2020 NHL Draft: Impact of recent picks already felt in Stars' lineup

As a longtime scout and director of player personnel for the Detroit Red Wings, Jim Nill understands a thing or two about the importance of the NHL draft.
Nill helped Detroit load up on players like Nick Lidstrom, Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg and was a part of an organization that won four Stanley Cups. He has brought a similar mindset to the Stars since becoming the team's general manager in 2013, and there's a chance the team really starts seeing the impact of that philosophy going forward.

While Nill and his scouting staff started slow with first-round pick Valeri Nichushkin in 2013 and Julius Honka in 2014 (who are not playing with the Stars right now), they are seeing a steady stream of young players funneling into the organization. The same year the Stars took Nichushkin at 10th overall, they also took Jason Dickinson 29th. Dickinson is one of the team's most consistent two-way forwards.
In 2015, Dallas took Denis Gurianov in the first round and Roope Hintz in the second. The two forwards are a huge part of the team's core going forward.
The Stars grabbed Nick Caamano in 2016, and came up with Miro Heiskanen, Jake Oettinger and Jason Robertson in 2017. All four have a chance to be on the opening night roster when the 2020-21 season begins.
Likewise, 2018 first-round pick Ty Dellandrea and 2019 first-round pick Thomas Harley are looking like players who can jump into the NHL very soon.
Now, the team has made 46 draft picks since 2013, so the odds are a few will break through. But that just shows how even one pick can make the draft a huge success for a team. If you get two in any give year, you are definitely doing things right.
And if you have nine on a roster at any given time, then that allows you the ability to tweak with free agency and trades.
So what do the Stars have in their group of draft picks? Well, here's a look:

Jason Dickinson (29th overall, 2013)

The 25-year-old forward has become a versatile player who can help in a lot of different ways. He can scale up the lineup when a line needs a puck-digger who can also set up plays, and scale down when they need a penalty killer who can grind.
Dickinson has become a lineup regular and part of the future leadership group. He averaged 15 minutes a game during the regular season and 16 during the playoffs. He was one of the top forwards in shorthanded time on ice and was sixth on the team in both the regular season (89) and playoffs (75) in hits.
Dickinson could boost his scoring. His nine goals among 21 points was OK in 65 regular season games. His two goals among four points in 27 playoff games was noticeably short of his goals. He also won just 39.3 percent of his faceoffs in the playoffs. That said, he took just three minor penalties during the regular season and four during the playoffs. He drew 10 penalties during the regular season and eight during the playoffs. He also had the biggest split in giveaways to takeaways at plus-18. He plays a smart, disciplined game, and you can always find room for that type of player.

Denis Gurianov (12th overall, 2015)

Gurianov took a big step forward in 2019-20 and the team believes he will only get better moving forward. Gurianov led the Stars in goals (20) last season while averaging just 12:59 in time on ice (second lowest amongst any regular forwards). He was fourth in shots on goal at 132 and fifth in power play points at 12.
So the big question is why isn't he playing more? Well, the decision-making spanned both Jim Montgomery and Rick Bowness, so both coaches felt keeping him on the ice was a bit risky at times. Gurianov played 13:53 in the playoffs, but was again one of the forwards who received the fewest minutes. He tallied nine goals and had seven power play points in 27 post-season games. He also ranked sixth on the team with 54 shots on goal.
Gurianov rarely takes penalties, but for some reason he has not been able to draw bigger minutes. He seems very open to improving his defensive play and had one more takeaway (26) than he did giveaways (25). The expectation is he will see more ice time next season.

Roope Hintz (49th overall, 2015)

Hintz is big (6-3, 220), fast and might be the best example of immense raw talent on the team. He was fifth on the team in scoring during the regular season with 33 points (19 goals, 14 assists) and showed improvement on his rookie season. He also used his speed to lead the Stars with 20 drawn penalties while taking just eight.
Hintz is a driving force on the second power-play unit and was tied with Miro Heiskanen for tops on the team in power-play points (eight) in the post-season. While Hintz was battling injuries at times in the postseason, his average time on ice dropped from 14:45 in the regular season to 13:43 in the playoffs. That's something you almost never see because overtime typically boosts playoff minutes over the span of a long post-season.
Hintz drew seven penalties in the playoffs and took five. He also saw a little more time killing penalties. Like Gurianov, it seems Hintz should be ready to graduate to more minutes next season, but with Tyler Seguin and Joe Pavelski locked in at center on the top two lines, the increases could be gradual.

Nick Caamano (146th overall, 2016)

Caamano was in his second season in the AHL, played 12 games in the NHL, and also added four playoff games. He didn't look out of place at all and could be a versatile player like Jason Dickinson.
Caamano is listed at 6-2, 191, and is a good skater. He tallied 23 points (nine goals, 14 assists) in 36 AHL games, so he does have some offensive ability.
By stepping up and handling the playoff minutes (he played 12:25 a game), Caamano will likely get every chance to start with the NHL team when next season begins.

Miro Heiskanen (3rd overall, 2017)

The Stars lucked into Heiskanen by winning the NHL draft lottery, thus moving up from the eighth spot. They have made the most of that good fortune.
Heiskanen at age 21 might be one of the better defensemen in the NHL. He had a good regular season with 35 points in 68 games for a points per game average of 0.51. He had a fantastic playoff performance, leading the Stars in scoring with 26 points in 27 games for a points per game average of 0.96. He upped his minutes from 23:46 to 25:58 in the post-season and continues a trend of being a plus player. Heiskanen was plus-14 in the regular season, tops on the Stars and second in the playoffs at plus-8.
Heiskanen also went the entire playoffs with one minor penalty while drawing seven. Had the Stars won, he would have been in contention for the Conn Smythe Trophy.
So what to expect going forward? It's rare for a defenseman to tally a point a game in the NHL, and Heiskanen did slow down as the playoffs wore on. But he really did show the kind of ability to be a 60- to-70-point defenseman and that would put him in contention for the Norris Trophy.
A lot depends on if the Stars continue to activate their defensemen and continue to build on the attack they showed in the playoffs, but Heiskanen should be a leader on this team for the next decade or more.

Jake Oettinger (26th overall, 2017)

Oettinger had a solid first season in the AHL and then followed that up by backing up for most of the games in the playoffs. He got in twice for 37 minutes total and didn't allow a goal in eight shots against.
Oettinger is a big goalie at 6-4, and looks very calm for a 21-year-old. He went 15-16-4 in the AHL with a 2.57 GAA and .917 save percentage.
In a perfect world, Oettinger would likely get one more season in the AHL and then step up and be a regular back-up in 2021-22, but because the Stars are juggling their veteran goalies, it's going to be interesting to see just when he gets the opportunity to make the next level.

Jason Robertson (39th overall, 2017)

Robertson is the third piece in a very successful 2017 draft for the Stars. The talented forward had a nice rookie season in the AHL with 47 points (25 goals, 22 assists) in 60 games. That followed an explosive season leading the OHL in scoring with 117 points (48 goals, 69 assists) in 62 games played.
Robertson is big (6-3, 210) and crafty, and he definitely has the chance to be a top-six forward in the NHL. To get there, though, he will probably have to play some bottom six minutes in the process.

Ty Dellandrea (13th overall, 2018)

A smart two-way centerman, Dellandrea is dripping with character. The former captain for the Flint Firebirds, Dellandrea stuck with his struggling OHL team and helped make them a winner.
He's not big at 6-0, 183, but he tallied 70 points (32 goals, 38 assists) in 47 OHL games last season. He played 11 AHL games and got his feet wet there, and then was a fixture as a Black Ace with the Stars in the playoffs. He didn't get in an NHL game, but there's a very good chance he's on the opening night roster when the Stars return to play.

Thomas Harley (18th overall, 2019)

The silky smooth skating defenseman had a solid season in the OHL with 57 points (18 goals, 39 assists) in 59 games, and then was a Black Ace for the Stars during the playoffs.
He has looked good in practices and in preseason games with Dallas and came close to making the last cut in 2019-20. He will have to go back to junior hockey if he doesn't play in the NHL, so he still has to have a great camp before the 2020-21 season.
But there is a good chance Harley will be playing as 19-year-old in the NHL for the Stars.

2020 NHL Draft: First round

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This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Mike Heikais a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHeika, and listen to his podcast.