The Dallas Stars clearly want to play their Texas connections for all they’re worth during the 2018 NHL Draft. They’ve picked a great way to start with Texas Hockey Day, which will serve as the official kickoff event for draft weekend, on Thursday, June 21.
The highlight of the free event is an NHL Top Prospects Clinic, in which 20 local youth players will get to jam with Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, and Ben Bishop. The team will also present its Normandy Homes Three Stars of the Year Awards and the Mike Modano Trophy for the team’s regular-season points leader.
“We definitely have a history here, and it’s good to look back at it,” said team president Brad Alberts. “The team has a winning tradition with the Stanley Cup and several division championships, but it goes back further than that. We get a chance to show that to the world this week.”
Texas Hockey Day will also feature youth and adult hockey games, as well as autograph sessions with Stars players and alumni.
Mike Heika has more. [Dallas Stars]
More Stars
Do Stars fans really want to buy into the John Tavares pipe dream? It may not be as distant as you think, according to Josh Lile.
Stars signing John Tavares seems crazy, but it can be done and maybe should be pursued https://t.co/Cm3eP0BLl5
— SportsDay Stars (@dmn_stars) June 20, 2018
Josh Friemel has started a new series ranking the Stars’ 27 fighting majors of the 2017-18 season. His first post stars Brett Ritchie, Jason Dickinson, and Greg Pateryn.
Looking back on Stars’ 2017 fights, Nos. 25-27: Brett Ritchie made Karl Alzner pay for being a good teammate | @Josh_Friemel #GoStars https://t.co/6CX1cP8gZo
— SportsDayDFW (@SportsDayDFW) June 20, 2018
Greg celebrated his birthday yesterday, and the Stars celebrated with this video.
No. 29 turns 28 today! Happy birthday, Greg Pateryn!🎉 pic.twitter.com/kUpWSAWsJ4
— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) June 20, 2018
Sean Shapiro brings a bit of Jere Lehtinen trivia that I never would have guessed (and maybe you wouldn’t, either).
Spoke to Jere Lehtinen tonight at opening of Texas Hockey History Center. He’s in town for the NHL draft, said it’ll be first time he’s ever been to an NHL draft.
— Sean Shapiro (@seanshapiro) June 21, 2018
Draft Daze
Josh Bogorad and Bruce LeVine talked about prospects to watch and the advent of smaller, faster NHL players in their draft preview.
Josh and Bruce take a look at some of the prospects that could end up wearing Victory Green on Friday night at the #NHLDraft. pic.twitter.com/UP7v4mwfCO
— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) June 20, 2018
NBC Sports has posted this thought experiment to help you get in the mindset.
#NHLDraft Day is just around the corner, folks! 😉 pic.twitter.com/Hdkb0TtWdo
— NHL on NBC (@NHLonNBCSports) June 20, 2018
Chel or Fortnite? @NHL asks the important questions in this scorching video exposé.
We asked the #NHLDraft prospects some rapid fire questions.
How debatable are some of these answers? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/fkTXBI0cnn
— NHL (@NHL) June 20, 2018
On a more serious note, The Hangar will not be permitted to offer discounts on NHL Draft and other merchandise.
FYI regarding #NHLDraft merchandise sales. Thank You for Understanding! See everyone over the next few days! pic.twitter.com/vhEjEao5RW
— Stars Hangar (@StarsHangar) June 20, 2018
2018 NHL Awards
Awards night in Vegas may have offered more than you had any business expecting.
Bad jokes, heart-wrenching reunions, a hometown sweep, and one super-tight MVP race — the 2018 #NHLAwards had a little bit of everything.@lukefoxjukebox has the top takeaways from the night:https://t.co/nfbQSEalz9
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) June 21, 2018
As many predicted, Taylor Hall won the Hart Memorial Trophy as the regular-season league MVP. The New Jersey Devils are grinning ear to ear, probably.
Taylor Hall has won the NHL Hart Memorial Trophy (MVP) as “the player judged to be the most valuable to his team.” #NHLAwards pic.twitter.com/2zGQBPka4k
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) June 21, 2018
In addition, for the first time ever, Hall made an NHL First All-Star Team. Three other first-timers joined him: Nashville Predators goalie Pekka Rinne, along with Tampa Bay Lightning D-man Victor Hedman and right wing Nikita Kucherov.
Your First All-Star Team@cmcdavid97 @86Kucherov @hallsy09 @dewyy8 @heds77
Pekka Rinne#NHLAwards pic.twitter.com/2UwT83pOlS— NHL (@NHL) June 21, 2018
Rinne also won his first career Vezina Trophy as the regular season’s best tender.
Pekka Rinne wins the Vezina Trophy. Yes, we’re crying too.#Preds | #NHLAwards
Interactive timeline and story: https://t.co/zzQQI4kuta pic.twitter.com/TJIcy000Tu
— Nashville Predators (@PredsNHL) June 21, 2018
The Vegas Golden Knights came away with an astonishing hardware haul – including Gerard Gallant’s Jack Adams Award, William Karlsson’s Lady Byng Memorial Trophy, Deryk Engelland’s Mark Messier Leadership Award, and George McPhee’s GM of the Year prize.
A successful first haul at the #NHLAwards 👌 pic.twitter.com/wqyZa9WitF
— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) June 21, 2018
The All-Rookie Team boasted incipient superstars Mathew Barzal (who also took home the Calder Trophy), Brock Boeser, Clayton Keller, Charlie McAvoy, Will Butcher, and Juuse Saros.
The kids!@Barzal_97 @BBoeser16 @ClaytonKeller37 @CMcAvoy44 @WillButcher4
Juuse Saros#NHLAwards pic.twitter.com/k3LAccViFG— NHL (@NHL) June 21, 2018
The show reflected a hockey season that was frequently defined by tragedy. Host city Las Vegas offered a tribute to first responders, commemorating the mass shooting that occurred days before the NHL season began.
Humboldt Broncos head coach Darcy Haugan – one of 16 team members killed in April in a bus crash in Saskatchewan – received the inaugural Willie O’Ree Community Hero Award.
The Florida Panthers honored the shooting victims of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School with help from MSD dad Roberto Luongo and teammate Aleksander Barkov. The school’s state-champion ice hockey team helped present the Calder Trophy to Barzal.
Brian Boyle made it official, taking home the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy for his comeback from chronic myeloid leukemia.
Proud of everything @BriBrows22 and his family has been through. We love ya man, congrats! #NHLAwards #NJDevils pic.twitter.com/F1EfDnS3da
— Kyle Palmieri (@kylepalmieri) June 21, 2018
Yes, you ask, but who made the cover of NHL 19? That would be Preds star P.K. Subban, elite defender and joy in human form, pretty much.
The face of #NHL19. Welcome to the fam @PKSubban1! pic.twitter.com/2NwxWpLWZm
— #NHL19 (@EASPORTSNHL) June 21, 2018
Around the League(s)
It wasn’t 100 percent draft and awards news yesterday. If the Stars are trying to get in on Tavares, they may have to outflank the Boston Bruins.
There’s some increasing chatter amongst my NHL sources that the recent trade talk around David Krejci and David Backes may be #NHLBruins trying to clear cap space to make a push at #JohnTavares. #NHLOffSeason #NHLDraft #NHLFreeAgency
— Jimmy Murphy (@MurphysLaw74) June 20, 2018
Elsewhere, the Barry Trotz sweepstakes are just beginning. It should be fun to watch the competition to sign the Washington Capitals’ now-former head coach.
Now hearing that in addition to NYI, there are 2 more teams kicking tires on Barry Trotz.
— John Shannon (@JSportsnet) June 21, 2018
Finally
Patrick Maroon summed up this year’s awards show for, well, just about everybody. Enjoy.
I am out of tissues after those #NHLAwards after all of the tragedies that happened during this season, it’s really humbling to be apart of a league of guys that will always put their hearts and souls to help out those in need. It’s incredible what happens off of the ice.
— Pat Maroon (@patmaroon) June 21, 2018