The Dallas Stars have brought back defenseman Jamie Oleksiak of Toronto, Ontario. On Monday, the Stars acquired Oleksiak for a fourth round draft pick in the 2019 National Hockey League Entry Draft.
Oleksiak, who is the older brother of Canadian Olympic gold medalist Penny Oleksiak, has four goals and seven assists for 11 points in 36 games for the Penguins. He was a +5 with 37 penalty minutes, 35 shots on goal, 37 blocked shots, 97 hits, six takeaways and 24 giveaways.
Oleksiak played for the Stars in their 1-0 shutout win over the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday. He was a +1 with two shots, two blocked shots, two hits and one takeaway.
Oleksiak played his first seven seasons with the Stars before being traded to the Penguins in 2017. Ironically, it was for a fourth round draft pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft.
The Stars were in need of a defenseman because Marc Methot of Ottawa, Ontario is out for the rest of the season with a knee injury. Among the top six defensemen on the Stars at the moment, it appears Oleksiak will be alongside Taylor Fedun of Edmonton, Alberta on the Stars third pairing.
Oleksiak is ahead of Julius Honka on the Stars depth chart. Honka, who was the Stars’ first round draft pick in the 2014 National Hockey League Entry Draft, only has four assists in 29 games with Dallas this season. The Stars meanwhile have 54 points and have the fourth spot in the Central Division. They lead the Colorado Avalanche by two points.
Penny Oleksiak meanwhile won a gold medal in swimming for Canada in the women’s 100 metre freestyle at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. She also won a silver medal in the women’s 100 metre butterfly, a bronze medal in the women’s 4×100 metre freestyle and the 4×200 metre freestyle.
