Emptying the Notebook from Dallas Stars Development Camp
Let's talk about some prospects
Last week was a busy one indeed. But Jason Robertson’s (expected) filing for salary arbitration notwithstanding, the offseason looks to be progressing toward the dog days in rapid fashion.
But before last week gets away from us entirely, let’s go back through a few things that we didn’t quite get to from Development Camp last week, because I think it’s a week that deserves one more good look.
(You can find a couple of previous entries about Development Camp last week here and here, in case you missed them.)
While Mikhail Cherepanov didn’t make it to camp this year, he will be playing for Tom Gaglardi’s Kamloops Blazer this year. But we did get a chance to speak with the other four picks from the Stars’ 2026 draft class, including Ryan Brown.
This year’s fifth-round pick, Ryan Brown had to take a 9am flight out of Toronto the morning after the draft to make sure he got to Texas as soon as possible, where all the players had the standard check-in process ahead of camp.
That process entailed things like meeting Stars coaches and staff (and fellow players), as well as all the standard medical evaluations. Newly drafted players flying over from Europe, like Jakub Vaněček, had even longer days, as you would imagine.
For Brown, he said he had been talking to teams ahead of the draft, seeing what chances he might have to get into a development camp somewhere even if he hadn’t gotten drafted. As Jordie Benn put it at the end of the week, every single player who is at camp is there for a reason, and important people are watching. But for players who have been drafted, a lot of the pressure immediately gets relieved when you know that you’ll be going to camp with the team already committed to you.
Brown also is no stranger to adapting on the fly. One thing he talked about last week was his midseason trade in the OHL, from Sarnia to London. Brown said his first two games for London after the trade were against…Sarnia. He only had good things to say about both organizations, but I’m sure it helps to reinforce the change when you’re immediately competing against your former teammates.
There were also quite a few returners to camp this year, as always. As we mentioned last week, listening to Emil Hemming speaking as a big brother who watched his little brother get drafted was surreal in a good way. He’s only two years out of his own draft, but Hemming is already a well-known player in the organization, as first-round picks tend to be. Hearing him talk about his little brother was a jolt of reality: time really does march on.
As for Hemming’s progress, this camp wasn’t meant to really evaluate that, but if you’re asking, I’d say that I am optimistic about Hemming, even if he is probably at least one year away from the NHL. But that’s no knock, as this AHL season will be revelatory for many players going pro. There will be a lot to watch in Cedar Park this season.
Hemming’s clearly got game, but how that game will mesh with the demands of the pro level is something that only a full season is likely to reveal.
(And If you’d like someone else’s view on Emil Hemming, then I’d recommend Andrew’s story on what he saw from Emil Hemming.)
As Stephen Meserve and Sean Shapiro have said for a decade now, that jump from juniors to the AHL is perhaps the toughest jump most players will ever make in their hockey career, so I’m going to be watching Hemming’s progress closely this year. It’s a big challenge, even for highly talented players like him.
College players have a natural advantage in that jump, as they’ve been playing against older and bigger players than most junior folks will have done. Dylan Hryckowian looked exactly like you’d expect, if you watched much of his work in Texas this year, and another such college player is Jack Anderson, who signed with the Stars organization after finishing his year at Michigan Tech this past spring.
Anderson is 6-foot-6 and 225lbs, which really makes him stick out when he’s next to players like Aram Minnetian (5-foot-11) or even Vaněček (on the far left in the below photo, and who is listed at 6-foot-2).
Niilopekka Muhonen is another player going pro this year, though one wonders exactly where all these players will start the year after training camp. Part of the big organizational meetings that happen over the summer surely involves slotting some players in the ECHL or the AHL according to what would best serve them, though you can bet most every prospect will be hoping for the latter.
Muhonen’s size is a big asset in his game, as is his confidence. I had a chance to chat with Muhonen again this year after catching up a year ago, and that exchange follows here:
What did you focus on going into this last season, for your game personally?
Muhonen: Yeah, there’s always something. Like, small things you want to get better at, but I think the biggest thing for me is to just get better all around.
How much have you planned out for where you’ll be playing next year?
Muhonen: I’m not sure yet, but I think the plan for me is to go pro. So my job is just to make sure I’m in the best shape possible when I come back to training camp.
How much different is development camp for the third time, compared to your first year going through it in 2024?
Muhonen: First camp, everything’s a little bit new, and you’re a little bit scared, and you don’t know what’s going on. Now it’s my third camp, and I know some of the guys, and it’s always nice to see them. I think you can enjoy it now a little bit more.
What’s your favorite food since coming over to North America a couple years ago?
Muhonen: I’d rather have Finnish food, but I can eat pretty much anything. I don’t mind the Canadian food.
What about sweets? Are you a salmiakki guy?
Muhonen: That’s all right. I’m not a huge fan, but it’s all right. But chocolate, that’s great in Finland.
What’s the main brand there? I remember getting some.
Muhonen: Fazer. That’s the best.
There are a few Finnish guys in camp, and of course, a lot of Finnish guys on the NHL team, too. Is it fun to all hang out for a couple of days here together?
Muhonen: Yeah, for sure. In my opinion, there can’t be too many Finns. We have that little group, then if there’s a new guy, we just pull him in, and yeah. It’s fun to hang out with those guys and speak some Finnish.
What sorts of things do you guys enjoy doing together?
Muhonen: I mean, I’ve been pretty busy, but we have been watching soccer at the hotel together a little bit. Went to dinner a couple times together also.
Who are you rooting for in the World cup? Anyone but Sweden, basically?
Muhonen: Yeah. They’re out now, so that’s good.
Another returning player is Atte Joki, who was drafted in the fifth round last year. Joki will be moving from Lukko in the Finnish Liiga over to HIFK, a club that players like Roope Hintz and Miro Heiskanen have also come through. Joki’s foundational skills are strong ones this year from the handful of viewings I’ve had of him post-draft (especially at Worlds), but he’ll need to find a way to stand out if he wants to complete his journey from late-round draft pick to NHL-level player over the next couple of years.
For Joki, he knows this a big year, and a big opportunity. But don’t take my word for it—listen to him.
How do you feel about playing with HIFK next year?
Joki: It feels really good. Great, actually. It’s a bigger city and a bigger opportunity to me, so yeah. It feels nice to be there. I’m looking forward to it.
What is your focus on what you do that you’re gonna bring to HIFK? Do you have a particular kind of idea of ‘this is the type of player I am, and the type of player I need to be’?
Joki: There is not just like, one thing I try to do. I just try to help the team as best I can. I feel good to play there, so that’s what I’m going to do there.
The defensive side of your game has been strong for a while. Have you been working on the offensive side the same way?
Joki: Yeah, yeah. Actually, I try to focus on everything being better. Also, a big focus to me is to be a better skater. So that’s the one thing I try to improve. But the skill thing is also one thing that I try to do my best. It’s not the kind of the game I’m into, because I like to work hard and play two-way. But there still needs to be some kind of skills to improve.
Do you feel like you’re meeting your goals and you’re excited about where you are and your progress and in your path? Do you have new goals for this year?
Joki: Yeah, I think I’m progressing, but it’s not there yet. There is still the skating thing, and a lot of stuff like off-ice [workouts], what I can do better. Be more explosive, and stuff like that. So I’m not there yet, but going forward.
When they talk to you guys here about everything from nutrition to training and everything else, what lessons did you learn last year that you were able to practice during the year that you learned from?
Joki: Yeah, actually, those skating things, what we do on ice [in camp], those are one of the biggest things, what I did last year. And also the nutrition thing is really important to me, because I’m bigger guy. So I need a lot of good stuff, so I can do better.
Last one: it’s a very tough question. When you’re in Texas, what type of food do you make sure to eat when you’re visiting?
Joki: Tacos. Those are one thing. And also, it’s not only in Texas, but when I come to America, there is Chipotle. I love that.
Do you get the bowl or the burrito?
Joki: The bowl.
We’ll wrap up with two other 2026 draft picks: a goalie and another Finnish forward.
Anton Wilde is a 6-foot-4 goalie, but he looks about as fresh-faced as any 18-year-old you’re likely to meet.
When he was drafted, Anton Emil Wilde Larsen’s name(s) might have confused you, but the truth is that it’s not complicated: he generally goes by Anton Wilde, with the last name pronounced “vill-deh,” starting with a softer “V,” more in-between a “V” and a “W,” as best I’ve been able to figure out.
Here are a couple of excerpts from a conversation with Wilde on Thursday.
What was it like to get drafted?
Wilde: Yeah, it was amazing. It’s what I’ve been dreaming off since I was a small kid. I was with my mom and girlfriend, and we were just at home, chilling. I was super stoked and excited to get drafted.
What was it like to play in that game against Team USA at World Juniors, saving 52 or 53 shots like you did?
Wilde: Back home I’m used to a lot of shots, but I’ve never done it at that level against those guys. Doing that against Team USA feels pretty good after the game, so that’s a great game. I won’t forget it, for sure.
As a goalie, how do you bring over all your gear on a quick plane flight like you had after the draft to Texas?
Wilde: Yeah, I had to bring all my gear, but I was in a place where I didn’t have my gear from last year. So I wasn’t in my own gear, like pads and blockers and stuff.
(Wilde went on to explain that he was able to bring some gear—whatever he and some others could gather before flying over here, but that it was an adjustment. He did eventually wind up switching to some other gear later in camp, and in fact said he was even given one of Jake Oettinger’s blockers to use.)
If you want a high-quality video of Wilde in goal, well then I have good news for you: we have a highlight package of Wilde facing shots from now-fellow Stars prospects like Emil Hemming, Jasper Kuhta, Atte Joki, and Emil Hemming at World Juniors last December, in a Denmark vs. Finland matchup.
The good news is that you get to see Wilde facing lots of shots, because this is how the game’s first half went, in terms of shot disparity:
Now that your expectations have been properly set, here’s the video:
Speaking of those 2026 draft picks, one of the Stars’ most recent picks previously played a few games with the senior team at HIFK, where Joki will be this year. Jasper Kuhta was drafted as an overager in the seventh round this year, but it’s his most recent season in the OHL that might have caught the Stars’ attention, where he was a point-per-game player.
I had a chance to talk with Kuhta as well, so I’ve included a couple highlights from that conversation.
What was it like to get drafted? Where were you when you found out?
Kuhta: I was at my buddy’s house. I was pretty excited. We watched the whole draft there, and yeah. It was a special moment when my name got called. Amazing.
What do you think worked well about your game this past season, and what are you looking to build on for next year?
Kuhta: Yeah, it was a great season for me. I would say. First year across the sea and playing North American hockey here, so a pretty successful season so far for me. I feel like I was productive in the offensive zone, and my D-zone game got better, too. I think also my skating got better.
Was the smaller ice size in North America a contributing factor in helping your skating?
Kuhta: I would say so, yeah. Obviously the smaller rink makes you turn more, and you gotta be more quick. So I would say that was a big thing.
Did you have a player growing up that you modeled your game after?
Kuhta: When I was younger, I really liked Crosby. He was my favorite player. And then I would say the past three years, I’ve looked at Barkov. Finnish guy, so he’s pretty good too. So maybe those two guys.
Is it neat to have a lot of other Finns in the organization here?
Kuhta: Oh yeah. It’s nice to have Finnish guys here, so it’s easier to come here. Talk some Finnish, not only English. We obviously need some more Europeans1, so I feel like that’s only a good thing.
Any North American food you’ve learned to love since coming over here? Tacos, like Atte?
Kuhta: Tacos are great, but I gotta say…so basic, but: burgers. I like smashburgers.
One of the older players at camp this year was Ayrton Martino (2021, 3rd round) who just finished his first full year as a pro. He played mostly in Texas this year with a cameo in the ECHL, but he could have a good opportunity to make some noise if he can build off his rookie AHL season.
Here you can see him scoring on USHL goalie Ajay White.
I’ll say it again: I am excited to see what the Texas Stars look like to start next year. I really do tend to think they’ll have a much stronger start than they did last season, and players like Martino could certainly be a part of that.
And hey, if you like video, how about Charlie Paquette (2025, 7th round) putting a puck on net after trying to get around Colin Grable during a scrimmage?
And finally, lest we fail to give the goalies adequate coverage, I should mention that Måns Goos looked like a very solid goalie at development camp one year out of his 2025 draft selection. He’ll be playing in Sweden again this year, and it’ll be interesting to watch his progress in the relatively near future. Could he follow Arno Tiefensee’s example and be playing games in Cedar Park as early as 2028?
If you came to Development Camp this week, then you got to see a whole lot of players up close. It really is a vibe unique to all others throughout the year, as the pressure isn’t nearly as high as it can be in training camp, when NHL jobs can be on the line. From the sounds of things, it’s more about bonding than anything else, but that doesn’t mean the players aren’t still fighting to win every competition they can: especially if it’s for the trophy named after Stars’ player development coordinator J.J. McQueen, awarded after the exhibition game on the final day of camp.
(I took this to mean “more Europeans in North American hockey,” but I don’t want to interpolate too strongly.)
Great wrap up! I brought my kiddo to see Thursday's wrap-up and he loved every minute of seeing the younger guys on the ice and dreaming about being out there with them some day. Then he got a fist-bump from Jim Nill in the hallway... I told him it was a missed opportunity to get Jim to commit to drafting him in about 8 years.:)
Excited to see the newcomers in cedar park!