Roope Hintz Has Blossomed into an Impactful Player at All Levels
CEDAR PARK, Texas -- When the Dallas Stars drafted Roope Hintz in the second round of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, they got a bonafide steal according to their own draft rankings.
Hintz went 49th overall to Dallas, but the Stars’ scouting department had the Finnish centerman ranked in the top 20 of the seemingly stacked 2015 draft class. Scouts in the Stars organization pointed to his elite combination of size, speed and skill, and took the HIFK Helsinki forward moments after going on the clock.
His early results with Dallas the Texas Stars indicate that the Stars brass was right to snag Hintz when they did. After making the Dallas roster out of training camp, Hintz has bounced back and forth with some AHL stints in between his NHL time. In both levels the 21-year-old has impressed, but with Texas, Hintz has dominated.
"Anytime you get an NHL player back in your lineup, especially a player of Roope's caliber who can skate and shoot, it's huge," Stars head coach Derek Laxdal said. "I'm sure he's going to be a player going up and down based on Dallas's injuries, and for us, we will be happy to utilize him in any way we can while he's down here to continue down that development path."
Hintz is producing at over a point per game rate, with 15 points (five goals, ten assists) in 14 games at the AHL level. As an NHL rookie, he has two goals and a helper in 14 games. Hintz has played all three forward spots exceptionally well, and his versatility has been put to use by both Laxdal and Dallas Stars coach Jim Montgomery.
He's no stranger to playing the most important minutes for a successful team. The HIFK Helsinki product was an anchor of the Stars' attack in last year's trip to the Calder Cup Finals. He also helped Team Finland win the 2016 World Junior Classic gold medal by centering a line with the NHL's current leading scorer, Mikko Rantanen.
Laxdal uses him as a two-way, do-everything center on the second line, while Montgomery has used Hintz as a center between superstars Jamie Benn and Alex Radulov, as well as a winger on Tyler Seguin's line. Truly, Hintz has proved that he can be a impactful, useful player at all levels.
Hintz has contributed three assists in four games with Texas since being re-assigned by Dallas on December 6. Before the December 15 outing, a 3-2 overtime win over Rockford, Hintz had a point in seven straight contests. "It's a good group here, we have a really good team, so it's easy to hop in and play," he said.
Though Denis Gurianov is currently servicing the Dallas Stars, Hintz likes the chemistry between himself and the Russian winger. "We played the whole last year together, and we have been playing this year also together, so I don't know, maybe it's just natural to us."
"For us, it's just a matter of utilizing him in the right role," Laxdal said. "Sometimes when a player comes back, they have a hard time gaining traction back in the level they're at, but Roope does such a good job finding a way back in the game."
OTHER TEXAS STARS NOTES:
• Texas is 5-1-1-0 in the month of December, and before their recent loss to the Chicago Wolves, the team had picked up a point in six straight games. The Stars have climbed to sixth in the Central Division after 27 games of play.
• With the return of John Klingberg, a staple of the Dallas defense, Texas got back the veteran strength of Joel Hanley. Hanley has played most of the season with Texas, chipping in a goal and four assists in 11 games.
• Erik Condra, whose 32 points are the third-highest total in the AHL, tied a franchise record for consecutive games with a point. Condra equaled the mark set by Matt Fraser in 2012-13, and had 17 points in the 11-game streak.
• Texas plays San Antonio in a home-and-home, back-to-back set this weekend, with Friday's game at HEB Center at Cedar Park and the Saturday matchup in San Antonio. The Stars are 3-2-0-0 against their rivals from down Interstate 35 this season.
