Faksa placed himself on the path that eventually led him to the NHL when he was only 11 years old, deciding to leave his single mother and home in Opava, Czech Republic, to move 85 miles to Trinec.

Living in a dorm room with other young pro hopefuls, Faksa wanted an opportunity to join the HC Trinec developmental program, and it was there that he first began to develop the strong two-way game that debuted during the 2015-16 season for the Dallas Stars.

Serving primarily as a third-line center, Faksa played 45 games and spent most of his time checking the opponent's top line, killing penalties and taking key draws in his own end of the ice.

Faksa contributed offensively as well, scoring five goals and 12 points and compiling a plus-9 rating. Faksa maintained that pace during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, scoring three goals and five points with a plus-2 rating in 13 games.

Faksa's debut season came four years after the Stars selected him with the No. 13 pick in the 2012 NHL Draft and his move to North America at the age of 18 to play for Kitchener in the Ontario Hockey League.

During his 2011-12 rookie season with Kitchener, Faksa led all OHL rookies in scoring with 29 goals, 38 assists and 67 points in 62 games and earned a spot in the Canadian Hockey League's Top Prospects Game, where he won the Show-Down Breakaway Challenge in the skills competition.

Faksa finished second to Aaron Ekblad in the balloting for the Emms Family Award, given annually to the OHL's top first-year player, and his stock rose to the point where he entered the draft ranked seventh among North American skaters.

Following a Jan. 9, 2014 trade, Faksa finished his junior career with Sudbury, and he spent parts of three seasons with Texas of the American Hockey League before making his NHL debut against the Florida Panthers on Oct. 17, 2015.

NOTES & TRANSACTIONS

• OHL All-Rookie Team (2012)