The Dallas Stars had nine picks in Sunday's 2013 NHL Entry Draft, including a pair of choices in the first round. It was, of course, the first draft under new Stars general manager Jim Nill.
Dallas took Russian forward Valeri Nichuskin with the 10th overall pick, and Nill can't help but rave about the talented forward who could make his NHL debut next season.
"Well, everybody knows him well. If he's not the best player, he's one of the best players in the draft," Nill said. "It's been a while since Dallas has drafted a player with that kind of upside and just something we couldn't pass on."
Nichuskin, 18, spent last season in the KHL and there were some questions about whether or not he was still tied to that Russian league because he terminated his contract late last season, but the man in charge of the Stars' front office quickly dispelled any of those doubts.
"We plan on signing him as soon as possible," Nill said. "He's free. His contract is free from Russia. We have notice from the NHL from the KHL. So there was no problem that way for us. That's not a concern."
The Stars also had a second pick in the first round at No. 29, a conditional pick obtained from Boston in the pre-deadline deal that sent Jaromir Jagr to the Bruins. The pick didn't become Dallas' until Boston made it to the Eastern Conference Finals. The Stars selected Canadian center Jason Dickinson with that acquired pick.
"Well, he's a big, strong kid, strong skater, plays 200 feet, plays hard on both ends, has got good skills. He's intriguing," Nill said. "He's got a little bit kind of a Ryan Kesler type of game to him. We like his size. He's got good puck skills, can play a physical game. He was someone we had ranked pretty high."
Dallas then took Canadian winger Remi Elie and Canadian goaltender Philippe Desrosiers in the second round, Swedish defenseman Niklas Hansson in the third, Canadian forward Nicholas Paul in the fourth, a pair of wingers in the fifth — Cole Ully from Canada and Matej Paulovic from Slovakia — and ended the night by taking Finnish defenseman Aleski Makela in the seventh round.
Besides Nichuskin, who will get a shot at the NHL next season, the other Dallas draftees are on a much longer timetable. Dallas fans shouldn't expect to see any of them knocking on the door for NHL minutes any time soon.
"The other guys it's a three- to five-year process," Nill said. "We have to be patient. You can't rush kids. You just can't. Patience is a word that's kind of lost in our game and it's something we have to really be strict with ourselves on. If they surprise us, great; but our plans [are to preach patience]."
Stars fans can get their first glimpse of Nichuskin at the club's annual development camp, which will be held in early July and most likely in Frisco. And while most wonder when he'll make his NHL debut, the man calling the shots at Stars HQ is definitely taking a wait-and-see approach.
"Really think he's going to have a chance," Nill said. "We're going to monitor it. I want to be careful with it, but he is a young player. We're not worried about him physically. It's just going to be moving over to North America, playing in the NHL, the best league in the world."
Following the development camp early in July, Nill said that the young Russian forward will remain in Dallas to help speed along his acclimation process to living in the States.
"We plan on keeping him here in Dallas for the summer," Nill said. "We want him to get working on his English and get him acclimated. We're going to get him over here. Let's get him to go through training camp, go through Traverse City rookie tournaments.
"I want him to fully adjust. We've got to remember he's a 19-year-old kid. Something I've always preached is about patience and if he's ready, he's ready but we're going to be patient with him also."
And with the Stars recently signing Russian-born defenseman Sergei Gonchar to a two-year contract after acquiring him in a trade with Ottawa, having that veteran and fellow countryman of Nichuskin's around will help ease his transition to a new country and a new league.
"[Gonchar is] a proven player in this league and it is great that he will be here," Nichuskin told the Stars' official website through a translator. "He has done a great job with Evgeni Malkin in the past, mentoring him, and he'll help my transition for sure. He's from my hometown too, so it'll be good."
Nill agrees with his first draftee as Dallas' GM — Gonchar will be an asset in helping the young Russian acclimate as quickly as possible both on and off the ice to life in the United States and in the NHL.
"Well, I think Sergei Gonchar's going to be a big, big part of Valeri Nikuschkin's development," Nill said. "Sergei Gonchar's a high-end character guy. He's the guy that gets a lot of credit for improving Malkin in Pittsburgh. The timing's worked out perfect. He's a great ambassador of the game and character guy. Now we have a young guy coming in that can learn from him, that's really a bonus for us."
Dickinson will also be in attendance at the Stars' development camp and the 17-year-old center who last played for the Guelph Storm of the Ontario Hockey League got a real thrill on draft day when his name was called by none other than Stars franchise icon Mike Modano.
"That was unbelievable," Dickinson said. "He was an unbelievable player, and to have him announce my name was surreal along with everything else."
Like his fellow first-round pick, Nichuskin, he is already regarded as a solid two-way player, but the young talent also realizes his versatility is another asset he will bring to the Dallas organization.
"I bring a two-way game," Dickinson said. "I play both ends of the ice. I play power play, penalty kill. I take big draws. I can even play wing. I can do it all."
But like many young players, his play has often been defined by inconsistency, something he realizes he needs to continue working on if he is to one day deliver on his immense upside.
"It's the biggest thing everybody said to me," Dickinson said. "I think they want to see a little bit more of an offensive push from me, see me put up more points than I have been. I completely agree. I've got to be a big part of the Guelph Storm and I am going to be a leader there and one day hopefully I'll be a leader in Dallas."
And besides the Stars having nine picks in Sunday's festivities, the other big story surrounding the club was this being Nill's first draft as GM. But the veteran hockey man has downplayed how this year's draft might be different from the countless others he was part of during his long and productive tenure as Detroit's assistant GM.
Instead, Nill gave credit to the Stars organization for all their hard work in ensuring that Sunday's draft, a very important one for the future of the franchise, went off without a hitch.
"Every draft's a big day for the organization," Nill said. "It doesn't matter who the GM is. In this new system, this new CBA, drafting and developing it's your lifeline and if you're successful at it, the organization can be successful.
"I thought our staff had a great day today. It was my first draft with them and I got to kind of sit back and watch how they operate. They did a great job. I thought our selections were great. It was a great day for the organization and we're going to kind of reap the rewards later on down the road."
