'They're winners': Stars beef up pipeline with standout college signings

One of the best things the Stars do to supplement their talent pipeline is get players who are coming out of college.
The players are older, so they have already been through a lot of development, and the Stars haven't had to pay for that time because the players weren't pushing through the minors. What's more, they are easier to assess in their talent level, because they are 21 or 22 and not 18.

Dallas this week announced the signings of center Jordan Kawaguchi (
one-year, free-agent contract
) and goalie Adam Scheel (
two-year, free-agent contract
) out of the University of North Dakota. The two were key members in one of the most respected programs in college hockey, and both will report to the Texas Stars in the AHL with the chance to see some action.
"They're capable, they're winners, they're good people," said Stars assistant general manager Scott White, who has a history of finding free agents to help support the Stars' prospect depth. "I mean, North Dakota is a great program. From a development standpoint, that's ideal. Their facilities are great, they're well coached, well prepared, and we feel they both have benefitted from going through there."
Kawaguchi was captain of the Fighting Hawks, a high honor in college circles. The 23-year-old center is listed at 5-foot-9, 185 pounds, so that's one reason he wasn't drafted. However, he has proven in recent seasons that he can play with anyone. He had 126 points (40 goals, 86 assists) in 136 career games. His career recently ended with a five-overtime playoff loss to Minnesota-Duluth, a game in which he scored the tying goal to send the game to overtime.
"He has a great skillset, he's got sneaky grit," White said. "He's not that tall from a pro perspective, but he's smart, cagey, good hands, understands the game. He played in all situations in college and now he just needs to adjust to the pace of the pro game."
Scheel is just 21 and is leaving a year early. He is listed at 6-foot-3, 190 pounds so he adds more length to the Stars' stable of tall goalies. Scheel in his junior season at North Dakota was 20-4-1 to go with a 1.74 goals against average and .931 save percentage. In the five overtime game, he had 51 saves in 141 minutes of ice time.
"He's just gotten better every year," White said. "He needs time in the American League to hone his skills and understand that it takes time to get to the NHL. The time these guys will have in the AHL will be key. They should get going right away once they are done with their quarantine, and that would be huge for their development."

Both players are expected to be quick learners, so Dallas could see an impact at the NHL level in a relatively short amount of time. Current winger Joel L'Esperance signed with the Stars in 2018. Defensemen Jerad Rosburg and Ryan Shea signed in 2020 and are currently playing with the Texas Stars.
Because the Stars had just five draft picks last year and four the year before, they have had to search for different ways to fill the cupboard. Dallas has looked overseas (Joel Kiviranta), in major junior (Ben Gleason), and, of course at the collegiate level.
"We're always looking for good hockey players, and we want to look in as many places as we can," said Stars general manager Jim Nill. "Scott is my assistant general manager, but he's also a good hockey scout and he knows hockey talent. He's got a great knack for it, and he does a great job of working with our scouting staff and then developing relationships with the players and the schools."
White and Rich Peverley, who is one of two player development coordinators for the Stars, worked with Rhett Gardner, a 2016 Stars draft pick who went to North Dakota, and that helped smooth the way for talks.
Asked about Kawaguchi, Gardner said: "He's a skilled forward, but he plays with some grit in his game, for sure. Obviously, the last two years at school, he put up some pretty good numbers and took over a lot of games there. But I think his 200-foot game is also really good. It's exciting to have him in the organization. I was talking to him the other day and he's pretty pumped up."
It's that kind of communication that can help the Stars moving forward.

"I think we have a pretty good reputation, and Scott is a big part of that," Nill said. "There's a reason we get these players, and that's because Scott and the organization must be doing something right."
That something is typically giving players a chance to succeed.
"Ultimately, it comes down to the player and how he adjusts," White said. "But smart players usually find ways, and we're fortunate we have gotten some smart players. That's the culture we want to create -- we want players to know they can advance if they play well. We want them to know that the opportunity is there and it's up to them to grab it."
White believes these two most recent signings understand that.
"We've been very fortunate in the culture of the people we have signed, I value that a lot," White said. "Jordan Kawaguchi was the captain of North Dakota. One of the most prestigious college programs in the land, and he was their captain. I think that's pretty important."
Photo credit: University of North Dakota Athletics
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.