The Dallas Stars have announced that they have signed prospect defenseman Christian Kyrou to a three-year entry-level contract. Per the team announcement, the contract will begin next season.
Kyrou, the brother of St. Louis Blues star Jordan Kyrou, currently plays in the OHL for the Sarnia Sting, having been traded there earlier this year from the Erie Otters. Kyrou was the 50th overall pick in last year’s draft after a draft season where he scored 60 points in 68 games.
This season, Kyrou has scored 67 points in 56 games across both teams. He’s the fifth-ranked prospect in the Stars’ system according to The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler, (subscription link) and has drawn praise for his high skill level and offensive ability.
Kyrou was born September 15th 2003, meaning he missed the cutoff for eligibility for the 2021 draft by just a day. That may have worked quite a bit in his favor, though, as he missed the entire 2020-21 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which wiped out the OHL’s season. Additionally, the NHL-CHL transfer agreement stipulates that CHL prospects aged 20 or older by December 31st are eligible for assignment to the American Hockey League that season.
Since Kyrou will turn 20 in the middle of September next season, the Stars could have the option to send him to their AHL affiliate, the Texas Stars, rather than have him play another season in the OHL.
He could also, of course, make the Stars out of training camp, but that seems relatively unlikely seeing as the Stars already have 2019 first-round pick Thomas Harley eager to claim a spot on the left side of their defense, as well as Miro Heiskanen, Esa Lindell, and Ryan Suter already on the roster as established left-shot options.
The Stars had a two-year window to sign Kyrou to an entry-level deal before he would be eligible to re-enter the draft, but such a possibility was quickly taken out of the picture by Kyrou’s stellar performance in the OHL. He’s a promising young defenseman and his official entry into the Stars organization should be cause for excitement among Dallas fans.