Julius Honka

Honka once again struggled to establish himself in the NHL, playing only 29 games for the Stars last season and not suiting up at all for the club after Jan. 15. The 23-year-old offers little from a physical standpoint, but his skating and smooth passing abilities can help him carve out a regular role on the blue line. A trade to a team with a clearer path to ice time might be the best solution for all parties, but for now, Honka will head into camp still trying to prove himself.

Still just a pup at 22 years old, Honka began to bare his teeth last year, playing in a career-high 42 NHL games -- although his average ice time dropped almost four minutes. The 14th overall pick in the 2014 has already impressed with his offensive skills in the AHL, scoring 108 points in 201 career games, and his vision, crisp passes and smooth skating should soon make him a second threat off the Dallas blue line behind John Klingberg. Honka isn't the biggest defenseman around, but his poise in his own end keeps him from being a liability, and he should shoulder a much bigger role this season. On another team he could be a real sleeper, but with Klingberg and Tyler Seguin likely to handle the point on the first power-play unit again, Honka's opportunities for a big spike in his production could be limited.

If any word describes Honka’s game, it’s “slick”. Still only 21 years old, he made his Dallas debut last year and already shows the skating ability, passing acumen and calmness under pressure that mark him as one of the organization’s key building blocks. Honka doesn't have the size of a true franchise blueliner, but in a league increasingly dependent on crisp outlet passes to begin the attack, his skill set should quickly make him indispensable for the Stars. After scoring 31 points in 50 AHL games last season, Honka will look to secure a regular spot on the power play in 2017-18 and could make a surprising impact offensively despite his youth.

Honka is one of two highly touted Stars defensemen who could crack the NHL roster on a permanent basis this season. Honka is young, but general manager Jim Nill has already said that he thinks Honka is "knocking on the door." At age 19, he scored 11 goals and 44 points in 73 AHL games. He has a lot of offensive talent and could prove to be a valuable fantasy player down the road.

Honka is a small, sweet-skating defender with ice water in his veins. He’s not the most-talented blueliner in the 2014 draft, but he’s second only to forward Sam Reinhart in hockey IQ, at least according to Central Scouting. We’ve heard comps to Sami Vatanen of the Ducks, Torey Krug of the Bruins and maybe even Erik Karlsson of the Sens. He’s not the offensive threat that Karlsson is, but his skating is almost as sublime. And he could prove to be a game breaker in the right situation. The Stars are so big up front that rolling a little guy on the back end surely won’t hurt. And he’ll certainly get those big boys the puck. He’s a good one, but he's several seasons away. Follow him in dynasty formats and if you're a Stars fan. Otherwise, it's safe to ignore him for now.