"I improved my 200-foot game, and doing that, I think I gave myself a lot more offensive opportunities."
Felhaber also committed to getting into better shape. He started to work out with fitness expert Tony Greco.
"He took me going into my 19-year-old year and kind of changed around my career," Felhaber said. "He turned around my fitness and my eating habits and turned me into an overall pro."
And working with Greco allowed Felhaber to be around NHL players like Claude Giroux and other professional hockey players.
"They are guys I could look up to every day," Felhaber said.
The changes started to pay dividends in 2017-18 when Felhaber tallied 70 points (31 goals, 39 assists) in 68 games with Ottawa, almost doubling his career-best of 38 points in the OHL. That earned him an amateur tryout with the Laval Rocket, the AHL affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens, at the end of the season, but it didn't turn into a pro contract, and it was back to juniors for an overage season with Ottawa in 2018-19.
And what a season it was.
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Felhaber had a breakout campaign and flirted with history for a while as he was on a pace to score 70 goals, something only seven players have done in the OHL since 1980 with the last two being John Tavares (2006-07) and Eric Lindros (1990-91). That drew the attention of a lot of NHL teams, about 20 of them Felhaber told the Canadian Press at one point during the season. But he settled on the Stars and put his name on a
three-year, entry-level deal
on March 1.
"They were really easy to deal with, and I heard nothing but good things about Dallas," Felhaber said. "Everybody in the organization welcomed me, even on the phone during my interview. They seemed like the best fit for me, not only as an organization but with the people that were interviewing me."
Felhaber eventually cooled off in the goal-scoring department as the season moved along and ended up with the 59 in 68 games. But he caught fire again in the playoffs and led all OHL players in postseason goal scoring with 17 in 18 games as the 67s advanced to the OHL finals, sweeping their first three series before falling to Guelph in six games in the championship series.
Now, Felhaber is set to turn pro this coming season. He's expected to start with the Texas Stars of the AHL, where Dallas hopes he'll continue to trend upward in his development.
"I think he's going to make a good transition, especially because of his age," Peverley said. "You score 50-something goals, that's hard to do for anybody. And he had 31] two years ago, so he's a great find for us."
*This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.*
***Mark Stepneski** has covered the Stars for DallasStars.com since 2012. Follow him on Twitter **[@StarsInsideEdge*.