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Heading into the 2005-06 season, many members of the media questioned the Dallas Stars’ ability to adjust to the new rules and in particular their ability to remain competitive under the new league imposed salary cap. The Stars answered their critics by finishing the regular season with a record of 53-23-5, setting a franchise record for regular season victories. The Stars entered the postseason seeded second among all Western Conference teams thanks to the rebirth of stars Mike Modano and Jason Arnott as well as a strong performance by a pair of Finnish rookies that have stepped up to fill important roles on the team.

According to Stars Assistant Captain Bill Guerin, “That’s going to be the key to success in the future. You can’t just go out and get the guys you feel like getting anymore. You’re going to have to have good prospects in your system and we’ve had a couple step up. If those guys don’t step up then that’s two possibly three spots that we have to have filled, but they’ve played great for us.”

Jussi Jokinen, LW, 23

In his first professional season, Jokinen was perhaps one of the biggest stories coming out of Dallas.

“He’s not a rookie in mindset. He’s a very mature guy. He’s adapted to North American life very well,” said Stars Head Coach Dave Tippett.

The Finnish rookie did adjust well to North American life and to the NHL, playing on the Stars top line all year alongside captain Mike Modano and Jere Lehtinen. Jokinen’s speed and playmaking abilities complimented his veteran linemates and it showed as he notched 17 goals and 55 points in 81 games. The left wing finished fourth among all rookies in points and earned a silver medal with Finland’s Olympic team.

As a team, Dallas was able to capitalize on the NHL’s new shootout going 12-1 in 13 games played, the league’s best record in the shootout, and Jokinen was a big reason for the team’s success in this area. The sixth round pick in 2001 made headlines early in the year by going a perfect nine for nine in the shootout before finishing the season with a record of 10 successful shootout attempts in 13 tries. Jokinen’s 76.9 percent success ratio in the shootout completely surpassed that of the league-wide average of just 33.64 percent. He also notched a record of one for one on the penalty shot.

Jokinen has admitted he loves to go one on one with goaltenders and the Stars have clearly benefited from this.

“He’s played great this year and he’s a real talented kid,” said Guerin. “He loves playing the game. He has a lot of fun with it and he’s real methodical about it as far as watching tape. His preparation is borderline weird but it gets him ready and he’s very thorough.”

Antti Miettinen, RW, 25

Miettinen didn’t make the splash that Jokinen did but still played an integral part of the Stars team. According to Tippett, Miettinen really benefited from an extra year down in the AHL during the lockout.

In 2004-05, Miettinen rebounded from a shoulder injury that sidelined him for 45 games at the beginning of the season. He returned and played in 35 games at the AHL level and scored eight goals and 28 points. His 28 points nearly matched his total from the 2003-04 season in which he appeared in 48 games and notched 30 points.

The 2002-03 Finnish Elite League Player of the Year adjusted to his first full season in the NHL by scoring 11 goals and 31 points in 79 games. The Finnish forward played consistently on Dallas’ third line and was paired with Niklas Hagman and Niko Kapanen throughout the season. Miettinen was not afraid to lay the body and finish his checks and ranked fourth among all rookies in hits with 130. The 6’0, 190-pound forward was also a member of Finland’s silver medal winning Olympic team. Having two young silver medalists bodes well for the future of the organization.

Both Jokinen and Miettinen played consistently and added skill and speed to the line-up.

According to Guerin, “They’re just real confident with the puck. That’s probably one of the toughest things to be when you’re a young player is to have poise with the puck and confidence to try things and make plays. With young players they’re on a very short leash and if you make mistakes young players are going to suffer from that, they get benched and things like that, but they have great confidence.”

Other rookies Junior Lessard, Vojtech Polak, and Dan Jancevski also made appearances with the team but played only a few games. Each player finished the season with the Iowa Stars, Dallas’ AHL affiliate, and finished the season among the team’s top seven regular season point scorers. Depending on what happens with the NHL club in trying to re-sign Arnott or perhaps even buy out Guerin, these players will undoubtedly get a longer look next season.

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