Dallas’s all-time draft team: Plenty of Minnesota flavor

The Dallas Stars have been in the NHL the same number of seasons (26) as their predecessors, the Minnesota North Stars. Give Dallas an extra year – and a class of draft picks – because the lockout year of 2004-05 doesn’t count as a season, but it was a draft year. Minnesota holds a slight 11-9 edge in a look at the franchise’s all-time all-star team.

Three centers on the all-time team were drafted by Minnesota. Mike Modano is a Hall of Famer and Bobby Smith and Neal Broten are right on the bubble of that category. Steve Ott, a Dallas pick, is the perfect fourth-line pivot for this all-time team. The franchise shifted from Minnesota to Dallas in the summer of 1993.

The pickings were relatively easy at right wing. Newly-minted Hall of Famer Jarome Iginla is on the first line. Next up is Brian Bellows who came close to 500 goals in his career but did surpass 1,000 points. Two-way specialists and premier playoff performers are on the third and fourth lines, Jamie Langenbrunner and Jere Lehtinen. On the left side, Jamie Benn is on the top line while unheralded Steve Payne comes up next. He worked magic for a lot of years with Smith. Not quite making the grade were Loui Eriksson and Jussi Jokinen.

The Dallas all-draft defense is both a skilled and hard-hitting, defensive group. Derian Hatcher and Craig Hartsburg are on the top pair. Had Hartsburg not had his career shortened due to injuries, he would have appeared on the Hall of Fame radar. A lot of contenders for the third pairings, but we settled on crafty, hitting specialist Curt Giles and defensive gem Bob Rouse. It’s a shame, but we regrettably leave Trevor Daley, Richard Matvichuk and John Klingberg off the corps.

We went with two Dallas-selected goalies in the crease. No tandem anywhere would be able to move the puck as effectively as Marty Turco and Mike Smith. They got the edge over Minnesota selections Gilles Gilbert, Don Beaupre and Arturs Irbe.

Information includes draft year, draft position, amateur team and NHL stats (games-goals-assists-points; W-L-OTL, GAA, SP)

CENTER

Mike Modano – 1988, 1st overall, Prince Albert (WHL) (1,499-561-813-1,374)

Bobby Smith – 1978, 1st overall, Ottawa (OHL.) (1,077-357-679-1,036)

Neal Broten – 1979, 42nd overall, Minnesota (WCHA) (1,099-289-634-923)

Steve Ott – 2000, 25th overall, Windsor (OHL) (848-109-179-288)

LEFT WING

Jamie Benn – 2007, 129th overall, Victoria (BCHL) (814-300-388-688)

Steve Payne – 1978, 19th overall, Ottawa (OHL) (613-228-238-466-435)

James Neal – 2005, 33rd overall, Plymouth (OHL) (821-289-256-545)

Brenden Morrow – 1997, 25th overall, Portland (WHL) (991-265-310-575)

RIGHT WING