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"I think our last couple of drafts have added a lot of depth to our organization," Nill said. "When they start making the World Juniors you know that they are some of the top players in their age group. It's very important for our organization."
The Dallas prospects playing in this year's World Juniors are defenseman Miro Heiskanen (Finland), goaltender Jake Oettinger (USA), forward Riley Tufte (USA), goaltender Colton Point (Canada), forward Fredrik Karlstrom (Sweden), and defenseman Ondrej Vala (Czech Republic).
The teams of all six Stars prospects were in action on Day 1 of the tournament. Here is how they fared.
D Miro Heiskanen(1st round/2017) had no points, one shot on goal and logged a game-high 25:13 of ice time in Finland's 4-2 loss to Canada. Heiskanen, the third overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft, skated on Finland's top defense pair and saw action on both sides of special teams. Heiskanen, who is playing in the top league in Finland this season, is an alternate captain for the Finnish junior team.
Heiskanen Stats: Finland| 1 GP | 0 G | 0 A | 0 PTS | -1 | 0 PIM | 25:13 ATOI
LW/C Fredrik Karlstrom (3rd round/2016) tallied two assists and two shots on goal in Sweden's 6-1 win over Belarus to open the tournament. Karlstrom, who is playing in the Swedish Hockey League this season, skated on Sweden's top line and logged 13:39 of ice time, including time on the power play.
Karlstrom Stats: Sweden | 1 GP | 0 G | 2 A | 2 PTS | +1 | 2 PIM | 13:39 ATOI
LW Riley Tufte(1st round/2016) recorded one assist, three shots on goal and a plus-three rating in the USA's 9-0 victory over Denmark on Tuesday night. Tufte, a sophomore at the University of Minnesota Duluth, skated on the left wing on Team USA's third line with Casey Mittelstadt and Patrick Harper, and that trio was in on three goals in the game.
Tufte Stats: USA | 1 GP | 0 G | 1 A | 1 PTS | +3 | 0 PIM | 18:47 ATOI
D Ondrej Vala (Free agent/2016) had no points and no shots on goal in Czech Republic's 5-4 upset win over Russia on Tuesday. He played on the Czech's third defense pair and logged 16:08 of ice time. Vala, who is playing for Kamloops in the Western Hockey League, is an alternate captain for the Czech junior team.
Vala Stats: Czech Republic | 1 GP | 0 G | 0 A | 0 PTS | E | 0 PIM | 16:08 ATOI
G Colton Point(5th round/2016) was the backup goaltender to Carter Hart in Canada's 4-2 win over Finland on Tuesday. Point, a sophomore at Colgate University, is the first NCAA goaltender to make Canada's roster since David LeNeveu in 2003.
Point Stats: Canada | 0-0-0 | 0 SA | 0 SVS | 0 GA | 0.00 | .000
G Jake Oettinger (1st round/2017) was the backup to Joseph Woll in the USA's 9-0 win over Denmark Tuesday. Oettinger, a sophomore at Boston University, was the third goaltender on the USA team that won gold at the 2017 World Junior Championship.
Oettinger Stats: USA | 0-0-0 | SA | SVS | GA | 0.00 | .000
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. You can follow Mark on Twitter at @StarsInsideEdge.
