Janmark is a speedy skater and creative playmaker who plays with a lot of confidence when he has the puck on his stick. Of course, when you consider the way his NHL career began, Janmark has good reason to play that way.
The Danderyd, Sweden, native scored his first NHL goal on the first shot he ever took in the NHL, and he scored his second NHL goal on the first shot he took in his second NHL game. Given that incredible start, it's hard to believe Janmark was twice passed over in the NHL Draft.
Janmark is a speedy skater and creative playmaker who plays with a lot of confidence when he has the puck on his stick. Of course, when you consider the way his NHL career began, Janmark has good reason to play that way.
The Danderyd, Sweden, native scored his first NHL goal on the first shot he ever took in the NHL, and he scored his second NHL goal on the first shot he took in his second NHL game. Given that incredible start, it's hard to believe Janmark was twice passed over in the NHL Draft.
Janmark wasn't drafted until his third year of eligibility, when the Detroit Red Wings selected him in the third round (No. 79) in the 2013 NHL Draft. But the Red Wings didn't hold on to Janmark for long, trading him to the Dallas Stars on March 1, 2015.
He was considered by many at the time to be a throw-in on the deal that sent Erik Cole to Detroit, but Dallas general manager Jim Nill had been the Red Wings assistant general manager and had been familiar with Janmark.
Nill's thinking was that Janmark was on the cusp of earning regular ice time at the NHL level, and Janmark proved him right almost immediately as he spent his rookie season working mostly on the second line, where he scored 15 goals and 29 points with a plus-12 rating in 73 games.
The 15 goals were tied for 11th among NHL rookies in 2015-16. Janmark's 29 points ranked 14th among NHL rookies and his plus-minus rating was tied for second among rookies.
Janmark also scored two goals and five points in 12 Stanley Cup Playoff games in 2016.
NOTES & TRANSACTIONS
- Traded to Dallas by Detroit with Mattias Backman and Detroit's 2nd round pick (Roope Hintz) in 2015 NHL Draft for Erik Cole and Dallas' 3rd round pick (Vili Saarijarvi) in 2015 NHL Draft, March 1, 2015.
