MCKEEN’S 2026 NHL PROSPECT REPORT – #32 Dallas – Organization Overview – Top 15 Prospects

Prospect System Ranking – 32nd (Last Year - 31st)
GM: Jim Nill Hired: April 2013
COACH: Glen Gulutzan Hired: July 2025

It's no secret that winning comes at a cost, and the Dallas Stars’ prospect pool reflects the price of contention. While the franchise has yet to capture a Stanley Cup, Jim Nill has been aggressive in recent years, consistently reinforcing his roster in pursuit of the organization’s first championship since its lone victory in 1999. That push, combined with a steady stream of prospect graduations, has significantly depleted the system. Frequent buyers at the trade deadline, the Stars have not slowed their willingness to leverage future assets. Dallas currently holds just five draft picks in 2026 — a second, fifth, sixth, and two seventh-round selections — leaving limited opportunity to replenish the pipeline in the immediate future.

That pipeline is headlined by Emil Hemming (119th), the club’s first-round selection from the 2024 draft class and the only Dallas prospect appearing within McKeen’s Top 200. The 19-year-old began the season with a short stint with the Texas Stars but struggled to find traction at the professional level before returning to junior hockey. Since landing in the OHL, Hemming has rediscovered his form, producing at an elite pace and ranking among the league’s leaders in points per game. Out west, 2025 third-round pick Cameron Schmidt is establishing himself as one of the WHL’s most dangerous producers. Split between the Vancouver Giants and Seattle Thunderbirds, Schmidt completed his regular season as the league’s top goal producer with 51 goals. Now 19, the dynamic winger could make the jump to the AHL as early as next season under the league’s updated rules.

With Dallas firmly positioned in its championship window, the prospect landscape remains volatile. In a win-now environment, few prospects or draft picks are considered untouchable as management continues to prioritize the present.

1. Emil Hemming, RW, Barrie Colts (OHL)

Emil Hemming entered the 2025-26 season with an opportunity to play with the Texas Stars and went scoreless through five games. The best of those five came against Rockford, where he fit in, utilizing his deadly one-touch wrister and skill for finding loose pucks to rack up four scoring chances. After returning to Barrie, he’s become a large part of the powerhouse Colts’ offense, scoring over 1.5 points per game, forming an elite duo with Cole Beaudoin. The World Juniors wasn’t quite what he had hoped for with 3 points through 7 games and a boot in the semi-finals to their Swedish rivals, but now back in Ontario, he’s looking to be an integral part of a deep Barrie playoff run. His shot is the focal point of his game, looking to set himself up for cross-ice passes before surgically finishing them with his signature one-timer. He’s got solid downhill speed and shows flashes of making some deceptive passes, but his defensive game can still be inconsistent. As for his role in the NHL, Hemming should eventually fit into Dallas’ middle-six to provide relief scoring.

2. Cameron Schmidt, RW, Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL)

The Dallas Stars didn't get to make a selection in the 2025 NHL draft until 94th overall, so they swung big with that pick by using it on Schmidt, a prospect with rare talents and upside. The western winger is a true high-risk, high-reward prospect. There's no denying his offensive threat level, with explosive acceleration, a lethal scoring touch, and deceptive hands that can beat defenders one-on-one. Where things start to get tricky with him is that he's badly undersized and lacking in strength. He usually needs to exert maximum effort to be effective, but that's nearly impossible to accomplish every shift of every game, and it can also make him a serious liability when he gets stuck on the ice with an empty gas tank, especially when it’s so easy to move the puck around someone his size. There's a legitimate chance that Schmidt becomes an NHL support scorer one day, but that's the only path that's available to him, and the Stars will need to be very careful and hands-on with his development in order for that to actually happen.

3. Tristan Bertucci, D, Texas Stars (AHL)

Bertucci's development in his final two years in the OHL wasn't as extensive as expected for a prospect with his tool package and draft placement. Luckily for the Stars, however, that didn't hinder the young defenseman's transition to the professional level, where he has been consistently effective as an AHL rookie, carving out a regular role on the Texas Stars blueline despite there being quite a logjam of defenders on that roster. The entire foundation of his game, both offensively and defensively, is built around his skating, with sleek footwork and long, looping crossovers. He's equally adept at using his mobility to defend the rush as he is at using it to open up space on the attack. He can be assertive at times, though you'd like to see more of a killer instinct out of him overall, as his default mode is a little too quiet and reserved. It’s almost like Bertucci doesn’t fully realize just how good he could become if he just dug in a little deeper and ratcheted up his game another level or two.

4. Aram Minnetian, D, Texas Stars (AHL)

Minnetian has blossomed into a very solid shutdown defender in Hockey East, and it’s largely due to his powerful skating. He has been excellent at retrievals, defending the rush, and in-zone defense. The power he generates from his feet is crucial to making him so solid in his own end of the ice. Despite being only 6 feet, he can kill plays with his stick or even his 200-pound body, the latter being more of an occasional usage. Offensively, he has been fine, primarily excelling in the transition game and with his puck-carrying in general. Minnetian shows flashes of high IQ activation in the offensive zone as well, but it will not be a mainstay of his game at the next level. He will likely feature in the AHL for the Stars, but I am unsure if his NHL upside at this point is anything above a seventh Defenseman. Look for him to start his pro journey, sooner rather than later after completing his junior year for Boston College.

5. Brandon Gorzynski, C, Prince Albert Raiders (WHL)

Gorzinski is a very easy prospect to like and believe in. It doesn’t take much imagination to think of how a winger with this blend of size, athleticism and versatility would be a roster priority for an NHL organization. What makes him extra interesting, however, is that he still looks like he has a lot of runway for improvement in multiple different directions. Is there a chance that he could grow his offensive abilities enough to establish a Top 6 role one day? Absolutely. Alternatively, could he add more energy and physicality to his game, helping him to become a truly great shutdown forward? That’s also totally realistic. Maybe even both types of growth will happen to some degree. The Stars certainly have options for how they want to try to influence and contribute to his individual development, and it will be interesting to see how they approach it. He should be busy this spring as a go-to forward for the Prince Albert Raiders as they chase a WHL championship.

6. Arno Tiefensee, G, Texas Stars (AHL)

The Stars made a somewhat peculiar decision when they drafted Tiefensee in 2023, at 157th overall. Not only was he one of the select few German prospects to get chosen, he was also one of the oldest players among all nations, having gone unselected the three prior times. But he had emerged that season as a regular in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga and then starred for his club in that league's playoffs, which were signs that he could succeed at other professional levels of hockey as well. And sure enough, after two more impressive campaigns back home he moved to North America for 2025-26, starting briefly in the ECHL before quickly playing his way up to the AHL. His goaltending style certainly isn't glamorous or exciting, with stiff movements and a heavy reliance on staying square to shooters and letting his big, blocky frame do most of the work, but he gets results and can handle a decent workload without getting fatigued. If Tiefensee maintains his current trajectory then he should see NHL action at some point.

7. George Fegaras, D, Cornell University (NCAA)

Fegaras has patrolled the Cornell blueline admirably for the past three seasons, playing a two-way shutdown role. Standing at 6’2 and weighing in at 210+lbs, he makes it hard for opponents to go around him at times. Fegaras has a ton of hand-eye coordination, being able to swat flying pucks and pokecheck more than many others in his conference. The Stars have had to be very patient with his development after drafting him out of the OJHL in 2022. But his development has slowly come around, giving him a chance to become a quality depth piece for the organization. Fegaras is not flashy, per say. The offensive upside is not significant as a pro. However, he does a good job of getting pucks to the net and his mobility is more than adequate for his size. The pace of the pro game, eventually, will be a true test for him and will likely dictate whether he has what it takes to be a solid bottom pairing defender or more of an AHL depth piece.

8. Atte Joki, C, Lukko (Liiga)

Atte Joki has established himself as a premier defensive-minded center and a high-floor prospect within the Lukko system. While he may not possess the flashy offensive toolkit of some of his peers in the 2025 draft class, Joki’s value lies in his professional-grade habits, physical engagement, and specialized role-playing capabilities. His performance at the international stage, especially at the World Juniors in Minnesota, solidified his reputation as a "coach’s player" who can be trusted in high-leverage defensive situations. The core of Joki’s game is built on the forecheck and net-front utility. Standing at 6-foot-2, he excels at using his frame to shield pucks along the boards and disrupt opposing breakouts with a relentless motor and an active stick. He is a constant nuisance for goaltenders, providing elite screening and hunting rebounds with a blue-collar mentality. Defensively, Joki is solid for his age. His reads are mature, his positioning is disciplined, and he is a reliable option on the penalty kill, often prioritizing the right side of the puck over risky offensive gambles. The primary hurdles for Joki remain his skating mechanics and offensive ceiling. His development will take time, but Joki has the DNA of a reliable bottom-six NHL center.

9. Matthew Seminoff, RW, Texas Stars (AHL)

Seminoff's tenure at the AHL level is coming along almost identically to how it did at the WHL: starting first as a high-energy checker in the depths of his lineup, before doggedly forcing his way upwards by also finding ways to contribute offensively. He is a determined, focused, heart-and-soul kind of player who earns the respect of his coaches and teammates. He is fully aware that he's not the most naturally skilled or physically gifted, so he tries to make up for it by working harder and being more adaptable than his peers, to much success. He's highly opportunistic, jumping on unsuspecting opponents to clear the zone on the penalty kill or spring a scoring chance in transition. With such a distinct identity and clear understanding of how he needs to play, it’s easy to foresee Seminoff receiving call-ups to the NHL in the not-too-distant future to plug a lineup hole, and maybe even seriously challenging for a depth roster spot in Dallas as soon as the fall of 2026.

10. Samu Tuomaala, RW, Texas Stars (AHL)

After falling out of favor in the Flyers organization Tuomaala was traded to Dallas in a change-of-scenery kind of exchange for Christian Kyrou, another prospect who is the exact same age and had been in the exact same situation. The early returns for the Finnish winger in his new organization were promising down in the AHL with the Texas Stars, until he was knocked out of the lineup due to injury. There's no denying how dangerous he can be when he's in the offensive zone and the puck is on his stick, but he brings little to no value in any other scenario, which is primarily due to his lackluster effort and nonexistent physical intensity. It seems like his only pathway to the NHL would be as a scoring winger and powerplay specialist who needs to be sheltered a lot at even strength. Tuomaala is a restricted free agent at the end of the season, and the Stars have a pretty shallow prospect pool, so it will be interesting to see if he gets an extended look with the organization.

11. Antonio Stranges, LW, Texas Stars (AHL)

Realistically, Stranges’ time in the Dallas organization may be reaching an end. He’s talented offensively, no doubt, but he doesn’t have the physical tools to drive play consistently at the pro level. He remains ranked due to the limited depth in Dallas’ organization.

12. Ayrton Martino, LW, Texas Stars (AHL)

A Hobey Baker award finalist last year with Clarkson, Martino’s first pro season has been a major disappointment. He has struggled mightily on and off the puck and badly needs to add power and strength to his game to be a solid AHL player, let alone NHL contributor.

13. Arttu Hyry, RW, Texas Stars (AHL)

After a promising first season in the AHL after signing out of Finland, Hyry has battled injuries this year, which has limited his impact. A solid two-way center, he still has a chance to carve out a role as a depth player for the Stars.

14. Charlie Paquette, RW, Brantford Bulldogs (OHL)

Paquette was a breakout star in the OHL with Guelph last year and he’s having another solid year, now with Brantford. He’s a big power forward who can be an asset on the powerplay. At the very least, he should serve as excellent organizational depth.

15. Remi Poirier, G, Texas Stars (AHL)

Poirier has been steady for Texas of the AHL the last few seasons and he’s played himself into Dallas’ organizational depth plans. A possible back-up candidate down the line, even if he’s going to require waivers soon.