Comments / New

Dallas Stars Recall Defenseman Stephen Johns With Jason Demers, John Klingberg and Jordie Benn Injured

As hinted at by Sean Shapiro earlier today, the Dallas Stars have recalled defenseman Stephen Johns from the Texas Stars of the AHL.

Mark Stepneski was the first with the confirmation.

The recall is not a total surprise as both John Klingberg and Jason Demers are right shots, leaving the big club with a shortage of righties on the blue line with a key five-game stretch coming up. While the return time of both Klingberg and Jordie Benn is unclear from their respective lower body injuries, Demers is out for the forseeable future, likely the rest of the regular season, with an upper-body injury suffered on Tuesday against Montreal.

Johns, who the Stars acquired as part of the Patrick Sharp trade last summer, has four goals and 20 assists in 55 games with the Texas Stars. The 6-foot-4, 225 pound rookie has never played an NHL game after being drafted in the second round of the 2010 NHL draft by Chicago.

If Johns plays in the Stars next game on Friday, it would actually be making his NHL debut against the team who drafted him.

He is listed as No. 28 on the roster, and there’s little reason to think that will change. He would have been the third of four available call ups, but Shapiro is reporting that this is being classified as an emergency recall, as the Stars cannot field six healthy defensemen.

The full release is below:

Dallas Stars General Manager Jim Nill announced today that the club has recalled defenseman Stephen Johns from the Texas Stars, Dallas’ top development affiliate in the American Hockey League (AHL).

Johns, 23, has registered 24 points (4-20=24) and a +7 plus/minus rating in 55 games with Texas this season. His 20 assists this season rank third amongst team defenseman, while he shares fourth among all Texas skaters with 43 penalty minutes.

The 6-foot-4, 225-pound native of Ellwood City, Pa. was originally selected by Chicago in the second round (60th overall) of the 2010 NHL Draft and was acquired by Dallas via trade along with forward Patrick Sharp in exchange for defenseman Trevor Daley and forward Ryan Garbutt on July 10, 2015.

Talking Points