Dallas Stars Take Oleksiak with their 14th pick

"This year, I think the theme was size, we went big" said Joe Nieuwendyk after he and the Stars organization finished picking in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. Going into the draft many Stars fans didn't have high expectations with our 14th overall selection. In fact almost every Stars fan including myself was expecting a disappointing choice with our 14th overall pick considering the past two first one selections for the Stars didn't go as expected, it was an automatic I guess you can say. 195 picks later, those expectations were gone.


After the Calgary Flames picked Swiss star Sven Bartschi 13th overall, the Stars were up next. The players I had in my top three from my Draft Preview were all still there. McNeil, Oleksiak and Klefbom. Other notables available were Beaulieu, Armia and Miller.


"The Dallas Stars are pleased to select, from Northeastern University Jamie Oleksiak " said GM Joe Nieuwendyk . Many Stars fans took a sigh of relief  (while I jumped off the couch and yelled YES) after hearing those words from their GM, since most of us expected Stars to make a bad pick for the third straight year in a row. Jamie Oleksiak with his monster size at 6'7 (still growing) was the tallest player in the draft. Jamie Oleksiak played for the Northeastern University, he played 38 games and had 13 points. Jamie moves very well for his size, he's got great agility and athleticism, Jamie could also deliver big hits at any time of the game. Jamie is also known for his great hands, he handles the puck well with great puck control and his able to move the puck up ice smoothly. Oleksiak is also a good reliable player, good shut down defensemen, will drop the gloves to stand up for a teammate and knows how to use his size. Although Jamie does need to work on his hockey sense, his offensive skills and add some muscle.

Jamie Oleksiak was selected 14th overall by the Dallas Stars

"He moves well for a big man. We’ve seen the impact over the years that big men can have on the game, and it goes back with us with Derian Hatcher and the success that he had. He has Chara-type size and he skates well and moves the puck. The offense is probably not overwhelming, but he plays an all-around game, and the important thing is he’s a guy that size who skates that well, he’s hard to play against.” (Stars.nhl.com) That was said about Oleksiak by Nieuwendyk after making his pick. 


Oleksiak has already expressed that he tries to model his game after players like Zedno Chara and Tyler Myers.
“Obviously, I try and take away as much as possible from a lot of players in the NHL, but if I had to narrow it down to one player, I’d probably say Zdeno Chara,” Oleksiak said. “He’s a guy I really look up to and someone I really enjoy his style of play and try and model my game after. I think he’s had great success and that’s something I want to do." Oleksiak definitely  has the size to model is game after Chara, but he needs to work on his offensive ability to play more of Chara's style. Oleksiak could also have a similar playing style as Hal Gil, a big, shut down defense who plays the body and uses his size to clear the net and make the big hits.

“I think it’s a good fit for me,” Oleksiak said of being chosen by Dallas. “I’m really looking forward to it and it’s a real honor to be selected by the Stars and it’s a great experience.”

Personally, I really like this choice, he was one of the two players I wanted the Stars to draft all along, like i mentioned on my 2011 NHL Draft Preview article. He was one of the best fits for the Stars organization, he is the defensemen the Stars were looking for, big, good two way defensemen, physical, can lay massive hits to change the momentum of the game, reliable shut down guy, good hands and puck handling abilities along with agility and athleticism. Overall one of my favorite picks the Stars have made in the first round in a long time and i'm really excited to see him make an impact on our future.

Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed it! Go Stars Go!!

Saturday, July 2nd, 2011 

MB