Welcome to the 2014 edition of “Top Shelf Prospects”. As we go through the Summer of 2014 I will be featuring a team-by-team look at the top prospects in the NHL. I will go team by team through the NHL bringing you a look at each Teams Top Prospects. I will be following the order of the first round of the NHL draft (as if there were no traded draft picks) and you can find all the articles here. Since we had an extensive NHL Draft preview, I will not be reviewing the players who were drafted in the 2014 draft, as there have been no games since then, and my reports on them will not have changed. What I will be doing is linking you to those articles, as well as taking a look at prospects that were acquired before this year’s draft; their progress, and their chances of making the 2014-15 roster of the NHL team in question. I will also bring you one sleeper pick – a player who was either drafted in the 4th-round or later, or was an undrafted free agent signing who I pick as my darkhorse to make the NHL. For those wondering, the cut-off for what is or isn’t a prospect is typically about 50 NHL games played or being 25 years old. These are not hard or fast rules though, and I may make some exceptions depending on the circumstances.
Its been a heck of a year for the Stars and a lot of the credit has to go to Jim Nill. The Dallas Stars got back into the playoffs in 2014, and it was a tremendous trade to get Tyler Seguin that helped make it happen. There are a number of teams that have been trying to find a true top line centre for quite some time and been unable to acquire one, and this summer Nill managed to get two in less than a year, grabbing Jason Spezza out of Ottawa. Thats some impressive work.
Nill was also able to draft Valeri Nichushkin who proved to be an absolute steal at 10th overall. The only reason he fell was due to the Russian factor and now many of the teams who picked ahead of Dallas are probably kicking themselves for passing on the winger. Now the Stars hope that Nill will continue to work his magic going forward as the team looks to take the next step. Part two for Nill will be finding an elite defender to run blueline and the hope is that first round pick Julius Honka could develop into that. If something is available sooner though, expect Nill to pounce, he hasn’t been afraid to fill his needs via some sharp trading.
2014 Draft Picks (Reviewed by LWOS): Julius Honka, Brett Pollock, Alex Peters, Brent Moran, Aaron Haydon
Graduates: Valeri Nichushkin, Antoine Roussel, Brenden Dillon,
Top Dallas Stars Prospects
Top Prospect #1 Brett Ritchie, RW
Born Jul 1 1993 — Orangeville, ONT
Height 6.03 — Weight 209 — Shoots Right
Selected by the Dallas Stars in the 2nd round 44th overall 2011 NHL Entry Draft
A solid first pro season moves Ritchie up to number one amongst Stars prospects this year. Ritchie put up 22 goals and 48 points in 68 games with the Texas Stars and scored 7 goals in 13 playoff games in helping the team to the Calder Cup.
Ritchie developed into a dominant physical presence and an impressive goal scorer this year. He has impressive size and he knows how to use it, as an aggressive forechecker who really puts pressure on defencemen as they go back to retrieve pucks. With the puck on his stick he’s willing to skate right through his opponents to create a scoring chance, and is always driving the net. He’s willing to dig in the corners and to take the punishment to work in front of the goalie. Ritchie also has a hard accurate wrist shot, and a good one-timer. His wrister has a deceptively quick release, leading to a number of goals
Ritchie is improving defensively, and has really begun to be a physical force in his own end as well. His ability to win battles for the puck and to contain opponents to the outside is a real asset for him. He also shows a willingness to block shots, and to make the little plays that are important in the defensive zone.
Ritchie will be given the opportunity to win a spot on the big club with a good camp. However if he does go back to the AHL, he could be a full-time member of the Stars in the second half of the year.
Prospect #2 Jack Campbell, Goalie
Born Jan 9 1992 — Port Huron, MI
Height 6.02 — Weight 185 — Shoots Left, Catches Left
Selected by the Dallas Stars in the 1st round 11th overall of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft
It was a tough year for Campbell. A knee injury suffered in October kept him out for most of the regular season. Another injury in the first round of the playoffs took him out for the rest of the year. When he did play he was extremely good, but it feels like a lost year for the Stars top goalie prospect.
Over his career so far, Campbell has been inconsistent. It was hoped that he could be a consistent goaltender in his second AHL season, but the injuries derailed that. Prior to this season, he seemed to be at his best when the pressure is at its highest but has had trouble bringing a high level of play over a full season. This pattern has been seen in junior, on the international stage, and in the AHL, where he was better when given the full number one job on the Texas team (such as when partner Chris Nihlstorp was called up to the NHL) then he has been working in a tandem. This pattern was also seen by Campbell’s high level of play at the World Juniors and in the OHL Playoffs, but inconsistency in the OHL regular season.
Talent wise, Campbell has it all. He plays excellent positionally, is always square to the puck. Campbell is a big goalie who cuts down his angles well and takes up a ton of room in the net. He has excellent lateral mobility and plays an effective butterfly style that takes away the bottom of the net with his fast legs. Campbell has quick reflexes and a lightning fast glove that takes away a shooters options upstairs. Lastly he possesses excellent puckhandling skills and this greatly helps his defencemen out.
It would appear that Campbell needs to work on his mental game. He seems to have a tendency to not be able to let go of a bad goal, and once one gets by him, things can really snowball. The Stars will need to work with Campbell on this aspect. If he can get his head in the right spot and be a consistent goaltender, Dallas will have a real gem. Expect to see Campbell back in the AHL this season, where finding that focus, and trying to get in a full season without an injury will be his number 1 priority.
Prospect #3 Jamie Oleksiak, Defence
Born Dec 21 1992 — Toronto, ONT
Height 6.07 — Weight 254 — Shoots Left
Selected by the Dallas Stars in the 1st round, 14th overall in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft
Oleksiak’s offensive numbers dipped slightly in his second AHL season, putting up 10 less points for the Texas Stars despite playing 10 more games. That said his defensive game seemed to improve playing alongside Derek Meech. He was especially effective defensively in the playoffs playing big minutes for the Texas Stars as they took the Calder Cup.
The first thing everyone notices about Jamie Oleksiak is his towering size. At 6’7″ and 240 lbs, the defender is a massive physical specimen. He uses his towering size and huge reach advantage to be extremely effective in his own end of the ice. He plays an effective positional game and when you combine this with his massive size and long reach he takes away a ton of space, and seriously minimizes passing lanes in his own end of the rink. Oleksiak has also proven to be a faithful and willing shot blocker. However Oleksiak’s size is used to its full advantage outmuscling opponents in front of the net or in the corners. While he doesn’t use his frame to lay out devastating hits very often, he does use his strength and size advantage smartly in winning those battles in front of the net and in the corners.
Don’t be fooled though, the big man brings more to the game than just his defensive prowess. He also brings effective offensive skils to the table. Oleksiak is a very good passer. Oleksiak gets the transition game started with strong, crisp passes out of his own end. While the vast majority of his breakout passes are effective he does sometimes make a bad giveaway and will need to continue to work to reduce these in his own end. He also is alert and keeps his headup when working the point in the offensive zone. He has good smarts and can often find the open man for a scoring chance.
The main knock on Oleksiak is his skating. While no one will consider him a speedster, those concerns seem overblown. Sure he’s not the fleetest of foot, but not many 6’7″ defencemen come around with his ability. He is a very good skater for a defenceman his size, and with solid positioning any issues he might have are greatly minimized.
Oleksiak will fight for a spot on the Stars blueline this season. Even if he is back in the AHL expect him to be the first man called up if injuries hit.
Super Sleeper: John Klingberg, Defence
Born Aug 14 1992 — Goteborg, Sweden
Height 6.01 — Weight 176 – Shoots Right
Drafted by the Dallas Stars in the 5th round, 131st overall in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft
The Stars have been waiting quite some time for John Klingberg to make the jump from Sweden to the North America, and after a solid SHL season with Frolunda, it appears that he will do so in 2014-15. Klingberg is the brother of Winnipeg Jets forward prospect Carl Klingberg. He was a member of Sweden’s 2012 gold medal winning team at the World Junior Championships.
Klingberg is a very good skater. He has a textbook stride and good speed and acceleration in both directions. Solid edgework, pivots, and agility mean that he is extremely mobile and able to cover a ton of ice at both ends of the ice. Klingberg does have decent balance and a powerful stride which helps him to be strong on the puck.
Klingberg loves to either lead the rush, or join it as a trailer. He uses his strong skating to really push the attack and has the stickhandling ability to control the play and attack the zone. He can unleash a good wrist shot with a quick release, or let go a strong slap shot. He also has good vision in the offensive zone, either on the rush, or he can use his passing ability to quarterback the power play. His strong mobility allows him to walk the line and open up shooting and passing lanes.
Klingberg is a little bit too much of a riverboat gambler right now, and will need some work on his defensive game. He has the raw skating skill though and he isn’t afraid to battle, so if he can be coached into some better positioning and decision making he can really make an impact. Klingberg will need some time in the AHL though, so expect to see him with the Texas Stars this season.
The Rest of the Stars system features strength down the middle. There is some depth at centre in Jason Dickinson, Radek Faksa, Brett Pollack, and Devin Shore. Phillipe Desrosiers is also a high end goalie prospect who the Stars got in the second round of the 2013 draft. On defence Kevin Connaughton looks ready for full time NHL duty. With Oleksiak, Klingberg, and Connaughton all nipping at his heels on the depth chart, Patrick Nemeth get the first opportunity to make an impact in the NHL this season. He will need to take full advantage or the faith in the former second round pick could start to wane, and some of the players behind him could surpass him. Ludwig Bystrom has solid potential and was a second round pick in 2012, he will be given time to develop, and so there is some depth on the blueline even if the chances of a true #1 are limited to Honka. The weakest area right now is on the wing. This isn’t a huge issue though as some of those centres may end up on the wing, and there are already youngsters playing on the wing in the NHL such as Jamie Benn and Valeri Nichushkin. Overall, the Stars seem to be a team on the rise.
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