With their second round pick of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, the Dallas Stars have selected 47th overall center Logan Stankoven of the Kamloops Blazers (WHL).
Our resident draft expert Derek Neumeier had him ranked 20th on his draft board:
After the amazing playoff performance that Cole Caufield had I guarantee you that there were a few scouts around the league who circled back to Stankoven to watch more tape of him. While he might not be on Caufield’s overall skill level, Stankoven’s enthusiasm, his deceptive hands and his ability to snipe from difficult angles are all pretty darn similar. A really easy guy to root for.
Standing at 5”8”, Stankoven likely fell to the second round due to his size. But there are several cases of undersized forwards succeeding at the NHL level — Alex Debrincat, drafted in the second round of the 2016 NHL Draft by the Chicago Blackhawks, comes to mind. Stankoven is very skilled offensively, and has the potential to be a legitimate scoring threat for Dallas:
Goals on goals on goals. Feast your eyes, @DallasStars fans! pic.twitter.com/r2OsUtiaGM
— The WHL (@TheWHL) July 24, 2021
The Stars weren’t done yet, however — after trading back in the first round with the Detroit Red Wings, the Dallas Stars had also obtained the 48th overall pick, originally belonging to the New York Rangers. With their second of the two back-to-back picks, the Stars selected defenseman Artyom Grushnikov of the Hamilton Bulldogs (OHL).
Like the Stars’ first round pick, Wyatt Johnston, Grushnikov didn’t play last season thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, and many experts believe he would have gone higher if he had. Here’s what Derek and David Castillo have to say about the pick:
Artyom Grushnikov: I also like this pick for Dallas. We at FCHockey had him at 49th on our list
With Heiskanen and Harley the Stars need to add shutdown defenders, and Grushnikov is definitely that. Is there untapped upside because he didn’t play this season?
— Derek Neumeier (@Derek_N_NHL) July 24, 2021
Grushnikov. Solid shutdown d-man and I have nothing to be Draft Mad about. Excellent stuff thus far.
— David Castillo (@DavidCastilloAC) July 24, 2021
In a draft filled with more uncertainty in usual, gaining an extra second rounder was a solid move by General Manager Jim Nill. The Stars’ draft is looking pretty good so far.