Oleksiak, Roussel to make NHL debuts for Stars

The Dallas Stars could have two players make their NHL debuts Friday when they host the Phoenix Coyotes.

Defenseman Jamie Oleksiak and center Antoine Roussel skated as part of the main group during the morning skate.

Oleksiak is a player the Stars are counting on for the present and the future. The 14th pick of the 2011 NHL Draft had 23 points and a plus-12 rating in 43 games with the team's American Hockey League affiliate, the Texas Stars, and earlier Friday he was named the AHL's Rookie of the Month for January.

Roussel, an undrafted free agent signed over the summer, had 19 points and a team-high 103 penlty minutes in 41 AHL games.

"It's a huge event and it's a special thing when you grow up trying to make the NHL and you finally get there and you get to play your first game." Stars coach Glen Gulutzan told the Dallas Morning News. "Both of them are going to have nerves, and we'll do our best to make sure we put them in positions to succeed."

Here is how the lines looked at the morning skate, according to the newspaper:

Loui Eriksson - Jamie Benn - Jaromir Jagr

Ray Whitney - Cody Eakin - Michael Ryder

Eric Nystrom - Vernon Fiddler - Tomas Vincour

Brenden Morrow - Antoine Roussel - Ryan Garbutt

Brenden Dillon - Stephane Robidas

Jordie Benn - Trevor Daley

Alex Goligoski - Jamie Oleksiak

Kari Lehtonen

Richard Bachman

Scratched: Tom Wandell, Aaron Rome, Philip Larsen

Injured: Derek Roy, Cristopher Nilstorp