The Dallas Stars have built the NHL's strongest pipeline from Finland, and it landed the team a spot in the NHL Global Series in Tampere this week.
The Dallas Stars have built the NHL's strongest pipeline from Finland, and it landed the team a spot in the NHL Global Series in Tampere this week.After watching undrafted forward Arttu Hyry play in Finland’s top professional league over the last four seasons, Lehtinen, as the general manager for the Finnish national team, placed Hyry on his 2024 World Championship roster., one of just a handful of Finnish players Lehtinen has helped put on the franchise’s radar.
Dallas Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen celebrates his goal with center Roope Hintz during the third period of a NHL game against the Winnipeg Jets at the American Airlines Center, Monday, Oct. 17, 2022 in Dallas. The Stars defeated the Jets 4-1.The Stars have had at least one Finnish player on their roster every year since they moved to Dallas in 1993, including multiple franchise-defining players.
Takko said when he was playing in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the narrative around his countrymen differed. “It’s the biggest sport we had, and everybody wanted to play,” Hintz said. “In the wintertime, we had the outdoor ice available all the time, so you’d go there a lot with your friends. Then, when it comes to the national team, Finland is a smaller country, so we try to play together and help that way to be the best team.”
But as most of Nill’s responsibilities are tied up in North America, he’s had to trust those overseas to find the best.“We’ve had success because of those people, and because of that success, we’re very comfortable in drafting players out of there,” Nill said. “I’ve got a lot of trust in them, and as we can see, they’ve done a great job.”The No. 29 overall pick in June from the west coast city of Vaasa said he was familiar with the Stars and knew Heiskanen before he was drafted.
The seamless transition the Stars have seen from their Finnish players makes them even more attractive from a scouting standpoint.Nill said Finns play a style closer to North American hockey than some of their European counterparts like the Russians — and have been doing so for over a decade — which eases the transition. So does their demeanor, Takko said.
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