The Stars have signed goaltender Ben Kraws to a two-way extension for the 2025-26 campaign, the team announced Tuesday. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Kraws was slated to be a restricted free agent in two weeks after completing his first NHL contract, a one-year entry-level deal he signed with Dallas as an undrafted free agent in March 2024. The 6’5″, 194-lb netminder was coming off a strong showing in his fifth collegiate season at the time, posting a 2.49 GAA and .919 SV% in 37 games for St. Lawrence University. He played all but two games during the season and was easily the school’s top player, earning a Hobey Baker Award nomination as a result.
While the 24-year-old has seen a few games of action with AHL Texas since signing his deal 15 months ago, most of his short time in the pros has been spent down a level with ECHL Idaho. He was the Steelheads’ starter this year while sitting No. 5 on the Stars’ goalie depth chart behind their NHL duo of Jake Oettinger and Casey DeSmith and the AHL tandem of Magnus Hellberg and Rémi Poirier. He did quite well in his first professional audition, posting a 2.88 GAA, .910 SV%, five shutouts, and a 23-12-5 record in 40 games.
Hellberg won’t be back with the organization next season after signing in Sweden, while Poirier re-upped with the Stars on a two-year, two-way deal just yesterday. The latter outplayed Hellberg anyway and is likely slated to take over as the AHL starter next year. Kraws’ landing a second contract from Dallas indicates they may be penciling him in as Poirier’s backup in the AHL next year.
Still, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Dallas add another name to the mix in net, even if it’s on an AHL-only contract. Kraws has a more pedestrian .896 SV% and 2.87 GAA in seven career AHL showings for Texas. There’s certainly room for improvement on that small sample size, and the Stars would do well to add a more experienced call-up option in case an injury sidelines DeSmith or Oettinger for any significant length of time.