The Dallas Stars have managed to sign one of their late-round picks, inking Evgeniy Oksentyuk to a three-year entry-level contract according to his agent Dan Milstein of Gold Star Hockey. PuckPedia reports that the deal will carry an average annual value of $828K.
Selected 162nd overall, Oksentyuk is another example of an undersized scoring forward falling in the draft. The 5’8″ winger scored 33 goals and 78 points in his one year of OHL hockey during the 2019-20 season, but ended up going back to Belarus to compete at the pro level when the junior league decided not to play this year. While just six points in 31 games for Minsk isn’t much to write home about, Oksentyuk did add another four goals in the team’s playoff run and has plenty of upside.
Because he signed an extension with his European team for next season, he’ll almost certainly be loaned back overseas for 2021-22. That won’t stop his entry-level deal from burning the first year as he is already 20, but will let him continue to develop at a lower level before he is tested in the AHL.