Up next in our 2023 Fantasy Hockey Breakouts series, we will be focusing on the Dallas Stars. The Stars have a roster full of, well, stars. Jason Robertson, Miro Heiskanen, Roope Hintz, Jamie Benn, Joe Pavelski, and Jake Oettinger are a few examples. Although they have a deep roster, they also have some breakout candidates whom fantasy managers should consider selecting. Let’s discuss three of them now.
Dallas Stars Fantasy Hockey Breakouts for 2023-24
Wyatt Johnston
Wyatt Johnston is a big breakout candidate for the Stars in 2022-23. The 20-year-old center had an excellent rookie season for the club, posting 24 goals and 41 points in 82 games. Although this was a solid start to this NHL career, he has the tools to break out even further this upcoming season.
Johnston is expected to have a bigger role with the Stars this season and will see a lot of power-play time. With that, many believe that he has first-line potential, hence his first-round pick status. Due to all of this, we should see Johnston take a massive step forward in his development this season. Thus, he is a player worth selecting in the middle rounds of your fantasy draft.
Thomas Harley
Thomas Harley is another notable Stars breakout candidate. The New York native spent most of the 2022-23 regular season with the Texas Stars, posting 10 goals and 34 points in 66 games. However, he joined Dallas for their playoff run and was excellent. In 19 games, he had one goal and nine points. Now, he is looking to build off it with the NHL squad in 2023-24.
Harley showed during the playoffs that he is ready for the NHL. Similar to Johnston, he has a lot of potential and should improve noticeably this upcoming season because of it. The 2019 first-round pick has yet to become a top-four defenseman at the NHL level, but expect things to change on that front this season. Due to this, he is worth some consideration in the later rounds of your fantasy drafts.
Ty Dellandrea
Ty Dellandrea is the final Stars breakout candidate to watch very closely this season. Just like Johnston and Harley, he’s a former first-round pick with plenty of potential. He took a step forward in his development this past season, too, posting new career highs with nine goals, 19 assists, and 28 points. That’s solid production from a bottom-six forward, but expect him to produce even more in 2023-24.
Dellandrea is expected to receive more minutes from the Stars this upcoming season. With that, he is a clear candidate for power-play time because of his excellent net-front presence ability. This should help the 23-year-old put up better numbers this campaign and inch closer to his full potential. This is why he’s a player who should be considered, whether it’s in the late rounds of your fantasy draft or on the waiver wire.
It is apparent that the Stars have some excellent breakout candidates heading into the campaign. Out of this trio, Johnston has the most potential, but don’t sleep on Harley and Dellandrea as possible fantasy hockey additions.
Make sure to check out all of the sleepers and breakouts of the 2023 fantasy hockey season!