NHL Prospect Pool Overview '26-27: Dallas Stars May Have Diamonds In The Rough

This has been a bit of a tumultuous off-season for the Dallas Stars.

They should figure out Jason Robertson's next contract before they head to an arbitration hearing. They traded Mavrik Bourque to help create the cap space they need, losing a useful young player.

The problem is the Stars' pipeline isn't as promising as it once was, and they will need some young help soon.

It's time for a deeper look at Dallas in our NHL prospect pool overview series.

2026 NHL Draft Class

Round 2, 59th overall - Jakub Vanecek, D, Tri-City (WHL)

Round 5, 155th overall - Ryan Brown, LW, London (OHL)

Round 6, 187th overall - Anton Emil Wilde Larsen, G, Frederikshavn (Den.)

Round 7, 197th overall - Jasper Kuhta, C, Ottawa (OHL)

Round 7, 219th overall - Mikhail Cherepanov, D, New Hampshire (NAHL)

Dallas did not have a plethora of high-value picks in the draft. They only had five picks in general, with just one coming inside the top 150.

That first pick wound up being Jakub Vanecek. The Czech-born WHL blueliner is a good transitional defender going both ways. He shows enough mobility to escape forechecks and attack up ice in the neutral zone, and he displays good habits defensively in transition as well. He is a bit raw, and he played on a team that was a mess more often than not this past year, but he's an intriguing swing in the second round.

Their next pick didn't come until the fifth round, when they got Ryan Brown. The October-born prospect was one of the oldest first-year draft-eligible players, and he is full of energy but has limited upside. He projects as a bottom-six forward who can kill penalties and never quit on a play. His game did look much better in the second half of this past season after moving from Sarnia to London, but he still lacked the fundamental skill to truly drive offense.

Anton Emil Wilde Larsen gained some fans at the world juniors when he played for Denmark. Even though his numbers didn't look great overall, he showed he was capable of at least keeping the Danes in games to a point against much better competition. He has good size, solid athleticism and the ability to battle through chaos. This upcoming season in the Swedish circuit, his stats could improve in a more structured game than in Denmark.

Jasper Kuhta is an overage winger with a very good shot. He had a great tournament at the world juniors, taking on a leading role for Finland and finishing second on the team in scoring with eight points in seven games. He has good two-way habits and could be a nifty depth piece. Kuhta has a lot to work on, but he is committed to UMass and should spend a couple of years in the NCAA rounding out his game.

Dallas' final pick was Russian defender Mikhail Cherepanov. The Stars are banking on his tools. Playing in the NAHL, Cherepanov had moments when he looked like he could be a truly effective player and others when he faded into the background. He's a long-term project.

Strengths

The Stars have some really interesting prospects on the wing as they've taken some solid bets in the middle rounds over the last couple of years.

With Hemming, Schmidt, Martino and Seminoff, they have some wingers that could get into NHL games. How many games is the question, but with some patience, all of them have a shot at making the NHL.

Weaknesses

At center, the Stars have no one of significance on the way.

MacDonell and Joki could be bottom-of-the-lineup players. Beyond those two, NHL futures seem a bit doubtful, to put it kindly.

The Stars have Wyatt Johnston thriving in the NHL already, which certainly helps lessen the impact of a weak prospect pipeline down the middle.

Hidden Gem: Aram Minnetian, D

After three years at Boston College, Minnetian signed his entry-level contract and played 11 games for AHL Texas between the regular season and playoffs.

Minnetian will likely play in the AHL for the full season, and it will be interesting to see how he adapts to the pro game.

He's always been a very solid puck-mover and slick passer, but he wasn't able to showcase those skills much in college. Minnetian's defensive game developed quite well, however, and he was decent at the 2025 world juniors for Team USA.

If Minnetian can get back to his puck-moving ways, which we saw in flashes in his short stint in the AHL, he could get his development back on track.

Next Man Up: Matthew Seminoff, RW/C

For all the struggles the Stars' prospect pool has had over the past year, Seminoff had a really solid year in the AHL.

The 2022 sixth-round pick has steadily improved over the last few years, culminating in a 24-goal, 50-point season in the AHL.

He likely won't blow the doors off as a pro, but he looks like he can play a bottom-six role and provide some depth scoring in the NHL.

The Stars have no obvious next man up with a strong NHL roster, but Seminoff could step up if an injury occurs.

Prospect Depth Chart Notables

LW: Ayrton Martino, Brandon Gorzynski, Justin Ertel, Ryan Brown, Sebastian Bradshaw, Jaxon Fuder

C: Angus MacDonell, Atte Joki, William Samuelsson

RW: Emil Hemming, Cameron Schmidt, Matthew Seminoff, Charlie Paquette, Arttu Hyry

LD: Tristan Bertucci, Jakub Vanecek, Niilopekka Muhonen, Mikhail Cherepanov

RD: Aram Minnetian, Connor Punnett, George Fegaras

G: Maxim Mayorov, Mans Goos, Arno Tiefensee, Anton Emil Wilde Larsen

For a deeper dive into the prospect pool with player rankings, check out the Yearbook and Future Watch editions of The Hockey News in print.

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This story was originally published July 13, 2026 at 12:55 PM.