Dallas Stars go forward, starting with LA-Detroit teen, as NHL Draft wraps up

The Dallas Stars selected four forwards and one goaltender Saturday as the NHL Draft in Chicago concluded with rounds two through seven.

Heavy on forwards is “just how it works out,” said Joe McDonnell, director of amateur scouting, via the Stars’ website. “We’re not drafting by position at that point. We are getting what our area guys are thinking, what they like, who they are real strong on.”

On Friday, the Stars went with defense in the first round, selecting defenseman Miro Heiskanen with the No. 3 overall pick and Boston University goaltender Jake Oettinger with the No. 26 pick.

The Stars moved up from 29th in a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks, who received Dallas’ picks at Nos. 29 and 70 (third round) in the swap.

In the second round Saturday, the Stars used the 39th overall pick to take Jason Robertson, a left wing. The American player scored 42 goals in the Ontario Hockey League last season.

“We had him rated in our first round, and it was the old cliché that we were shocked that he was still available,” McDonnell said.

Robertson, a 6-foot-2, 196-pound forward, was projected as a possible first-round pick on some lists, the Stars said.

“We’re excited. He’s a great scorer, and I think he is going to be a good fit for us,” Stars general manager Jim Nill said.

Robertson, 17, grew up as a Los Angeles Kings fan, Yahoo! Sports reported, having lived in LA until he was 10 before moving to Detroit.

The other Stars selections:

Center Liam Hawel in the fourth round (101st overall); center Jacob Peterson in the fifth round (132nd overall); center Brett Davis in the sixth round (163rd overall); and goaltender Dylan Ferguson in the seventh round (194th overall).

More info from the Stars’ website:

Hawel, 18, is listed at 6-5, 179 pounds and was on Canada’s 2017 Under-18 World Championship team. Peterson, 17, is 6-foot, 165 and played in Sweden’s top junior league last season. Davis, 18, is 6-1, 178, and rated as a good skater. Ferguson, 18, at 6-1 and 181, played 31 games as the backup goalie for Kamloops in the Western Hockey League.

This story was originally published June 24, 2017 at 7:24 PM with the headline "Dallas Stars go forward, starting with LA-Detroit teen, as NHL Draft wraps up."