On the second day of the 2014 NHL Draft, the Dallas Stars added skilled forward Brett Pollock with their second-round pick and then primarily added a lot of defensive beef to their farm system depth with most of their remaining picks. Yesterday, the Stars opted for highly skilled but undersized defenseman Julius Honka with the 14th overall pick of the Draft.
Here is a rundown of Dallas' selections on day two:
2nd Round (45th overall): Brett Pollock (C/W) -- Coming off a strong second WHL season with the championship-winning Edmonton Oil Kings, Pollock earned good reviews from scouts for his puck skills and ice vision. The main thing that held him back from being a first-round pick was his skating, which is said to need work.
3rd Round (75th overall): Alex Peters (D) -- The first in a series of large-framed defenders chosen by the Stars, the 6-foot-4, 205 pound Plymouth (OHL) defenseman gets around fairly well and still has some room to add muscle. Stylistically, he is a defensive defenseman who plays with some physical edge but also makes a decent first-pass and does not try to do too much.
4th Round (105th overall): Mike Prapavessis (D) --A defenseman with OJHL champion Toronto Lakeshore, Prapavessis offers mobility and puck skills. The 6-foot-1, 174 pound offensive-minded blueliner posted 54 points in 47 games against a low level of competition. He is headed next season to play ECAC collegiate hockey for RPI.
4th Round (115th overall): Brent Moran (G) -- The Niagara Ice Dogs (OHL) goaltender falls in line with the way most NHL teams draft goaltenders nowadays. Teams prioritize size and athleticism no matter how raw, and the 6-foot-3, 185-pound Moran fits the bill. He has the raw materials and Stars will hope he develops into a pro caliber goaltender. Goalie drafting is largely a crapshoot anyway, which is why goalies don't often go in the first round anymore, despite the fact that it remains arguably the most important position on the ice.
5th Round (135th overall): Miro Karjalainen (D) -- A hulking defensive defenseman in the Jokerit Helsinki junior system, the 6-foot-5, 205-pound Finn plays with some physicality to his game and generally keeps things simple.
6th Round (154th overall): Aaron Haydon (D) -- The American blueliner is another big-bodied defensive defenseman. Possessing a 6-foot-4 frame that has yet to completely fill out, Haydon nevertheless plays an aggressive and physical style. He has above-average mobility and a hard shot but is raw in his skill development. Haydon posted 16 points and 112 penalty minutes this season for Niagara.
7th Round (195th overall): Patrick Sanvido (D) -- You guessed it; Sanvido is a hulking (6-foot-5, 218 pound) defenseman who brings a physical approach. In 64 OHL games for Windsor this season, he posted eight points and 82 penalty minutes.