It’s only 18 days until the Dallas Stars host their home opener on Oct. 12 versus the New York Islanders at the American Airlines Center. After falling short of the Stanley Cup Final for the second-straight season, the goal stays the same: make the playoffs, make a deep run, and Lord Stanley willing, bring home their second Stanley Cup trophy in franchise history. While that is always the goal for any NHL team, there is also pride in seeing individual players winning personal trophies as well. Regarding the Stars, one that has eluded them is the Vezina Trophy for the NHL’s top goalie. Since its 1967 inception when they were the Minnesota North Stars to Dallas as the Stars, the franchise has never seen one of its netminders win the award.
It’s surprising, especially after having legends Ed Belfour and Marty Turco between the pipes over the years. In the end, the Stars have not been able to secure the Vezina for one of their own. However, they did come close in 2022-23 when Jake Oettinger finished fifth in voting after receiving seven third-place votes and losing out to winner Linus Ullmark of the Boston Bruins. Despite falling short that season, there is a good chance the 25-year-old Lakeville, MN native will win the trophy in the near future.
Only Getting Better and Better for Otter
The netminder fans call “Otter” already has an impressive resume just four seasons into his NHL career. Oettinger has a career record of 113-48-23 in 193 games played. He also has a .913 save percentage (SV%) and a 2.51 goals-against average (GAA) since joining the league in 2020-21. During the 2023-24 season, he did see a drop off in both SV% (.905) and GAA (2.72) compared to the season before (2.37 GAA and .919 SV%). Granted, he did miss some time due to a lower-body injury. Overall, still a decent season, but one that he wished he had back. Oettinger has played in 116 games over the last two seasons, 62 and 54 respectively, so it’s no wonder he’s been doing most of the yeoman’s work for the Stars.
Related: Stars’ Netminder Jake Oettinger Rounding Back Into Form
Otter managed to have a 35-14-4 record last season while making the All-Star team. He is entering the last season of his three-year, $12 million deal that sees him becoming a restricted free agent at 26 years old. While he and the Stars will be figuring out a new deal during the season or even next summer, the main focus is to win a Stanley Cup and hopefully a Vezina in the process. He has been viewed for the last two seasons as one of the top 10 goalies in the NHL and bringing home some hardware could help that case. Playoff stats alone show how elite the Minnesota netminder is by having back-to-back 10-9 postseason records in both 2022-23 and 2023-24. Furthermore, his GAA and SV% saw better results in the 2024 Playoffs compared to the 2023 version. He had a 2.24 GAA and .915 SV% in 2024 compared to a 2.04 GAA and .895 SV% in 2023. Oettinger has been stellar in the playoffs helping the Stars make deep runs in the last couple of seasons with Western Conference Final appearances.
What makes Oettinger such an elite goalie is how he’s already at 113 regular-season wins, which puts him eighth in franchise history. I imagine one day there will be a goalie Mount Rushmore in Dallas with the names of Turco, Belfour, and Oettinger taking three of those spots. Otter still has a good decade or more to go in his career since he’s a mountain of a human being at 6-foot-6, 224 pounds. Did we also mention he’s only 25?
Related: Stars’ Jake Oettinger Named to 2024 All-Star Game
What has helped Oettinger get better each season is taking the golfer’s mindset approach to hockey, especially when in the blue crease. You cannot let the previous shot or goal affect you for the next one or it’ll only spiral. During the 2024 Playoffs, when asked about this approach, he stated, “It’s a great lesson. You have to always be focused on the next shot. You can’t let what has happened affect how you’re playing. You have to put it in the past.” Whether it’s in the playoffs or the regular season, that is a mindset that could help any goalie going through rough stretches of games or even just periods.
Even away from the ice, he tries to find a balance to not let games get to him from one to the next. Oettinger said while talking about separating hockey and everyday life between games, “When I’m away from the rink, I try to not be a hockey player,” Oettinger said. “Be with my friends, my family, my fiancée. I find that’s a pretty good balance.” It’s an approach that can help Oettinger secure his and the Stars’ first, and possibly many more, Vezina Trophy.
The Year of the Otter
Despite not making the top 10 for Vezina votes last season, Oettinger is looking to bounce back from a “slightly down” season where he was hurt and rebound to a season Stars fans will remember for a long time. He finished fifth two seasons ago and had a better playoff stats-wise with a second straight Western Conference Final. Going into a contract year, there are so many factors leading to a massive 2024-25 campaign for Otter. He will be looking to bring home some hardware not just for the team, fans, and even himself, but another trophy for his cabinet as the league’s best goalie. Is this the Year of the Otter in Dallas?
