Stars go heavy with forwards on Day 2 of Draft

The Dallas Stars made seven picks on Day 2 of the NHL Draft at American Airlines Center, selecting six forwards and one defenseman.
"We like the day we had, and every team is going to say the same thing, but we liked the selections we made," said Stars GM Jim Nill.

COMPLETE COVERAGE: [Get to know the Stars' 2018 Draft class | Draft Central]
Although the Stars went heavy on forwards on Saturday and used their first-round pick Friday on center Ty Dellandrea, Nill said it just worked out that way.
"We picked the best player available," said Nill. "Right now in our organization, we have a lot of depth in goaltending, defense, forwards. We weren't too focused on trying to fill a certain position."
Here's a look at the seven players the Stars picked on Saturday.

Albin Eriksson, RW/LW (2nd round/44th overall)

Video: Eriksson is ready to bring size, strength to Stars
The 6-4, 207-pound Eriksson played primarily in Swedish juniors last season but also logged 17 games in the Swedish Hockey League. He tied for fourth in goal scoring in Sweden's top junior league, tallying 22 in 38 games for Skelleftea. His 40 points tied for 18th in the league. He picked up one assist in 17 games in the SHL. He models his game after Winnipeg's Patrik Laine.
"I watch him a lot, and I want to be better scoring goals," Eriksson said. "He's the right guy to watch."
The Hockeyprospect.com NHL Draft Guide had Eriksson, who is a right-handed shot, ranked 28thamong all draft prospects this year. The Stars considered Eriksson a player who could go in Friday's first round.
"[We like] just about everything," McDonnell said of Eriksson. "He's a big, strong kid who has real good hands. He's a good skater. Again, he's one of the kids we had very highly ranked. We thought he would go on day one, he didn't, and we were actually thinking about moving up to make sure that we got him. That didn't work out, but it still worked out in the end."

Oskar Back, C/RW (3rd round/75th overall)

The 6-3, 205-pound Back played primarily in Sweden's top junior league, recording 32 points (10 goals, 22 assists) in 38 games with Farjestad. He also played 14 games in the Swedish Hockey League, recording no points. He's expected to play for Karlskoga in the Allsvenskan, Sweden's second league, next season.
Back, who is a left-handed shot, ranked as high as 62 in some independent rankings for the draft.
"He's a big kid, and we like his overall skill and ability," McDonnell said. "He's more of a third-line kind of guy who just does everything really well, nothing exceptional. He's a very well-rounded player."

Adam Mascherin, LW (4th round/100th overall)

This is the second time being drafted for the 20-year-old Mascherin, who was selected in the second round (38th overall) by Florida in 2016. But Mascherin didn't sign with the Panthers, re-entered the 2018 draft and the Stars selected him Saturday. Mascherin has scored 110 goals in 197 games with Kitchener of the OHL, including 40 in 67 games last season. The left-handed shot, who is listed at 5-10, 205 pounds, is ready to turn pro.
"He has a pro shot, a pro release," McDonnell said. "He's a kid who couldn't get his contract done and settled with Florida. We're happy to step in here, and we'll have to get something done with him. He's got something you can't teach, which is score goals and he has a pro shot."

Curtis Douglas, C (4th round/106th overall)

Video: 106th pick couldn't be happier with new team, city
When it comes to Douglas, size stands out. He is 6-9 (rounding up from 6-8.5) and weighs 250 pounds. He played with both Barrie and Windsor in the Ontario Hockey League, tallying 46 points (22 goals, 24 assists) in 66 games. Douglas models his game after Brian Boyle and Ryan Reaves.
Red Line Report ranked him 74th in this year's draft while other rankings had him ranked in the 90's.
"You can't believe how well he can move for his size and what good hands he has. It's incredible," McDonnell said. "He's going to get bigger. He's just got to grow along with his body and keep the skillset up, but everything is there. And it's scary to think where he's going to be when he is full grown."

Riley Damiani, C (5th round/137th overall)

Video: Damiani's Dad misses draft selection
The right-shooting center, who is listed at 5-9, 163 pounds, tallied 37 points (19 goals, 18 assists) in 64 games for Kitchener of the Ontario Hockey League. Damiani is teammates with Adam Mascherin, the Stars' fourth-round pick on Saturday. The 18-year-old, who traveled with his parents to Dallas for the draft, will have a story to tell. Damiani's father was in the restroom when his son's name was called by the Stars.
Future Considerations had Damiani ranked 74th for this year's draft.
"He's a coach's dream kind of thing," McDonnell said. "Jay (McKee, Kitchener coach) loves him. You can do whatever you want with him. He's a shutdown guy, and they used him a lot playing against the other teams' top lines. He did a tremendous job with that along with chipping in with the odd points. He's 5-9 or 5-10, but he plays like he is 6-2."

Dawson Barteaux, D (6th round/168th overall)

Barteaux, who is listed at 6-1, 181 pounds, played for Red Deer in the Western Hockey League, registering 32 points (3 goals, 29 assists) in 64 games. The 32 points were a big improvement over the 4 points he tallied the previous season in 42 games with both Regina and Red Deer.
Red Line Report had Barteaux, a left-handed shot, ranked 116th in this year's draft.
"Skilled, smooth skating guy and he really moves the puck well," McDonnell said. "He's built for today's game, just a real good transitional mover of the puck. We like his skillset."

Jermaine Loewen, RW/LW (7th round/199th overall)

The 20-year-old Loewen tallied 64 points (36 goals, 28 assists) in 64 games for Stars owner Tom Gaglardi's Kamloops Blazers of the Western Hockey League. The 6-4, 220-pound Loewen is the first-ever Jamaican-born player to be selected in the NHL Draft.
Loewen, a left-handed shot, was ranked 152nd by International Scouting Services.
"He started playing hockey at a late age, and we are hoping that he is a late developer," McDonnell said. "We have a little inside scoop on him, and we are just hoping that he is a late bloomer."
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Mark Stepneski is an independent writer whose posts on DallasStars.com reflect his own opinions and do not represent official statements from the Dallas Stars. Follow him on Twitter @StarsInsideEdge.