From OHL to the Pros

Connor Punnett did not get picked in the NHL draft. That is a hard fact for many players to swallow. Yet the undrafted defenseman signed a deal with Dallas in the spring of 2024. He played his final year in the OHL under a coach Stars fans know well. Punnett finished his season with Barrie before a trade sent him to the Oshawa Generals. He scored three goals in sixteen playoff games for the Generals. Oshawa lost the final, but the experience mattered.

Punnett knows the value of a fresh start. “When I got traded there, it was a great opportunity, first off, to get traded to such a great organization,” Punnett said. He also praised the leadership he found in Oshawa. “Then having Lax as a coach there was phenomenal.” Derek Laxdal ran a tight show for the team. Punnett noted that the coach was hard on the players. That pressure helped bring out their best work. The young defenseman sees clear steps in his career path now.

Testing Legs in a New System

The Dallas Stars are in a tough spot this year. They have a strong top line but lack depth down the middle. Per Yahoo Sports, the team traded away a 20-goal scorer and did not replace him with another big name. They only added Joel Kiviranta, who has struggled to hit double digits in goals often. The roster is thin, and the pressure is high. Punnett will need to be ready to play hard when called upon.

He is currently testing his body for the upcoming season. “It’s nice, you know, test out the legs, test out the lungs,” Punnett said regarding the prospect tournaments. He has played different spots to help the team. Some forward and some off-side on defense. This flexibility shows he is willing to do whatever the coaches ask. He is buying into the new system under Toby Petersen. “I think all the guys are buying into his systems and what he wants us to do,” Punnett said.

The Hunger to Succeed

The league is not getting softer. It is getting hungrier every single day. Punnett sees this trend clearly as he moves up the ranks. He knows that talent alone will not get him to the top. You need grit and a willingness to work. The Stars need players who can handle the physical grind. They faced Minnesota in a nasty preseason game where hatred flowed on the ice. That kind of fight is what Dallas needs to win.

Punnett is not the only one walking a winding road. Jordie Benn spoke to the camp about his own journey. Benn worked his way up step by step after being undrafted. He played over 600 games in the NHL. Punnett wants to end up in that same spot. He is watching how Benn handles Player Development. The young defenseman is ready to prove he belongs. He has the size and the skill to make it work. Now he just needs the chance to show it.