Dallas Stars: Roope Hintz Development is Integral to the Future

Roope Hintz burst onto the scene for the Dallas Stars during the 2019-2020 season. After tallying only 22 points in his first season in 2018-2019, he recorded 19 goals and 14 assists in just 60 games last season.

Hintz has had another excellent season this season, in terms of scoring, despite battling an injury with 10 goals and 12 assists in 22 games. Hintz possesses the skills and potential that will be key to the Stars’ future.

Roope Hintz is key to the Dallas Stars’ future

Today we breakdown Roope Hintz and explain why his development is so important to the future of the Dallas Stars

Dallas Stars Roope Hintz Profile: Speed

The first thing that comes to mind when you think of Roope Hintz is his electrifying speed on the ice. He is one of those players whose smooth skating stride is beautiful to watch. At 6’3, his long stride allows him to fly effortlessly from end-to-end. The biggest effect of his speed is the ability to back off the defense.

It would be hard to pick out a single game that he has played in which he has not broken in for at least one partial breakaway. In some games including Sunday night vs the Florida Panthers, he does it on multiple occasions

“It’s clear he is such a great impact player for us when he is in the lineup,” Stars Coach Rick Bowness said. “He is such a great player and great skater and when he is not in our lineup, you notice it.”

Dallas Stars Roope Hintz Profile: Scoring

Scoring chances and breakaways are great but they do not mean anything if you do not finish the chance. Roope Hintz has done just that. Not only has he shown the toughness to get back into the lineup while dealing with an injury but he also produces consistently when he does play.

In the 10 games that he has played in March, he has points in all but two, including goals in six of them. That is a consistency that the Stars are desperate for during a season where many key players are missing and others are having trouble scoring.

Dallas Stars Roope Hintz Profile: Total Package

What makes a player great in the NHL is their ability to play on both ends of the ice. It is no secret that Hintz can provide on the offensive end but his development in his complete game has been very valuable to the Stars.

The Stars goalie Jake Oettinger recently spoke of Hintz…

"“He’s one of the most under-appreciated players in the entire league. If he’s not already, he’s going to be one of the best players in the entire league,” Stars goalie Jake Oettinger said. The thing I love the most about him is obviously he’s got all of the offense you could ask for, but I think just the defensive side, he kills penalties, he blocks shots, does the little things and plays hard. That’s what you need. There are a lot of guys that are all skill, but to have a guy of his caliber care about the defensive zone is huge. That’s what you need to win, guys like him.”"

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That same development is what brought Mike Modano from a great offensive player to an elite all-around player. When he bought into Ken Hitchcock’s defensive system, he was able to play more minutes in all situations and became a true leader and Stanley Cup champion. Tyler Seguin also went through this development earlier in his career when coming over to Dallas from Boston.

The value of having a true number one center on your roster is massive and the Stars now have two of them in Seguin and Hintz. This will make them one of the deepest forward groups in the league and pay dividends to their future success.

The Stars are a team built around their young core. With most of their key players being under the age of 30, the future is bright for this team. Hintz has proven his ability to play in all situations and produce consistently at just 24 years old. Keep in mind that he is having this type of success while pushing through a nagging lower-body injury. Now imagine what he can do when fully healthy.