Nill said that defenseman Miro Heiskanen, the team's first-round pick (third overall) in the 2017 NHL Draft, will not attend next week's development camp after a busy 2017-18 season. Heiskanen played a lot of hockey, including league play, World Juniors, the Olympics, and the World Championship. As a result, the Stars will not have Heiskanen make the trip over from Finland for next week's camp, which will include several of the team's top prospects.
Heiskanen, who turns 19 next month, will play in North America next season and has an excellent chance of cracking the NHL roster. He is expected to come to Dallas in August to start getting acclimated to the area and then play at the NHL Prospect Tournament in Traverse City, Michigan before heading to Stars training camp in Idaho.
"Miro Heiskanen is one of the top prospects out of last year's draft," Nill said. "What he did this year as a player, playing World Juniors, Olympics, World Championship, at 18 years of age and being one of the top players at those events, that's pretty impressive. We've got high expectations for him. I don't want to put too much pressure on his shoulders but a player that has done what he has done I think is going to have a big impact on our team moving forward."
Heiskanen was named the best defenseman in Finland's top league last season, recording 23 points (11 goals, 12 assists) in 30 games and leading all players in the league in average ice time at 25:06 per game.
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.