Roope Hintz Has Arrived

The 24 year-old Finnish product has shown that he is capable of being a number one center in the NHL during the Stars injury-filled season.

Roope Hintz was selected with the 49th pick in the 2015 NHL draft by the Dallas Stars, but remained in the Finnish Elite League until the 2017-18 season, when he moved to Texas and played for the Texas Stars in the AHL.

Eventually in 2018, Roope got the call. The smooth-skating Hintz played well in his first NHL season for the Stars and finished his rookie campaign with 9 goals and 22 points in 58 games in the regular season. Hintz also contributed 5 goals and 8 points in the Stars playoff run, which ended in a double OT heartbreak against Pat Maroon and the eventual Stanley Cup Champion St. Louis Blues — a game that Hintz played on a broken foot. Although the Stars exited sooner than they wanted, there were many positive takeaways, including the play of Hintz, who had some great performances. Roope had two different 2 goal games, one against Nashville and one against St. Louis, and took over at times with his blazing speed. He never shied away from the moment.

In his sophomore season, Roope continued his momentum and took the next step in his development, registering 19 goals, tied with Jamie Benn for second on the team, and totaling 33 points in 60 games. Hintz also played an instrumental role in the Stars' Stanley Cup Final run, adding 2 goals and 13 points in the playoffs. Unfortunately, Hintz went down with a fractured ankle and an injured hip and was unable to finish the final series. His injury was one of many that led to the defeat of a depleted Stars roster.

Among the injuries was Stars center Tyler Seguin. With Seguin slated to undergo offseason surgery, there was opportunity lurking — for the first time in 8 years, the Stars were in need of a new number one center. Enter Roope.

Despite playing through a nagging injury for the entirety of this season, it's safe to say Hintz has revelled in the opportunity to expand his role. While playing on the Stars' top line alongside rookie winger Jason Robertson and veteran center-turned-winger Joe Pavelski, Hintz has turned into the Stars most reliable and productive player. Through just 29 games, he has registered 13 goals, 32 points, and a +7 rating. That puts him one point shy of his career high point total, something that took him 60 games to achieve last year. Hintz has also proven himself as a reliable penalty killer and is a key member of the Stars' top powerplay unit. On top of his impressive skillset, Roope has the intangibles of an elite player — the 6'3" center leaves it all on the ice by blocking shots, backchecking, and playing through pain for his team.

Since the Stars have been playing almost the entirety of the season without Alexander Radulov, the entire season without Tyler Seguin, and Jamie Benn has regressed in the scoring department, Hintz has taken on the duties of a true number one center and more. The Stars rely on Hintz to be an offensive powerhouse and responsible defensive player night in and night out. It's hard to find a Stars win this year that doesn't have Hintz's fingerprints all over it.

Hintz has been on the ice for roughly 40% of all goals scored by the Stars this year (43 out of 110) while missing 11 games, and is currently 13th in the entire league in points-per-game.

Stars head coach Rick Bowness has not been shy about Hintz's outstanding play this season. On multiple occasions Bowness has referred to Hintz as the Stars best player and even praised him as "one of the top two-way centers in the league." (Hintz shows character in still being 'dominant player' through injury). Luckily for the Stars, they locked Hintz up with a 3 year, $9.45 million contract during the offseason, which is shaping up to be a steal based on what we have seen so far, and should allow the Stars to compete for years to come. Once Seguin returns, the Stars will possess one of the best one-two punches at center in the entire league.

You may not hear his name much around the league now, but in a few years, I believe Hintz will be widely regarded as a top 10 center in the game. For now, though, Hintz looks to carry the injury-riddled Stars roster to the playoffs.