An unheralded draft pick, Colton Point is on the Stars’ radar as he makes the jump from college to the pros.
There wasn’t a lot of fanfare when Dallas drafted Colton Point in 2016. He was a fifth-round pick, 128th overall, and though he had led the Carleton Place Canadians to a Jr. A title in Ontario, he was a relatively unknown commodity.
But what a difference a couple years can make. After two NCAA seasons with Colgate, Point enters his first pro campaign with an accomplished resume, and the Stars are excited about the big netminder’s potential. “You see his development over the past two years – he went to Colgate and had to earn his stripes,” said Dallas GM Jim Nill. “Last season, he came in and was one of the top goalies in college hockey. He got to play in the world juniors for Canada, which is a pretty big feather in his cap. We’re excited about him turning pro.”
Point put up mesmerizing numbers as an NCAA sophomore last season, with a 1.74 goals-against average and .944 save percentage. Leaving Colgate after two years wasn’t an easy decision, and there were many calls with Nill and director of player development Rich Peverley over the summer. “I was pretty set on going back to school,” Point said. “But as the summer progressed, and after they told me (Jake) Oettinger wasn’t signing, it started becoming a better and better option for me. In the development sense, this is the best decision I could’ve made. To keep pushing myself and challenging myself every day, this is where I needed to be.”
Oettinger, of course, is the better-known of Dallas’ goalie prospects. He’s returning to Boston University for his junior season, which means Point can get more reps in the pros as he vies for starts in AHL Texas. Eventually, there’s going to be some excellent internal competition once Oettinger turns pro. “It’s always in the back of your mind,” Point said. “I really like Jake Oettinger. He’s an awesome guy and great goalie, but we’re in direct competition, and I need to make decisions that benefit me and eventually lead to playing for the Stars.”
This story appears in the Prospects Unlimited 2018 issue of The Hockey News magazine.