This is a new feature that is debuting on Defending Big D this season: ‘Prospect Grading Up And Down’. Essentially we will be grading how Dallas Stars prospects have done over the course of their seasons. This will be done on the basis of whether they’ve improved based upon previous seasons performance and how they’ve performed compared to expectations.
This particular grading will be of the Dallas Stars prospects based in the OHL.
| Name | 2013-14 Team | Statistics | Up/Down/Even | Future |
|
Jason Dickinson (C/LW), 18, drafted 1st round, 29th overall, 2013 |
Guelph Storm |
68GP, 26G, 52A, 78P |
Up |
Jason Dickinson has had an extremely productive season for the Guelph Storm despite many feeling like there were patches were he did not feature on the scoreboard in huge routs. He is used in a defensively responsible role but is also capable of facing off against the top opposition and scoring. Hopefully his offensive production continues to go up next season but with 78 points in 68 games in his first post draft season the future is looking good for Dickinson. He has continued to be impressive as the Guelph Storm go to the OHL Finals. |
| Name | 2013-14 Team | Statistics | Up/Down/Even | Future |
|
Nick Paul (LW), 19, drafted 4th round, 101st overall, 2013 |
North Bay Battalion |
67GP, 26G, 20A, 46P |
Up |
Nick Paul has had a good season with North Bay and has stepped into the role of being a top six centre pretty well. He has doubled his previous points total from last season and finished third on his team in points total. Paul will have the chance to continue to develop his game in North Bay for now and it appears that he is becoming a solid player and prospect for the Dallas Stars. He’s had a solid playoff performance with the fairy tale story of North Bay with 16 points in 19 games, far better than was what was expected of him. With another year to play before he could turn professional he will hopefully take another step forward in his development next season. |
| Name | 2013-14 Team | Statistics | Up/Down/Even | Future |
|
Gemel Smith (LW), 19, drafted 4th round, 104th overall, 2012 |
London Knights |
29GP, 11G, 16A, 27P |
Up |
Gemel Smith has played on two teams this season and finished with the overall statistics of 75 points through 69 games for both the London Knights and Owen Sound Attack. He continues to improve offensively and for a while lead the OHL scoring race. His defensive skills continue to improve and he was a hot commodity at the OHL trade deadline where he found himself on the move to the London Knights. The Knights are hosting the Memorial Cup tournament and therefore automatically qualify. He didn’t have a long OHL playoff as the Knights lost to the Guelph Storm in round two. Smith does not have an ELC but is likely to be signed and assigned to the Texas Stars for next season. |
| Name | 2013-14 Team | Statistics | Up/Down/Even | Future |
|
Remi Elie, (LW), 18, drafted 2nd round, 40th overall, 2013 |
Belleville Bulls |
61GP, 28G, 37A, 65P |
Up |
Remi Elie has improved a lot since his trade from the London Knights to the Belleville Bulls. He went from being a bottom six option for a top team to a top six forward on a struggling team. He produced at over a point per game pace during his time with the Bulls. He is still very young, this is only his second OHL season, and his point production and general play is impressive for a player of his age. |
| Name | 2013-14 Team | Statistics | Up/Down/Even | Future |
|
Cody Payne, (RW), 20, drafted 5th round, 145th overall, 2012 (Boston) |
Saginaw Spirit |
57GP, 26G, 9A, 35P |
Even |
Cody Payne started off this season on a hot streak turning several heads. However he cooled down over the season and took a step back offensively compared to the previous season. He was benched several times because of either bad penalties or lack of production. Payne has become a grinder style forward in the OHL and was quite far down their point leaders this season. Without an ELC his future with the Stars organisation is unclear. If he does sign with Dallas he could be assigned to either the Texas Stars or Idaho Steelheads next season. It is possible he could do an overage year in the OHL. |
| Name | 2013-14 Team | Statistics | Up/Down/Even | Future |
|
Radek Faksa, (C), 20, drafted 1st round, 13th overall, 2012 |
Sudbury Wolves |
29GP, 5G, 16A, 21P |
Even |
Radek Faksa has had a frustrating year to watch for Dallas Stars prospect watchers. Faksa had split the season between the Sudbury Wolves and the Kitchener Rangers and had 48 points through 59 games with both teams. Though the Rangers aren’t a great team and generally focused on defense he probably should have been more productive there. Even with the Wolves, a much better sign, he didn’t take a step forward offensively. Faksa’s defensive skills are top end but his offensive talent haven’t taken a step forward since his rookie season, the year he was drafted. He has joined the Texas Stars in the AHL for the end of the regular season after an early playoff exit for Sudbury. Hopefully his offensive production can be found in the AHL but for now its been another season where it has felt that his development has stalled. |