The track record for Doug Armstrong as Dallas Stars general manager on draft day has been very consistent. At one side of the day, the club had seven. But by the end of the day, Dallas only had selected five prospects plus gained two more selections in the third round of next year's draft.


Mark Fistric Born: June 1, 1986 in Edmonton, Alberta
Height/Weight: 6-2/ 232 pounds
Position: Defense Center (Shoots left)

Ranked 19th among North American Skaters by Central Scouting.... Ranked 46 overall by The Hockey News....
Tough defenseman with great size. Plays a physical physical game and can punish opponents with big hits. Not afraid to drop the gloves. Emotions and desire to deliver the big hit can lead him to get caught out of position. Very limited offensive skills. Projected as a fifth or sixth defenseman at best in the NHL.

Career Stats
Season Team GP G A PTS PIM
2002-03 Vancouver (WHL) 63 7 7 9 91
2003-04 Vancouver (WHL) 72 2 11 12 192

"This is all about restocking the pond," Armstrong said. "We're committed to accumulating good young talent that we can grow. I think the future of this hockey team is very bright." reported by Dallasstars.com

The New Jersey Devils called up and wanted to skate up two spots from 22 and sign some one that they realy had their eye on, offering the 22 spot along with the 88th overall pick in the third round.

The San Jose Sharks called out moving from 28 to 22, and in the blink of an eye, Armstrong yet again saw another opportunity to get more picks and still get the players that they realy wanted. Dallas traded it again, this time to the 28th selection while picking up the 52nd pick and the 91st pick.

This time, Dallas was able to use their 28th overall selection to draft one of their key targets: 6-2, 232-pound defenseman Mark Fistric.

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Johan Fransson

And again, the Dman strikes Dallas!as they were able to select another defenseman. They had their eye's set on Johan Fransson from Sweden with the 34th overall selection in the second round. Fransson is an offensive-minded defenseman with great skating ability.

But, Fransson does feel that thing he needs to work on more is building his strength and bulk to his framea bit.

Then Dallas selected RW Raymond Sawada from Nanaimo of the BCHL (British Columbia Hockey League) (52nd overall pick) The rocket forward Sawada who almost averaged one point per game last season, scoring 52 points in 54 games (20-32-52).

The funny part that Sawada said is admitting that he enjoys getting assists almost more than posting on the board.

Then, just two picks later, the Stars selected 6-4, 187-pound defenseman Niklas Grossman. Just Like Fistric, the Stars realy liked his physical size and style of game play.

Finally but not least, Dallas had wrapped their selections for day one of the Entry Draft, but by selecting left winger John Lammers from Lethbridge of the WHL. Lammers scored 21-24-45 points in 62 games last season.

Dallas still had two picks remaining in the second round (the 88th and the 91st), but dealt them both to Washington and Vancouver, for each team's third round pick in 2005.

The Stars will conclude its 2004 NHL Entry Draft on Sunday, starting up at 8 AM (CST) with rounds four - nine. Dallas will have the sixth pick in the fourth round (104 overall), the 183rd overall pick in the sixth round, the 218th overall pick in the seventh round, the 248th overall pick in the eighth round, and the 280th overall pick in the ninth round.

Make sure to join DSR tomorrow on the boards for live coverage!

Mark Fistric (1st round, 28th overall)
Vital Info
Born: June 1, 1986 in Edmonton, Alberta
Height/Weight: 6-2/ 232 pounds
Position: Defense Center (Shoots left)
Notes
Ranked 19th among North American Skaters by Central Scouting.... Ranked 46 overall by The Hockey News....
Scouting Report
Tough defenseman with great size. Plays a physical physical game and can punish opponents with big hits. Not afraid to drop the gloves. Emotions and desire to deliver the big hit can lead him to get caught out of position. Very limited offensive skills. Projected as a fifth or sixth defenseman at best in the NHL.
Career Stats
Season Team GP G A PTS PIM
2002-03 Vancouver (WHL) 63 7 7 9 91
2003-04 Vancouver (WHL) 72 2 11 12 192
Johan Fransson (2nd Round, 34th overall)
Vital Info
Born: February 18, 1985 in Kalix, Sweden
Height/Weight: 6-1/183 Pounds
Position: Defense (Shoots left))
Notes
Ranked seventh among European skaters by Central Scouting..... Ranked 27th overall by The Hockey News.... Ranked 26th overall by TSN....
Scouting Report
Fransson is a good skater and very mobile. He can move the puck well, but needs to to work on his defensive game. He has some offensive skill. He's got to fill out and scouts think he will eventually reach 200 pounds when he matures. Despite his size, he doesn't shy away from physical play and can display a nasty edge to his game.
Career Stats
Season Team GP G A PTS PIM
2002-03 Lulea (Sweden, Jr.) 22 2 4 6 65
2003-04 Lulea (Sweden) 44 3 3 6 28
Raymond Sawada (2nd round, 52nd overall)
Vital Info
Born: February 19, 1985
Height/Weight: 6-2/195 pounds
Position: Position: Right Wing (Shoots right)
Notes
Ranked 33rd among North American Skaters by Central Scouting.... Ranked 73rd overall by The Hockey News.....
Scouting Report
Has good size for his age and has shown a good scoring touch. Not highly skilled but he has a lot of grit, and can deliver big hits. Projected as a possible third liner in the NHL. Has committed to play at Cornell University.
Career Stats
Season Team GP G A PTS PIM
2002-03 Richmond (PIJHL) 34 7 17 24 155
2003-04 Nanaimo (BCHL) 54 20 32 52 93
Niklas Grossman (2nd round, 56th overall)
Vital Info
Born: January 22, 1985 in Stockholm, Sweden
Height/Weight: 6-4/187 pounds
Position: Defense (Shoots left)
Notes
Ranked 58th among European Skaters by Central Scouting
Scouting Report
Stay at home defensemen who is tough to beat one-on-one. Has good strength, which he uses to his advantage along with a great reach. Good solid defender. Is lanky now, but is projected to fill out at more than 200 pounds when he matures.
Career Stats
Season Team GP G A PTS PIM
2002-03 Sodertalje (Sweden, Jr.) 30 0 1 1 28
2003-04 Sodertalje (Sweden, Jr.) 33 1 2 3 32
John Lammers (3rd round, 86th overall)
Vital Info
Born: January 19, 1986 in Bowmanville, Ontario
Height/Weight: 5-11/184 pounds
Position: Left Wing (Shoots left)
Notes
Ranked 48th among North American Skaters by Central Scouting.... Ranked 84th overall by The Hockey News....
Scouting Report
Has good speed, is excellent on the forecheck and doesn't shy away from going into those so-called dirty areas of the ice to score goals. The big knock on him is on him is his size and strength, but he's only 18 and there is still room to grow in both areas.
Career Stats
Season Team GP G A PTS PIM
2002-03 Lethbridge (WHL) 53 17 15 32 11
2003-04 Lethbridge (WHL) 62 21 24 45 31

 

 
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