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.

In our annual series, Tony Ferrari's digging into each team's top prospects, the strengths and weaknesses of its pipeline, an overview of its latest draft class and positional depth chart, and who could be next in line for an NHL chance.

Aside from some exceptions, a player who no longer holds NHL rookie eligibility is considered graduated and no longer a prospect for the purposes of these exercises.

The Stars have traded many young pieces while consistently looking to upgrade their roster. They lack the depth and intrigue they had just a few years ago, when Logan Stankoven, Bourque and Thomas Harley highlighted their pipeline.

Now, only Harley is left in the fold, and there were rumors that he was almost dealt in a move to bring in Zach Werenski before the Columbus Blue Jackets defender nixed the deal.

Stankoven just won a Stanley Cup with the Carolina Hurricanes, while Bourque will likely play a big role with the Nashville Predators next season, potentially getting opportunities Dallas didn't give him.

That said, the Stars still have a few interesting prospects, particularly on the wing.

Top prospect Emil Hemming has a very good shot and has scored at a high level almost everywhere he has played. He started this past season in the AHL before rejoining the OHL's Barrie Colts, where he recorded 26 goals and 63 points in 46 regular-season games and 15 goals in 21 playoff games. He'll likely play in the AHL full-time this upcoming year. Hemming has improved defensively, and his playmaking has grown, but he will always be a shooter who can fill the net.

Cameron Schmidt was a fan favorite in his draft year because the 2025 third-round pick has a lethal release, plays with some speed and brings a bit of a chaos factor to the ice. He's undersized, but that's never stopped him from getting involved after the whistle.

Schmidt loves to create off the rush. He quietly put up 51 goals and 100 points between Vancouver and Seattle in the WHL this past season. He'll try to lead the 'Dub' in scoring with the Victoria Royals after being traded for the seventh overall pick in the WHL draft.

Matthew Seminoff's growth has been excellent, especially for a sixth-round pick. Seminoff improved all over the ice in the AHL. After struggling to find the scoresheet and spending time in the ECHL in 2024-25, Seminoff was one of the Texas Stars' most effective players this past season. He found his goal-scoring touch and began to play like he was in junior, looking for empty space and taking pucks quickly to the net. If he can continue to showcase his game as he did last year, he could find his way into NHL games as soon as this year.

It's been a tough couple of years for Ayrton Martino. His fast-paced game and rush-attack success haven't translated to the pros, and he's beginning to fall out of favor in the organization. He has the tools, but he just needs to get his game together to push for an NHL job one day.

The Stars' prospect center depth is worrisome. Angus MacDonell spent last season in the ECHL with limited success. He's a high-energy player who could potentially project to the bottom six one day, but he hasn't shown much growth over the last couple of years.

Finnish center Atte Joki is probably their best center prospect, and his game is suited for the bottom six as well. He's a smart player with a good defensive game, but his skating doesn't always allow him to take advantage of his intelligence. He must get faster and stronger if he wants to find himself on a fourth line in the NHL one day.

On defense, Tristan Bertucci was an AHL rookie this past year, and he did a pretty good job of playing a larger role than expected. He probably isn't a top-end defender when he gets to the NHL, but he showed he can do a bit of everything. He's always been more of a defensive-minded player who can throw his weight around and punish attackers, but he showed confidence with the puck, which will be massive for him as he develops.

Although Aram Minnetian was pitched as a puck-mover coming out of the USA Hockey National Team Development Program, he became a more well-rounded player during three seasons at Boston College. He never became the main guy on the back end at BC, but he showed flashes of potential in transition. There might be more to his game when he takes on a full pro season for the first time in 2026-27. He has a good base of skating, passing and defensive stick work. He just needs to keep improving his game, as he did in college.

Lian Bichsel (D)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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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