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Dallas Stars Daily Links: Which Prospects Stood Out at Development Camp?

Posted on by Melissa Flandreau

If you missed out on the Stars Development Camp, don’t worry. Mark Stepneski recapped the camp, reminds you not to read too much into it, and lets you know who to look out for going forward. For starters, there’s the Stars’ latest first-round pick: Riley Tufte.

Riley Tufte, LW (first round/2016): First chance to see him in person and he was impressive. Very impressive. For a kid coming out of high school, he did not look out of place with some guys who had pro experience. And he stood out at times, especially in the 3-on-3 camp scrimmage. Tufte, 18, has size (6-5/205), can skate, has skill and showed some finish. He’s still just a kid and has a way to go in his development. It will be interesting to see how he does this season as he begins his college career at Minnesota-Duluth, but he looks like a really good prospect.

Stepneski also had positive things to say about goaltending prospect Markus Ruusu.

Markus Ruusu, G (sixth round/2015): He’s another guy who has shown a lot of improvement over the past year. … A good sign is that Ruusu is on the radar of Finland’s national junior team for the World Juniors. Stars scouts have praised his calmness in net and coaches at the camp noted his improvement. Good kid with a good attitude, enjoyed talking to him while he was here. Ruusu, who turns 19 next month, could get some playing time in Finland’s top league next season, so he appears to be going in the right direction.

There’s more on players like Denis Gurianov and Chris Martenet at the link. [Stars Inside Edge]

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Landon Bow says his success with the Seattle Thunderbirds came after realizing he had been trying to do “a little bit too much” with Swift Current. [Wrong Side of the Red Line]

Mike Heika answered a variety of readers’ burning questions in his weekly Stars chat, covering everything from whether Jamie Benn could pull a Dirk and take a discount, to how much the team will miss Alex Goligoski and Vernon Fiddler. [SportsDayDFW]

Listen up: There’s a new episode of Stars Sunday waiting for you to hit play.

Jack Campbell and the Kings have agreed to terms.

According to owner Bill Foley, the Las Vegas expansion team has narrowed down its GM candidates. [Las Vegas Review-Journal]

And speaking of expansion teams… the KHL’s newest squad officially has a logo.

With Jonathan Bernier now in Anaheim, who will the Maple Leafs tab as their backup goalie behind Frederik Andersen? [TSN]

Kyle Okposo penned a farewell to the Islanders and their fans.

After oversleeping on the first day of last year’s training camp, Islanders forward Joshua Ho-Sang knows he has plenty to prove. [NHL]

So long, Newfoundland. The Canadiens are moving their AHL affiliate to Laval. [Canadiens]

And finally, don’t miss the Stars’ Party in the Park this Friday—the Western Conference and Central Division champ banners will be unveiled.

Talking Points