With the 25th pick in the 2016 NHL Draft the Dallas Stars selected Riley Tufte from Fargo Force of the United States Hockey League (USHL).
About Riley Tufte
Tufte had a good season with Fargo Force of the USHL where he had 14 points (10g-4a) in 27 games before returning for his senior year at Blaine High where he had a great finish – scoring 78 points (47g-31a) in 25 games.
From the State of Hockey, the six-foot-five winger uses his size and strength to gain puck possession. He’s just over 200 pounds and will certainly fill out even more, but for a big player he has magic in his hands. His 47 goals for Blaine High is just an example of how good this kid is going to be.
While he can still improve on his top-speed and all-around balance, that’s something he can develop within the Dallas Stars organization. He likely won’t be in the NHL for the next three or four years, but when he makes it expect him to add to the already talented Stars lineup.
#Stars select LW Riley Tufte with the 25th pick in the #NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/nJnXYOyqSe
— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) June 25, 2016
Dallas Stars: Building an Offensive Juggernaut?
The Stars already know they have time to develop Tufte as the young winger has already committed to playing at the University of Minnesota-Duluth of the NCAA next season. Regardless, when he makes it, the Stars will be ready with guys like Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin likely waiting to help him adapt to the NHL game.
To add to that, they have as standout defenceman in John Klingberg to go along with Julius Honka, Jason Dickinson and Denis Guryanov and the Stars have a bright future.
Now with Tufte in the organization’s prospect pool and his size and scoring ability will add to the offensive juggernaut that the Stars are building in Dallas.
