+1 player, but he only played 46 games. Had he played the full 68-game season, that would have put him on a 90-point pace. For a two-way forward, that’s not just good. It’s excellent. He didn’t slow down in the playoffs either, tallying 15 goals through 21 games (!) for a total of 28 points. I’ve struggled with Hemming at times, in part because his production worried me in his first draft year. However, he was a second-half player in his post-draft year, which gave me some faith. This year, his first half was as good as his second half.

Watching the OHL Finals between Barrie vs. Kitchener was an eye-opener. So much so that I wouldn’t be surprised if Hemming becomes the story out of training camp. If you’ve seen Hemming at all, then you know he’s not just Dallas’ top prospect; he’s Dallas’ closest prospect to becoming an NHL regular. He’s already got pro size at 6’2 and 200lbs. His maturity is already high level, given that he runs the top power play unit and the top penalty killing unit. And well, it’s simply hard not to trust Dallas’ amateur scouts at this point.

Could this position Hemming to be an NHL contributor as soon as next season? Is that the SEO merchant in me talking, or do you trust me not to ever go there with you, dear reader? Read on! (And yes, we will cover the draft as we get closer.)

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Most outlets didn’t have Hryckowian on their list of top NCAA free agents. Corey Pronman had one of the more extensive lists, and didn’t even have Hryckowian in his list of notables. However, that’s not to say he was on no one’s radar at all. Steven Ellis had him in his top 10, while Elite Prospects had him in their top 15.

As readers here know, I’m in the same boat when it comes to the ‘Hryckovi.’ I know. I should be the last person to underestimate a player based on size bias, but that was my estimation of Justin before the season started. What follows won’t be a comprehensive analysis of Dylan Hyrckowian’s game. Instead the point of today is to develop impressions of what to expect.

I just want to look at and judge some of his skills and traits in a vacuum so that we end up with some idea of what he offers the team in Cedar Park, and whether it’s enough to make the big show one day like his older brother.

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So far I’m not sure that’s even been the case. Justin Hryckowian and Arttu Hyry have seen varying degrees of NHL action, with Hryckowian outright claiming an NHL spot complete with a walk-of-fame star. Hyry has been more of a reinforcement, but he’s made enough of an impression to force depth players like Nathan Bastian into the chicken finger pressbox; in part because he’s been an absolute manbearpig on the dots, winning 64 percent of his faceoffs, posting the sixth-best faceoff differential among Stars forwards in only five games. Not bad for two undrafted players.

Meanwhile Matthew Seminoff, Tristan Bertucci, and Trey Taylor have brought quality performances to the AHL squad. Most of these players are on the older side, which keeps them from being classified as prospects, but the team is clearly making do when it comes to amateur scouting. It seems evident that Jim Nill and his scouts feel the same way, as none of them were made available at the trade deadline; just futures1.

Predictably, the end result is a prospect pool that rates poorly compared to the rest of the league. Of course, it’s not a big deal. When you’re elite, you’re not supposed to have an elite prospect pool. As one of the objectively best-drafting teams in the NHL, nobody will or should care about how the leftovers rate.

But I’ll always use any excuse to talk about prospects.

To be clear from the outset, Wheeler has forgotten more about prospect hockey than I’ll ever know. My intention here isn’t to shine a spotlight on someone at The Athletic being wrong on the internet. Although I’ll certainly go there if I have to2. Rather, I like the idea of comparing his ranking to mine. Not only do we get to compare and contrast a professional’s opinion to an amateur, but you get to see the overlap and disagreement.

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Thing is: this sentiment always assumes that hockey GMs have a community college’s worth of departments all cross-referencing the analytics, the scouts, and raw analysis to get the best deal they can on any single trade. And yet we know that’s not true. Did Calgary really get the best deal for Chris Tanev two years ago? Did Steve Yzerman get the best deal in giving away Jake Walman (and a second round pick!) to San Jose only for San Jose to turn Walman into a first round pick?

In this light, I don’t think Dallas is without assets. They have a 2027 first rounder, a 2026 second rounder, and a host of prospects with different profiles. Looking for a two-way shooter with size? Here’s Emil Hemming. Looking for a scoring specialist? There’s Cameron Schmidt. Got interest in a two-way power forward? See Brandon Gorzysnki.

The rest is a mixed bag, but that' doesn’t make it a bad one. There are goaltenders in the system between Swedish netminder Måns Goos, the German prospect Arno Tiefensee and Remi Poirier have combined to make an otherwise tepid AHL team playoff caliber. There is a mix of interesting defenders far more capable than Artyom Grushnikov, who was the highlighted prospect in the Tanev trade: here I’m talking about puck mover George Fegaras, a modern defensive prototype in Tristan Bertucci (it can’t be emphasized enough that he’s only 20), and hybrid blue liners like Aram Minnetian and Trey Taylor.

I’m missing a lot of names — names I’ve discussed as darkhorse picks like Matthew Seminoff, Angus MacDonell, Niilopekka Muhonen, Charlie Paquette, and 18-year old center Atte Joki, who is playing professionally in the Liiga. It doesn’t always take the best player. Sometimes it just takes the ‘right’ player. And whatever your mileage is of these prospects, Dallas has a strong reputation as an elite drafting team, with well-respected scouts, giving these players a little extra value. And they have a lot of questions that said prospects can help answer, as I wrote yesterday for D Magazine.

So what follows today will be a ranking according to who I think teams are more likely to want, and which NHL players (discussed and not discussed) they have potential to bring back. Along the way we’ll talk a little about where Dallas’ prospects are in their development, and if we should be excited at the prospect of keeping or not keeping them.

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I don’t know. They’re firmly in a legit, competitive window. But right now, their AHL team is in dire straights. After 15 games, they’ve only managed five wins. The player with the highest point total has eight (!), by Cameron Hughes. That means Texas’ highest-scoring forward — assuming the current pace for everyone — will be someone with 35 points. That could very well be an AHL first. Tag to that, Dallas’ college prospects are not quite panning out, and that leaves only their junior group.

This might seem like small potatoes. “Who cares what’s happening in Barrie?” And maybe that’s fair. But I look at the team as is, and their underlying numbers, and while Dallas is filled with nice stories, they are not filled with players who play up the lineup. The team is simply doing the best with what they have.

I don’t bring this up as a criticism of Dallas’ drafting, or the players themselves. The Stars’ draft record is well-established as one of the best , and players like Justin Hryckowian is looking like an everyday NHLer. I bring it up to consider whether or not the Stars are done trading away picks or assets. Don’t be surprised if Jim Nill reverts back to his conservative roots. The Stars are at the point where they have have many assets to hand out, and those they do have either won’t be what wins a bidding war, or is a cost-controlled player Dallas can use in the near future. If they Dallas signs Jason Robertson to the contract he will be worth, there won’t be any room for the Matt Duchenes or even Radek Faksa’s of the world.

Anyway, below is my personal top nine. No, I did not avoid a top 10 to be pretentious. This is simply what I would argue is the natural cutoff for players in a reasonable tier of relative NHL potential. There’s no point in making a top 15 if five players have no chance at all.

Emil Hemming (11 Games: 4 goals, 14 assists, 18 points — 89 point pace)

Hemming came out the gates swinging when he was sent back down to the OHL after a couple of games in the AHL. It’s important to emphasize how much of the move was driven by the Texas Stars simply flatlining on the offensive side of things. While I don’t have confirmation from the organization of this, it seems an obvious enough implication: Texas’ forwards are bad, and Hemming wasn’t even the worst of them despite being their youngest. Again, go back to the Cameron Hughes stat. Now, in the OHL, and paired next to Cole Beaudoin (who has really leveled up; something Utah fans I’m sure are celebrating), Hemming gets to play all the minutes next to players who can and will produce at a similar rate.

Last week was a little slower. Two points in his first game, one in the next, and zero in the last game versus Niagara on Saturday. Granted, that 151-point pace was never gonna happen, but don’t be surprised if Hemming hits another outburst this week. He’s still doing exactly what you want from him: driving the net, making plays, and finishing them more often than his peers.

Cameron Schmidt (23 Games: 15 goals, 19 assists, 34 points — 99 point pace)

Goalless through his last two games, it’s the only the third time so far this season that Schmidt has gone more than two games without a goal. Make no mistake. He’s still on a blistering pace. And he’s the only one on his team pulling said weight too. The only forward in his vicinity is Ty Halaburda, who has 23 points. It’s hard not to wonder how his game might look surrounded by better talent. Because I didn’t do a rundown last week, I didn’t get to talk about this bonkers game from two weekends ago.

Schmidt remains something of an oddity. As talented as he is, I’m eager to see different elements of his game develop, however slowly. Still, can’t complain about a third rounder putting up points like this.

Brandon Gorzynski (20 Games: 10 goals, 11 assists, 21 points — 69 point pace)

As paid subscribers know, I’m a huge fan of Gorzysnki. It’s funny. Gorzynski looks more like Emil Hemming than Emil Hemming does. I know that reads funny, but this is what I’m talking about. (See below: Gorzynski is #15 who starts with the puck in the DZN on his power play entry.)

Gorzysnki has the kind of white collar skills you’d expect to see in a first round prospect like Hemming, but Hemming doesn’t really have those soft hands while Gorzysnki does. I’m not saying that one is better: only that every time I watch him, he surprises me with his skillset more than his power forward roots1. Because of that, it’s not surprising to learn that Gorzysnki actually leads the team in power play goals.

Of course, Gorzysnki’s production doesn’t look like a blue chip talent, but a) he’s not supposed to be as a fourth rounder and b) Calgary is extremely light on offensive talents. Kale Dach (a 7th rounder from this year) is the one leading the way. Needless to say, I’m a huge fan of Gorzysnki’s potential, and could easily see him challenge Schmidt and Hemming for the top spot in my rankings if his production takes a step forward.

Tristan Bertucci (14 Games: 0 goals, 4 assists, 4 points — 22 point pace)

Bertucci is interesting because I feel like nobody’s really talking about him in the Stars community. He’s a 20-year old defender playing the AHL, logging tough minutes, and looking mature in the process. Granted, there’s a difference between looking mature and looking like a prospect with NHL potential. Bertucci’s puck skills are still lagging, and as slick as his skating was in the OHL, his lack of top line speed and acceleration seem to be hampering his decision-making a little. It’s a tough transition, but playing in the top four on a struggling team, Bertucci has impressively kept his head above water.

Måns Goos (12 Games: .905 SV%)

Goos had some sterling numbers, and then last week nearly pulled him through the cemetery gates. Farjestad allowed 13 goals last week in three games, bringing Goos’ percentage down. Overall, however, Goos is a player broadly trending up. Even his current average (previously over .920), is higher than last year. The 6’5, 200lb goaltender is still just 18, so I won’t be talking much about him.

George Fegaras (8 games, 0 goals, 4 assists — 16 point pace)

I probably have Fegaras rated higher than anywhere near where he actually belongs, but I do feel like he’s earned a new rank over Aram Minnetian as Dallas’ top defensive prospect from college. Through a small selection of games, he’s on pace for a career high in points, and doing so as a very good team’s trigger man on the blue line. His profile still reads the same, and I haven’t noticed anything new in his profile — admittedly I haven’t watched all of Cornell’s games — but a puck mover doesn’t have to be nuanced in order to be effective, and Fegaras is an effective puck-moving defenseman.

Aram Minnetian (13 Games: 0 goals, 3 assists — 8 point pace)

It’s tough to have to do this. For years, Minnetian has been one of my favorite prospects. It was just this year that Minnetian became a force in the NCAA Championships, complete with all the jam a good PB&J needs.

However, this year has been much more challenging. As I’ve documented here, he doesn’t have many weaknesses, but the ones that exist are still there. Meanwhile, the offensive ability that seemed like it could be latent hasn’t developed. This is not nothing. Minnetian has been on the top power play unit, filled with highly skilled college forwards like James Hagens and Teddy Stiga. Meanwhile, he’s getting showed up by Luka Radivojevic. Sound familiar? He was one of the defenders I and other prospect nerds loved, who went undrafted because suddenly nobody wants defensemen under 6’ tall. And Radivojevic has eight points already while being three years younger (don’t be surprised if Radivojevic becomes an overage that starts turning heads given what he’s doing for Boston College right now).

That’s not to close the book on Minnetian in any way. The foundation is still there for someone I believe can be a solid depth defender. But Minnetian can’t go into the AHL in his current form, and expect to be successful. This is still a very good prospect in proportion to what Dallas has, and the season is anything but over, but as far as development goes, this is crunch time.

Matthew Seminoff (15 games: 3 goals, 3 assists, 6 points — 28 point pace)

Believe it or not, Seminoff, even with his six points, is second on the team in scoring. Given his status as a bottom sixer, that’s incredibly impressive. Seminoff is nowhere close to NHL ready, but I continue to be impressed with his spurts of borderline high level skill.

Brad Gardiner (25 games: 13 goals, 13 assists, 26 points — 70 point pace)

Gardiner has grown on me over the years. He doesn’t look like an impact player, but he makes good reads, has a solid release, and just enough playmaking chops to be a portable player anywhere in the lineup. It was extremely evident early on when the Colts didn’t have Hemming that somebody would need to pick up the offensive slack, and that’s exactly what Gardiner did.

Finnish prospect Emil Hemming officially got his groove back this past weekend.

The experiment in the AHL ended a bit prematurely, but it’s easy to see why. The Texas Stars were going nowhere. They’re a team without purpose, and without offense — a team that was expected to be anything but after their playoff run last year. It’s hard to fault anyone in this scenario. Veterans underforming, injuries, prospects struggling to adjust to the new system, a new coach, et al. Take your pick. The environment was awful for Hemming, which is ironic since my pet theory was that Barrie’s environment was too poor for Hemming given the OHL squad’s lack of offensive tools surrounding him; only to be in an environment that lacked offensive tools he could connect with.

I personally thought Hemming stood out in more positive than negative ways; especially when compared against his AHL peers, who had a lot less excuses to look as aimless as a teenager in a man’s league. He didn’t lack confidence, it should be said. Nonetheless, what good would it do for his development if the players around him didn’t have ways to make his offense breath?

Enter the Colts once more. And what a difference it’s been. With seven points through three games back with Barrie, Hemming is on pace for 126 points (a pace that doesn’t even count what his production could be through a full season). This is not some PDO juice either; he only had two goals. Paired with fellow 2024 first round pick Cole Beaudoin and Joseph Salandra, Hemming’s groove appears here to stay (Barrie has also won every game with Hemming in the lineup, which is cheesy correlation I know, but the team definitely misses him).

Today will be a little bit more granular, as I’ll be focusing on Hemming’s three-game set last weekend. Next week I’ll do more of a broad prospect update, but I felt like Hemming’s game was really worth spotlighting today, as he is still Dallas’ top prospect in my personal rankings, and the following clips illustrate why.

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If you’re interested in Dallas’ prospect pool, you’re probably yawning right now. This is not a criticism of Dallas’ prospects. Just that two of them have yet to see action (defender George Fegaras, and former OHL center Angus MacDonell), while the other two have been healthy scratched.

A prospect’s journey is rarely linear. Unless you’re an elite player, your trajectory is never a given. You’re also more likely to be influenced by external factors, whether it’s coaching, teammates, opponents, the league, or just…your own head.

I want to revisit the current rankings. There’s nothing fancy here. Below is each player’s point totals, their point pace, and my personal ranking of U23 players.

1. Emil Hemming (3 Games: 0 goals, 0 assists)

2. Cameron Schmidt (11 Games: 6 goals, 10 assists — 98 point pace)

3. Aram Minnetian (4 Games: 0 goals, 0 assists)

4. Tristan Bertucci (3 Games: 0 goals, 1 assists — 24 point pace)

5. Brandon Gorzynski (7 Games: 4 goals, 4 assists — 76 point pace)

6. Angus MacDonell (N/A)

7. Mans Goos (7 Games: .921 SV%)

8. George Fegaras (N/A)

9. Niilopekka Muhonen (5 Games: 0 goals, 2 assists — 25 point pace)

If you’re curious about my personal ranking system for prospects, you can read the preamble to my 2025 NHL Draft rankings. I designate a player class for each prospect (generalist versus specialist), and player type (in accordance with Louis Boulet’s badge system). It’s not original but I like it, and it feels right.

While today will be a rundown of sorts, I’m realizing the easiest way to do these things from now on will be to focus on one particular prospect with an eye out for the rest, and then kind of go in sequence. So today I want to talk about a Dallas prospect who continues to impress me; to the point where he’ll be higher in the rankings in the next update.

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The cool thing about doing these prospect reports — an intro I’m sure I’ve written before so don’t at me in the comments please — is that the art of surprise is almost always around the corner.

Yes, ideally, we continue to talk about the big names in Dallas’ pipeline because those are the players with the strongest pedigrees and the highest likelihood of becoming impact NHLers. But it’s always just a bit more fun when a player comes out of nowhere to make a statement — not just about what stage of development they’re at, but what they can do when they get into super saiyan mode.

Today is about one such player. Before we begin, let’s look at the rankings thus far. Again, this list is my own personal opinion, and the list only includes players 23 years of age and under.

1. Emil Hemming (2 Games: 0 goals, 0 assists)

2. Cameron Schmidt (8 Games: 3 goals, 7 assists — 84 point pace)

3. Aram Minnetian (2 Games: 0 goals, 0 assists)

4. Tristan Bertucci (2 Games: 0 goals, 0 assists)

5. Brandon Gorzynski (5 Games: 2 goals, 3 assists — 66 point pace)

6. Angus MacDonell (N/A)

7. Mans Goos (6 Games: .926 SV%)

8. George Fegaras (N/A)

9. Niilopekka Muhonen (3 Games: 0 goals, 2 assists — 42 point pace)

There’s nothing to truly analyze thus far. Fegaras’ Cornell team has yet to start the season, while MacDonell hasn’t made the Texas lineup so far. I would like to note: watch out for Goos and Gorzysnki. By the end of the month, I’ll update the rankings. Those two look like they could be major risers. We’ll see if they can maintain their current pace.

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The Dallas Stars regular season may be on the verge of just getting started, but the prospects are already on their respective warpaths.

For the most part, these prospect reports will cover Dallas’ ‘top’ prospects. That means anyone in the my current top 10, such as Emil Hemming, Cameron Schmidt, Aram Minnetian, Tristan Bertucci, Brandon Gorzynski, Angus MacDonell, Mans Goos, George Fegaras, and Niilopekka Muhonen.

For new readers, I don’t count players 23 years of age or older because prospects are defined by early development more than late blooming. We’ll talk about the exceptions when needed. Players like Trey Taylor and Ayrton Martino are fantastic, and have real potential. But they were prospects. Now I’d prefer to call them x-factors.

I bring up this point that is most definitely not mere semantics because in the past, I’ve preferred to cover the true prospects. However, the AHL is in a unique scenario this year where a ton of forwards will be vying for a shot. Hemming, Taylor, Justin Hryckowian, Arttu Hyry, etc. If they prove to be beyond their AHL peers, I’ll make it a point to roll the tape when needed.

Prospect coverage will always be video-centric. There is no other way to write about them in-depth except to watch them, and unpack the potential habits of their game; specifically, the peculiarities of their game. While this will be exclusive to paid subscribers, the rankings will be updated monthly for all readers, stepping back to assess Dallas’ prospect pool on the whole.

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This weekend we had two games between Dallas and Detroit’s prospects. As always, there’s nothing to really analyze in the broad strokes. These aren’t teams so much as a loose coalition of prospects at different stages of their development dropped into a paper bag to let them rip.

Detroit had genuine heavyweights. Axel Sandin Pellikka, Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, and Nate Danielson are some of the better prospects in all of hockey. Meanwhile, the Stars had a collection of dudes, with Cameron Schmidt and Emil Hemming being the most highly rated of an already thin pool.

I’m not here to talk about who was good or bad. Two years ago this time, Mavrik Bourque was barely noticeable, while Artyom Grushnikov looked like prime Drew Doughty. This is also where the legend of Gavin White grew. Random players like Ben Zloty and Keaton Mastrodonato made an impression, while other random players did not. There’s nothing to truly analyze.

However, there are little details in a player’s game that’s typically either present or not. We’re more likely to see a player’s development in more familiar settings; not just games that matter, but existing chemistries, familiar systems, and higher quality linemates in higher stakes situations. Nonetheless, I want to highlight eight players in no particular order and do what we always do here: yap about hockey.

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Hockey is technically underway. It’s not Stars hockey. But it’s kind of Stars hockey.

In many ways, taking an early look at NHL prospects is very much a fool’s errand. For new hockey fans, you might be wondering how and why players are already ranked ahead of the 2026 NHL Draft. The reason is because, despite what you may sometimes hear (about the draft being a “crapshoot”), these players are largely — very known commodities. And have been for years.

For example, a player can be granted what’s called “exceptional status” in the CHL. Nine players have been given this status — which allows players before the age of 16 to participate — and they include Michael Misa, Connor Bedard, Shane Wright, Joe Veleno, Sean Day, Connor McDavid, Aaron Ekblad, John Tavares, and Landon Dupont…who won’t be eligible for the draft until 2027. Obviously, some of those names do not belong. But the point is that a player is typically not defined by one season, but by a body of work over the course of many seasons.

Speaking of, I think it’s telling that a lot of the names we looked at as potential picks in the 2025 NHL Draft — back when we assumed Dallas would be picking late in the first and second — more or less held up.

Bill Zonnon, Sascha Boumedienne, Cullen Potter, Charlie Tretheway, L.J. Mooney, and Carter Amico went more or less as expected, with only Mooney and Tretheway falling past the second round.

That doesn’t mean things always break down like this. Artyom Vilchinsky, who some readers seemed to really like, didn’t get drafted at all. And it’s not to confuse this process as scientific in some way. But it is to emphasize that analyzing the draft is not like playing the slots either.

With that out the way, I’ll be taking a look at four defenders, and three forwards that will be fascinating to watch. Also, please do not confuse anything I write as real analysis. These write-ups will be small, and based off very limited, personal reflections. They’re also based on various scouting services who have them within that 32-62 range. While some of these players likely won’t be available when Dallas is drafting, you never know. See Cameron Schmidt.

Defenders

Vladimir Dravecky: RHD, 6’0, 187lbs (Rogle)

Profiling like something relatively standard-issued — generic, smooth skating two-way defender who might have some offense in him — Dravecky might not seem impressive at first, and I’m sure the Sizepilled sector will argue that he’s too “smol”, but we are talking about a player who played games in a man’s league in his D-1 year (in this case, Lian Bichsel’s old team: Rogle BK in the Swedish Hockey League). Someone like Dravecky reminds me a lot of another player that Dallas drafted in the second round: Tristan Bertucci. There isn’t any one skill that jumps off the page, but it’s how he harnesses his wits together to combine with his skills that makes him an interesting player to follow.

Samu Alalauri: RHD, 6’2, 202lbs (Liiga)

Stars scout Dennis Holland assured me that Dallas doesn’t intentionally look to expand the Finnish mafia (not that he needed to, obviously). A player like Alalauri could potentially prove his point. It would be one thing for Alalauri to just be a bigger body. Instead he’s a big body with genuinely light feet, and equally nimble puck control. Check out that outlet pass at 4:41. He’s also got lots of experience on the international stage, having represented Finland at the World Juniors for their U17 and U18 tournaments. Alalauri’s season is already underway. It’s quite possible he doesn’t fly under the radar at all, and ends up playing in the Finnish elite league. Regardless, a Finnish Blake Fiddler sounds good to me.

Axel Elofsson: RHD, 5’10, 161lbs (J20)

Before you go checking the tape measure, I suggest you watch this shift-to-shift package. Elofsson isn’t just short for a hockey player, he’s also wafer-thin. However, he is not to be underestimated. His first-step is one of the better ones I’ve seen in recent years, which is huge, because the ideal advantage for smaller players — especially in an era where the big guys move like small guys — is to be a lot faster. Elofsson has that gear. It’s a gear that made him nearly a point per game player for his J20 team (Orebro HK), and a gear that made him an actual point per game player at the international jr. tournament for the Sweden U17 team, where he tallied 16 points in 16 games. Outside of his size (and if the trend of not drafting defenders under 6’ tall continues, he’ll probably be available where he shouldn’t), you’d be hardpressed to find flaws in his game. He won’t be clearing creases or anything, but he seems to know his defensive routes, and tracks the puck extremely well. He also doesn’t appear to shy away from contact.

Juho Piiparinen: RHD, 6’2, 203lbs (Liiga U20)

I promise this is not a bit: “oooh, look at all the Finnish mafia recruits.” I doubt the Stars scouting staff is looking to build Finland via Joe Masseria. If anything, my experience with Emil Hemming has created an overcorrection in my bias. Which is to say, Finnish players have to really stand out for me. BPA, right? Talk about a potential get if his development remains. Piiparinen is not just fast for his size. He’s actively slick, light on his edges, and better yet — moves creatively in open and closed spaces, which feels significant for the modern game. There are also flashes of very clean puck control. His hands can keep up with his feet, which is significant given that he seems to have decent vision too. This is not about Dallas badly needing to draft a RHD so much as it is about a player looking like a genuine defensive talent.

Forwards

Maddox Dagenais: C, 6’2, 181lbs (QMJHL)

One of the interesting things to watch going into the Stars future will be their center depth. At some point, Roope Hintz will age out, as will Matt Duchene. Who backs up Wyatt Johnston when he’s Hintz’ age? Dallas doesn’t have a ton of center depth in their prospect pool. In fact, of their top nine prospects, only Angus MacDonell qualifies. Someone like Dagenais has a solid profile for a future third line center: he has good speed for his size, and plays a pretty aggressive game. His game is obviously raw. Still, 26 points in 46 games is not that bad when you consider that the Quebec Ramparts were the third-worst scoring team in the Q (something that’s extremely hard to do given how notoriously high-scoring the league is).

Oscar Hemming: LW, 6’4, 190lbs (Liiga)

Yes, Emil Hemming’s brother. Take away the name, however, and consider the intriguing profile on its own: a big, somewhat hulking, 6’4 left winger. That’s exactly what Dallas needs. Like his brother, his stats don’t stand out too much. When you compare his production to his brother, they are strikingly similar: well over a PPG for the U18 team, a little over half a PPG for the U20, and extremely productive for the international junior squad. Like his brother, the production is not the appeal1. Both players seem to have two-way DNA in the broad strokes with pro frames. However, they are very distinct. Oscar clearly has the higher ceiling, it should be said. He lacks the agility of Emil, but he has the traits of a small winger. This is clearly a forward Dallas would have eyes on, a good story or not.

Chase Harrington: LW, 6’0, 196lbs (WHL)

As one of the older players entering this year’s draft, Harrington should be able to distinguish himself without players like Berkly Catton and Andrew Cristall taking all the production glory. With 50 points in 68 games, and 14 in 20 playoff games, Harrington is another player Dallas could use to fill the left wing spots that will eventually be vacated by Jamie Benn, and…Sam Steel? Yea, left wing is grim.

What makes this week a little different is that we have two different approaches to give us two different assessments of Dallas’ prospect pipeline.

For those that don’t know, Corey Pronman ranks a team’s prospect pool by rating the roster of players age 22 by or before September 15. Angry fans in the comments section often take issue with this, but I don’t see the problem. It’s not what I would do — nor is it what the other publication we’ll get to does — but there’s a clean logic to it: graduating and developing are not always the same thing. Players like Alexis Lafrenière graduated early, but his development was and continues to be late. Someone like Juraj Slafkovsky is a less dramatic version of this example. Conversely, players like Thomas Harley and Simon Edvinsson are fully developed, but didn’t graduate early.

So I think this is a completely reasonable method. It’s a way of erring on the side of caution. Regardless of team rank, the point is that you end up with a broad view of projecting value into the future. Whether the players are 18 or 22, we’re still talking about young talents with projectable futures whether they’ve already started contributing or not. Besides, there are just as many good reasons to keep a prospect away from an NHL lineup as there are superficial ones. In addition, a ranking like this gives more clarity to playoff teams that have drafted well.

EliteProspects, conversely, errs on the side of an organization’s trust. If a player has graduated, they are no longer a prospect, but an emerging NHL veteran. Something I’m sure some readers will appreciate is that they also don’t have the hard age cutoff that I do1. Which is fine. This also has its own merits. With this method, you have a clearer image of expectation. Everyone is on equal footing. This also throws tanking teams a bone, since they’ve spent more time at the draft table.

I want to have this (somewhat superfluous) discussion because I think it’s helpful in understanding how prospects are covered, and analyzed; something Stars scout Dennis Holland was kind enough to explain here. It’s such a delicate process in general that I don’t think any one method works best. To that end, I’ll be doing what EPRinkside does, just with the added age-23 cutoff.

For those curious about where we left off last year, here were my rankings.

Stars Rank: 23rd per Corey Pronman

Read the article in full, here.

Pronman only has five players as either showing or having NHL potential: Wyatt Johnston, Lian Bichsel, Cameron Schmidt, Emil Hemming, and Mans Goos.

I’m sure some fans will find this list absurd, but I’m actually okay with it. As I’ve always tried to stress, while I personally like a lot more players than that, the Stars don’t have any tier 1 prospects that are not already in the NHL. So not seeing Aram Minnetian, Tristan Bertucci, or Angus MacDonell shouldn’t be surprising.

What I would take issue with is Dallas’ ranking against the rest of the league. In this case Johnston, Bichsel, and Schmidt versus…

• Vancouver: Braeden Cootes, Tom Willander, Jonathan Lekkeriemaki

• L.A.: Brandt Clarke, Liam Greentree, Henry Brzestewicz

• Boston: James Hagens, Fraser Minten, Dans Locmelis

While it’s easy to contrast two players already in the NHL against players who are not, I’m trying to respect where each player was in their respective draft years. Johnston, like Greentree, for example, finished with more points in his D+1 year. Yes, in four more games, but also at a more premium position. Same thing with Bichsel versus Willander. Bichsel was playing pro games while Willander was in the NCAA. Hagens I believe in, but I’m skeptical of Minten and Locmelis as genuine impact players at the pro level.

This is nitpicking from an obvious bias, I know, but if anything, this highlights how this method can get messy, as it pits NHL-level prospects against non-NHL prospects. It’s not a big deal or anything, but I’m nothing if not an opinion-haver, and that’s my opinion. Completely unbiased of course!

Stars Rank: 29th per EliteProspects

Read the article in full, here.

Now we’re in the thick of it. I find it interesting that Schmidt immediately comes in and bumps Hemming. Pronman did the same. Is this fair?

It’s easy to see why. Hemming came from the pros, transitioned to the OHL, where it should have been easier, and had an extremely blah season for a D+1 year in the OHL. 48 points in 60 games is just not impressive. At all. At least on the surface. While I felt like a little sting despite recognizing the transition might account for some of Hemming’s production sluggishness, it really was a tale of two halves for the Finnish winger. Especially in the postseason, where he went full on berserker mode.

Because of that, I still have Hemming above Schmidt.

His game is broadly speaking, still more projectable between his size and forechecking. This is a player who eventually earned minutes on the PK. I wouldn’t at all be shocked if Hemming stayed above Schmidt on the depth chart at the NHL level as a result. Here I’m thinking of Oskar Bäck; a player I didn’t think was NHL quality at all, but whose mature game the Stars dug enough to give him a shot over more talented forwards — and who, to his credit, made his mark.

Outside of that, EP has Aram Minnetian — who I’m quite fond of — where I have him: third. I have Trey Taylor and Tristan Bertucci a lot higher on my list (yes, I know Taylor gets cut due to age but this is a really good player). They also have Christian Kyrou at #6, with what I would argue is a very charitable breakdown of his game, who I don’t have ranked at all. Granted, I’m rooting for him. But it’s hard to give him a favorable assessment when he was healthy scratched most of the time. For reference, here’s my personal ranking (Martino turns 23 next month).

1. Emil Hemming

2. Cameron Schmidt

3. Aram Minnetian

4. Tristan Bertucci

5. Brandon Gorzynski

6. Angus MacDonell

7. Mans Goos

8. Geroge Fegaras

9. Niilopekka Muhonen

Again, Taylor, Antonio Stranges, Arno Tiefensee, and Arttu Hyry deserve a lot of love here, so don’t forget those names, but again — there is no perfect method.

While the season isn’t close enough for many fans still panting like dogs for actual hockey, that’s not the case for the CHL. Emil Hemming and the Barrie Colts start next week with their preseason, and then the regular season starts September 20. Cameron Schmidt will also be in action that day.

I’ll be sure to a follow a similar, but much more stringent path in covering prospects. Each week, I’ll highlight a prospect with some film room analysis following a spotlight sort of theme. This will be wherever it needs to be: OHL, WHL, NCAA, AHL, etc. These will be paywalled. However, I will update my prospect rankings every month for unpaid subscribers, that way you’re still getting consistent prospect coverage here.

I like the idea of updated prospect rankings every month. As we’ve seen with a lot of recent Stars picks, development can happen before you even know it.

I’ve — perhaps aggressively so — made no bones about how much I liked the 2025 NHL Draft and the value I assumed Dallas could get out of it. Between the forwards, the defensemen, and the first round in general, there was, as there always is, value to be found.

But beyond that, as I said to Gavin on Spits and Suds, the draft is not just fun; it’s also a way to learn about hockey in general, and hockey’s future more specifically. Future opponents, future linemates in victory green, future styles, and even player profiles moving forward. The draft gives you that glimpse. If you’re wondering why there are no more Lane Hutsons over the next five years, then look no further than the 2025 Draft, which saw not a single defender under six feet go in any of the seven rounds.

I also just love what this border represents. There is the practical knowledge of each' player’s skillset, and the theoretical knowledge of how that skillset can look in victory green. Ideally, the two meet to become the new Dallas Stars reality. Is that what Jim Nill and the organization got? IMO, yes. And then some.

Admittedly — spoiler alert — I wasn’t too fond of how the draft ended. Dallas ended up picking three players (Atte Joki, Dawson Sharkey, and Charlie Paquette) that Corey Pronman and many others didn’t even have rated. Meanwhile, players that were rated — Carlos Handel (177 to Ottawa), Bruno Idzan (181 to Ottawa), Filip Ekberg (221 to Carolina), Karl Annborn (205 to Seattle), and Luka Radivojevic (undrafted!) — were still on board. Hey. If I get to be excited, surely I get to be disappointed? Just saying.

But the Stars losing out on some interesting longshots is ultimately just small potatoes. Two of their picks were absolute dynamite. Another one I thought was just good (which translates to great in round five). What grades do the Stars deserve on this, and who are these players?

Cameron Schmidt

• Position: LW

• Profile: 5’8, 161lbs

• League: WHL

• Player Class: Specialist

• Player Type: Elusive Carrier, Scoring Threat

There’s not much to add here that I haven’t already covered. Schmidt falling to Dallas was like a bolt from beyond. This is a player who had the classic faller’s profile: talented enough to go in the first round but hey — “Florida’s the only team to ever win a Cup, and they win with size and grit!” And so he fell. Nevermind that the Panthers aren’t actually a big team. But that’s neither here nor there, and I’ve said as much elsewhere.

Schmidt is just a brilliant pickup. Speed, skill, and tenacity. A lot will be made about him being a replacement for Logan Stankoven. Schmidt is nothing like Stankoven, to be clear. Where Stankoven was more of a forechecking playmaker (it’s important to remember that Stankoven played center his junior career, and thus always played more responsibly by nature), Schmidt is your classic north-south shooter. Yes, that sounds more like Denis Gurianov. And no, I won’t accept Gurianov slander here. However, no two players are alike anyway. And nobody’s quite like Schmidt. But I’ve already yapped about him plenty so just read my report below.

Draft Grade: A strong A+

Brandon Gorzynski

• Position: LW

• Profile: 6’2, 181lbs

• League: WHL

• Player Class: Generalist

• Player Type: Pillar of Support, Elusive Carrier

This is another pickup I really loved. EPRinkside had Gorzynski ranked just outside of the second round at #68.

I can’t help but think of shades of Emil Hemming. The WHL winger is working with a bit less raw talent, but not that much less: this is a big winger with above average speed and neutral zone acumen ala Warren Foegele.

Like Foegele — although not exactly like — he fits the profile of a gritty grinder, but his game holds a lot more nuance. His hands are much softer despite being such an off-puck hog, and he seems to have a modest amount of vision when creating chances in close. This is the absolute definition of a sleeper pick, and easily the most projectable player — yes, over Schmidt — of this draft class.

Draft Grade: A strong B+

Atte Joki

• Position: C

• Profile: 6’2, 190lbs

• League: U20 SM-sarja

• Player Class: Generalist

• Player Type: Gritty Grinder, PK Specialist

The draft is about value gained in proportion to value lost. That’s it. Anything else is just smoke and mirrors. In terms of value lost, I despised (in a sports way) this pick. With Quinn Beauchesne, Evan Passmore, Carlos Handel (!), Bruno Idzan, Luka Radiovevic, Karl Annborn, and Filip Ekberg — all still on board, I can’t for the life of me imagine picking an Oskar Back clone. Players like that are a dime a dozen, and you can call them up from your AHL team at any time. Why?

Because he can transition into a blueliner one day?

Obviously, I hadn’t seen anything about the kid until the indispensable Prospect Shifts channel posted a video. Did it change my mind? No. Everything about his game is bland, and his forward-facing skills are clearly lacking. But there’s a lot more going on, and a little more nuance under the hood. I’m the only one that needs to hear this but it makes sense — people are paid to do this for a living, after all.

Draft Grade: A skeptical D-

Måns Goos

• Position: G

• Profile: 6’5, 198lbs

• League: J20 Nationell

• Player Class: N/A

• Player Type: N/A

I’m glad Dallas is willing to take flyers on these European goalies. Both Arno Tiefensee and Maxim Mayorov (both with experience in professional leagues) have been solid pickups, and now Goos follows in that tradition. Goos hits all the right notes in a goalie prospect: he’s tall. Outside of that, Corey Pronman was the only big name who had him as high as he did (in the second round). Here’s what he had to say.

He can struggle to get to the toughest lateral saves, but he competes hard, is aggressive and makes difficult saves. Goos reads the play well, and while he can scramble a bit too much, he's generally efficient and square to pucks. He projects as a backup goalie in the NHL.

Draft Grade: A straight B

Dawson Sharkey

• Position: RW

• Profile: 6’1, 185lbs

• League: QMJHL

• Player Class: N/A

• Player Type: N/A

Sharkey’s an overager who played in the Q’, scoring 39 points in 54 games for the Acadie-Bathurst Titan. It was the story of the day: Dallas wasn’t interested in the defenders in this class. It’s hard to find quality video of who he is on the micro level, but I did find a highlight of him scoring a hat trick.

Draft Grade: A discerning D+

Charlie Paquette

• Position: RW

• Profile: 6’2, 207lbs

• League: OHL

• Player Class: N/A

• Player Type: N/A

Another forward with size. Another overager. Paquette was the Guelph Storm’s assistant captain, and was a point per game player.

Draft Grade: F

July Prospect Rankings

While I got a little Sports Mad over Dallas’ picks beyond the first two, those were still two, really really good picks. Without picking in either of the first two rounds, Dallas’ haul might as well look like the Islanders.

Again, this is not recency bias. I’ve been following Dallas’ prospects for years. Schmidt immediately move into the top five. Speaking of, here they are.

1. Emil Hemming

2. Cameron Schmidt

3. Aram Minnetian

4. Tristan Bertucci

5. Brandon Gorzynski

6. Ayrton Martino

7. Angus MacDonell

8. Måns Goos

9. George Fegaras

10. Niilopekka Muhonen

As I’ve mentioned before, I only rank players under 23. This eliminates players like Matej Blumel, Antonio Stranges, Arno Tiefensee, and other various Texas Stars. That’s just a hard and fast rule of mine to emphasize the difference between prospects and emerging veterans. Prospects tend to have a lot more room for development. There are exceptions — the late bloomer, for example — but again, it’s hardly the rule.

A player like Gorzynski may seem strange over players like Martino and MacDonell who produced at really high rates in their respective leagues; certainly higher than Gorzynski. But Gorzynski, in addition to being younger, has a much more projectable game, hence the ranking.

All in all, I’d say this is found money. No picks in the first two rounds, and Dallas finds three players that immediately go into their top 10. Obviously, that’s more of a reflection of their shallow pool. But it an be both: a reflection of the value they just added.