'We're happy with the way it worked out': Stars get their guy at No. 23

The Stars on Friday took advantage of the uncertainty of the 2021 NHL Draft to pick up two extra selections and still got a player they had high on their board.

Dallas traded out of the 15th spot and grabbed the 23rd, 48th and 138th picks from Detroit, and then nabbed forward Wyatt Johnston at No. 23 on the first day of the draft.
Johnston is a versatile center who plays in Windsor of the Ontario Hockey League and has been on the Stars' radar for a few years.
"He's at a good spot in his career," said Stars general manager Jim Nill. "He's got very good skills, he's showed that, but he's also a very responsible player. At the Under-18s, the coaches put him in a third-line role, and he accepts that and played well, and he still got power-play time. He's got a lot of different tools to work with. We just think he's a very well-rounded player who has a lot of upside."
RELATED: [Stars select center Wyatt Johnston with 23rd pick | Stars 2021 NHL Draft Central]
Because of the pandemic that shut down the OHL, Johnston's only real games came as a member of Team Canada at the IIHF Under-18 World Championships that were played in North Texas in April and May. He had two goals and two assists in seven games while helping Canada win gold.
"First of all, he was selected by Team Canada to play in the Under-18s, and that's a very prestigious tournament, and to be selected as an 18-year-old who hasn't played any hockey this year, that shows what his resume is," Nill said. "That's who he was as a 16- or 17-year-olds. Our scouts watched him and liked his development and liked his skillset."

Johnston has been teammates with Stars draft pick Curtis Douglas in Windsor, and that's allowed the Stars to track his progress. And while he didn't play this year, Nill said they saw him grow two inches and add more than 20 pounds because of workouts he was doing at home.
"This year was tough for everyone, but especially not playing a full season," Johnston said. "I spent the time in Toronto at my home, and for the whole time I was just working out and training and trying to get better and just improve for when the games started."
That helped him play well in the IIHF tournament and gave him an introduction to the area.
"It was really good, the overall experience of being at the U18 tournament was pretty special, and ultimately winning gold was an amazing experience," he said. "It was pretty cool that I was actually in Texas a couple of months ago. Just driving through the city, I liked what I saw. Overall, it was great."
Johnston will continue to play in the OHL, but he also will now be a part of the Stars' development system and will take place in camp in September and in the Traverse City Prospect Tournament. Even as a first-round pick, he's a long-term prospect, but he said he's excited about getting started on his path.
"I need to work on my straightaway speed and my strength," he said. "I know those are two pretty big cliches, but if I were to play in the NHL, I really need to improve my speed and my strength because you're playing against men and it's so much faster at the next level. Those are the two biggest things for me."

Johnston should have the ability to add more scoring to his resume once he starts playing again. He was used in a two-way role on Team Canada, but likely will step in as a top-six player when he returns to Windsor.
Nill said the way the draft shook out created the opportunity to get more picks, and he decided it was too good of an opportunity to pass up. Dallas was scheduled to pick 15th, and while the top-12 picks were going pretty much as scheduled, two quality goalies were available when it was Dallas' turn to select. Because of that, Detroit made the call and gave up three picks for the 15th. The Red Wings then drafted Sebastian Cossa.
Nill said he pondered taking a goalie, but said he liked the path he took.
"We had a good discussion, we knew there were two very good goalies," Nill said, adding that Jesper Wallstedt also was in the mix. "We also know there's risk involved with that, taking first-round goalies, just because of development time. But because of our situation we have with Jake Oettinger coming in, we just thought the opportunity to grab the extra picks and get the player we wanted to get, we're happy with the way it worked out."

The Stars have nine picks remaining in Rounds 2-7 on Saturday and Nill said there still are players who they grade as first-round picks who could be available. The Stars had just five picks last year and four the year before.
"In the past, I've traded away a lot of picks," Nill said. "You're always looking for more picks and then you add in the unpredictability of this year, and we've already seen that once we got past the 12 or 13 players, the list really started to jump around, team by team. So we think there's a great opportunity here. The more players give you more odds, and because of the unknowns of this season, we think there's a great opportunity here."
Not to mention the fact they really like Johnston.
"Everyone we talked to said there was so much untapped potential there," Nill said. "We're excited about the whole package."
Rounds 2-7 take place Saturday, July 24 beginning at 10 a.m. CT and can be seen on NHL Network.
Victory Club memberships are available now for 2021-22! Beyond season tickets, don't miss your chance to secure the best seats for Stars home games, plus exclusive benefits, members-only experiences and much more. Click here to learn more!
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.