Stars move up in draft again

The Dallas Stars are moving up in the NHL Draft again. The Stars, who won the third overall pick in the draft lottery in late April, picked up another first-round pick Wednesday night when the Anaheim Ducks defeated the Edmonton Oilers, 2-1, to advance to the Western Conference Final.
The additional first-round pick was the result of the February trade that sent Patrick Eaves from Dallas to Anaheim for a conditional second-round pick. The conditions of that pick had it turning into a first-round selection if Anaheim advanced to the Conference Final and Eaves played in 50 percent or more of the games in the first two rounds. Eaves played in seven of eleven games as the Ducks defeated Calgary and Edmonton to advance to the Conference Final against Nashville.

The pick from the Ducks will come late in the first round (somewhere between 28th and 31st), exactly where will depend on how far the Ducks go in the playoffs.
The Stars have gained considerable ground in the draft over the past two weeks. They jumped to third from eighth via the draft lottery on April 29 and moved to between 28th and 31st from 50th with Anaheim's Wednesday night.
Third overall is the highest the Stars have picked in the draft since moving to Dallas in 1993.
The Stars currently have eight picks in this year's NHL Draft, which will be held June 23-24 in Chicago.
This story was not subject to 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. You can follow Mark on Twitter @StarsInsideEdge.