10 things to know about Stars center Wyatt Johnston amid his outstanding rookie season

The Stars are in the thick of the NHL playoff race and looking like a primary contender as the postseason approaches, and one of the more significant contributors to their season thus far wouldn’t be old enough to pop champagne should Dallas win the Stanley Cup.

19-year-old center Wyatt Johnston has been a force in his rookie NHL season, scoring 19 goals for the Stars and carving himself out a spot on the third line with team captain Jamie Benn.

Here are 10 things to know about the Stars’ rookie:

1. The basics

Name: Wyatt Johnston

Position: C

Birthday: May 14, 2003

Height: 6-1

Weight: 185 pounds

2. Trust the scouting

The Stars drafted Johnston without having seen much of him, the OHL canceling its 2020-21 season due to the coronavirus. But Dallas selected him with the 23rd overall pick of the 2021 NHL draft.

Johnston was quick to prove the Stars right, though, leading all OHL skaters with 124 points (46 goals, 78 assists) in 68 games of his 2021-22 season with the Windsor Spitfires.

3. Another stellar draft?

It’s early, and it’s almost unfair to compare it to the Stars’ incredible 2017 draft, but the early returns on their top picks from 2021 are looking extremely positive as well.

Dallas not only got Johnston in the first round, but also highly-touted prospect Logan Stankoven and defenseman-slash-physical-force Artem Grushnikov with back-to-back picks in the second.

4. Big debut

On October 13, Johnston made his NHL debut in the Stars’ 2022 season opener against the Nashville Predators — and scored.

Related:‘He should be so proud’: Stars rookie Wyatt Johnston makes debut memorable with first goal

Johnston became the youngest member in franchise history to score a goal since Mike Modano in 1989.

The goal came with the Johnston family in the building, and they made a bit of a viral moment postgame as they tried to wave down their son after his big debut.

5. Johnston forces management’s hand

Teenagers can play nine games in the NHL without using a year of their entry-level contract, but burn a year once they play the 10th. This often mean’s the organization decides to return to player to the lower leagues (in Johnston’s case the OHL).

Johnston pretty much made Stars GM Jim Nill’s decision for him.

“I might hide him in my trunk so that Jim can’t find him,” head coach Pete DeBoer said around the time of Johnston’s ninth career game. The Stars, obviously, opted to keep Johnston around.

6. All-time franchise youngster

Through Johnston’s first season he’s established himself as one of the most prolific youngsters in franchise history. He’s also simply one of the youngest youngsters.

Johnston was just the fifth teenager to play in a Stars uniform since their move from Minnesota, and he was the first teen since Miro Heiskanen to don the Victory Green. Johnston was also the first North American Stars teenager since Jamie Langenbrunner.

7. Terrific teen

Johnston’s 15th goal of the season, scored as the Stars walloped the Colorado Avalanche, set the record for the most goals scored as a teenager in Dallas Stars history.

8. New digs

After somewhat surprisingly cracking the NHL roster, Johnston needed a place in Dallas to live. He’d spent six weeks in a Frisco hotel room leading up to the start of the season.

So he’s staying in teammate Joe Pavelski’s house.

No word on whether or not the two have converted their beds into bunk beds.

9. Linemate captain

Johnston’s certainly good enough by himself to hold his own, but the presence of Jamie Benn on a skating line with Johnston for most of the seasons seems to have paid unquantifiable dividends, possibly for both.

Related:How the vocal Jamie Benn ‘settles’ Stars youngsters Wyatt Johnston, Ty Dellandrea

Benn’s scored more goals this season than he has since 2017-18 with 29. Four of those have assists credited to Johnston. Meanwhile, seven of Johnston’s 19 goals have been assisted by Benn.

10. Rookie of the year chances

Unfortunately for Johnston it’s a pretty great year for rookies in the NHL, with Seattle’s Matty Beniers being the heavy favorite for rookie of the year and Anaheim’s Mason McTavish not far behind.

Johnston is neck-and-neck with Beniers for the rookie lead in goalscoring, even, but Vegas has him as a +4000 longshot for the Calder Memorial Trophy (given to the NHL’s best rookie).

Twitter: @dmn_stars

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