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With six prospects involved in the 2005 World Junior Championship, the Dallas Stars have one of the biggest contingents in Grand Forks, N.D. They are equalled by the Philadelphia Flyers, and only surpassed by the New York Rangers who have seven prospects.

Four of the Dallas prospects are playing for Team Sweden - forward Loui Eriksson (2003, 2^nd round,33^rd overall) and defensemen  Elias Granat (2003, 6^th round, 196^th overall), Johan Fransson (2004, 2^nd round, 34^th overall), and Niklas Grossmann (2004,2^nd round, 56^th overall).

The two others are Sergei Kukushin, a forward also called ‘Siarhei’ who is playing for the Belarus (2004, 7^th round, 218^th overall) and the Canadian defenseman Shawn Belle (2003, 1^st round, 30^th overall). Belle was originally a St. Louis selection and was acquired by Dallas last summer in return of goaltender Jason Bacashihua. 

Eriksson, Fransson, Belle and Kukushin are all returnees from last year’s WJC.

The Stars like Euros

The Dallas Stars organization obviously likes Europeans. In the last three NHL Entry Drafts, 18 of their 33 selections were from Europe, including their first four in 2002.

"It is true that about half of our selections are from Europe for five or six years, but it is just a coincidence," Special Assistant to the Dallas Stars General Manager Guy Carbonneau told Hockey’s Future in Thief River Falls, Minn. this week.

"We don’t have more resources over there," added the former NHL Selke Award winner.

"We have about 12 scouts in North America while just two or three in Europe. The fact that we have five Euros here at the WJC say lot about the work done by our scouts over there. We have confidence in our scouts in Europe.”

The four Swedes

Guy Carbonneau has seen all four Swedish prospects in action a few times prior to the tournament. He was in Europe last year and this year and has also seen them at the Dallas prospect camp. He commented on them for HF.

Johan Fransson, D (6’1, 181)

"I really liked Fransson last year. Our scouts had some doubts about his character before the draft. I like both his skating and his hockey sense. Despite the fact that he is just 18 years old, he plays regularly in the Elite League and he is on the penalty-killing unit. We hope that his development will continue."

Elias Granat, D (6’2, 187)

"He is the only one of the four Swedes not playing in the Elite League but I’m happy that he isn’t because he is averaging 25-30 minutes per game. This is very good for his development. He is also an impact player on his team (Borlange). We have a lot of hope with him.”

Niklas Grossmann, D (6’4, 201)

"It is a surprise for us, we didn’t expect he would be that good. He is the Sweden team captain. He is a natural leader."

Loui Eriksson, F (6’2, 181)

"Eriksson had a great season last year in the Elite league, winning the Rookie of the Year award. As many young Europeans, he struggles a little bit this year because many of the kids have lost a lot of ice time with all these NHL players who are playing in Europe. I have seen Eriksson in action twice this year in Europe. When his team was leading, he had a reasonable ice time but as soon as the game was tight or his team was trailing, the coach was putting more experienced guys on the ice. That said, Eriksson remains the closest of these Swedish from getting a spot in the NHL. The others are defensemen and these players require more time to develop." 

Belle, a big Canadian

The big Edmonton born blueliner (6’1, 229) is a perennial winner. He won a Provincial Pee Wee Championship with the KC Lancers in 1998. He also won gold medals with the Under-18 Canadian team at the 2003 IIHF World U-18 in Russia and in 2002 at the Eight Nations Cup in Slovakia. He was named the tournament’s top defenseman at the latter event.

Belle also earned a silver medals at the 2002 U-17 Challenge in Stonewall, MB with Team Pacific and at the 2004 WJC in Finland with team Canada. He is not only a big man but he is skating very well. Indeed, he has won the Bobby Orr Fastest Skater Award at the 2003 CHL Top Prospect Skills competition.   

The Tri-City Americans player is a reliable defenseman. After three games played in this year’s WJC tournament for Canada, he has no point yet.

"Our organization has a lot of hope with him," commented Carbonneau. "He has the size and the skating ability to play in the NHL. He also has a very good head on his shoulders. Some day, he will play in the NHL. It is just a matter of time."

Simon Richard is the author of La Serie du siecle, Septembre 1972, a book about the Summit Series published in 2002.
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