Presenting The 2010 Dallas Stars Draft Class

If you were unhappy with the Stars first round pick of goaltender Jack Campbell on day one, rounds 2 through 7 were probably more to your liking as the Stars chose 3 defensemen with their 4 additional picks.

Joe Nieuwendyk made it known that he was looking to move his 2nd rounder on day two to acquire more picks, but as round two flew by on the less than stellar NHL Network coverage, the Stars made their pick rather than trading down. The trade came later in the day in round three because the Colorado Avalanche were apparently quite eager to move from 77 to 71 and the Stars were only too happy to cooperate. The Avalanche traded pick #77 and #109 to the Stars for the 71st selection in round 3.

With the trade to acquire the extra pick, the Stars were able to draft enough defensmen to inject some life into the position organizationally, while still getting their guy Campbell at #11. The picks were rounded out with a left wing, Alex Guptill in the third round.

2010 Dallas Stars NHL Draft:

• 11th pick - goaltender Jack Campbell

• 41st pick - defenseman Patrik Nemeth

• 77th pick - left wing Alexander Guptill

• 109th pick - defenseman Alex Theriau

• 131st pick - defenseman John Klingberg

While Patrick Campbell is the only recognizable name from this years class, the Stars are hoping to recreate recent surprise successes in the draft such as Jamie Benn in the fifth round, Philip Larsen in the fifth round, and James Neal in the second. Loui Eriksson was also drafted in the second round. This scouting staff remains largely intact from the previous administration and they hope that with six picks, they hit at least one home run. That's about the most your average draft can expect these days...

Before you vote, take a look at each pick after the jump...

11th pick - goaltender Jack Campbell (6-3, 185)

With Fowler and Gormley falling, the Stars stayed focused on their guy, getting Campbell at #11. TSN had Campbell ranked as a top 9 player in the draft, so it's hard to say the Stars didn't get good value here. The question in fans minds is "did they get the absolute BEST value they could have?" We won't know that for years and years to come, but Stars fans should be excited to have a true "blue chip" goaltending prospect in the system now.

His athleticism has been compared to Marty Turco's but his mechanics are more sound. He relishes the big moments and has performed splendidly at the highest level for the USA Junior teams.

"Our guys have loved this guy from the start and we just said if he was available at No. 11, we couldn't let him go," GM Joe Nieuwendyk said. "We viewed this that after Taylor Hall and Tyler Seguin, Jack Campbell had the next best chance to be a franchise player."

Campbell will play for the Windsor Spitfires next year and likely the year after that.

41st pick - defenseman Patrik Nemeth (6-3, 201):

Nemeth is a big, physical Swedish defender that projects to be a shut down kind of guy similar to Nick Grossman, but with a mean streak. He doesn't shy from contact and figures to be a big factor on the penalty kill. His defense is top notch, but his offense isn't, which is what put him in the second round.

Though lacking offensive ability, he is said to be a strong skater for such a big d-man. Check out Copper and Blue's Prospect Profile for Patrik Nemeth.

He'll take the typical scenic route to the NHL, playing in Sweden for a bit longer and then with the Texas Stars as transfer agreements allow. He shows a lot of promise and scouts told Pro Hockey Talk yesterday he could be one of the steals of the second round. He's already big for an 18 year old and he's not done growing yet.I have seen him listed anywhere from 201 lbs to 212 lbs.

77th pick - left wing Alexander Guptill (6-3, 175):

This is a bit of a reach into the second tier of Canadian junior hockey. This kid can supposedly play all three forward positions and be a game changer, but has yet to face much in the way of real competition. He's committed to play for Waterloo of the USHL next season and then the University of Michigan after that.

This is definitely a long term project, more so than the other players in this draft. The good news is that he's already 6'3".

"He's a big kid that we've seen him 15 or 20 times He has a real good foundation of skating, skill and a good offensive touch. He's an impressive young player." -Dallas Morning News

109th pick - defenseman Alex Theriau (6-2, 189):

Another big defenseman at 6-2, 189 and only 18 years old...Dallas got a whole crop of players here who are big and will keep filling out. Theriau plays for the Everett Silvertips of the WHL and had 4 goals and 20 assists in 70 games last year with 68 PIMs. He was a +12 on the season.

Mike Heika says he is a "smoother skater" and could possibly develop into a top end player down the road. It's hard to say with a 4th round pick.

Enjoy some of his work here:

And here's a Q&A with him from McKeen's Hockey.

131st pick - defenseman John Klingberg (6-0, 158):

I'll let Art tell you about this one...

Another Swedish defenseman who is more of an offensive minded player than defensive but does play solid in his own end. He does need to bulk up more but that will most likely come with time. Overall mobility and puck movement is his strong points. More than likely he caught the attention of Stars officials as they monitored Phillp Larsen's progres over in the SEL. John is the brother of Atlanta Thrashers forward prospect Carl.

ESPN has the Stars thoughts on Klinberg...

Kari Takko, Stars European scout: "He started to come on at the second half of last year. His attributes are a lot like Philip Larsen's. He needs to fill out a little, but he's a good two-way defenseman."

Rickard Oquist, Stars European scout: "He's a two-way defenseman and he has some bite to his game. He's a good skater, mobile and moves the puck with ease. Big guy that needs some time to fill out."

So there you have it: Your 2010 draft.

For all the grumblings of Friday night, they did eventually end up with a defense heavy class as everyone expected/hoped, and even got an extra pick out of the proceedings. Last years draft was described as "speedy wingers." I think we can describe this one "big defensemen," but it's still well rounded with Campbell at G and Guptill finishing things out at the left wing.

The draft floor trading of Mike Ribeiro anticipated by many going into the weekend did not materialize, and the Stars have only a few days before the lunacy of Free Agency to get a deal done to improve the NHL level defense. Stars fans should like this draft, but the quandary of what to do about next season has not been addressed here. Indeed the weekend was filled with trade speculation that did not happen. As they said on the broadcast Friday: "The teams with cash have no cap space and the teams with cap space have no cash." That's not conducive to an active trade market.

Will they make a deal before July 1st, or will they sit back and watch the carnage, preferring to leverage someones need at forward after all the dust settles? My bet is on the latter, but for now let's congratulate the Stars on what appears to be a pretty solid draft class and hope we see some of these big kids here in 3 or 4 years.