The NA3HL’s Dallas Jr. Stars today announced the first of several signings with a pair of defensemen tendered during the Americas’ High School Hockey Showcase in Pittsburgh.
Continuing the trend set last year of going big on the blueline, both signees are over 6’2″ and come with excellent High School statistics.
Tommy Estenes (D) joins the Stars after completing his senior year at Toms River North High School in New Jersey. The 6’2″ 180 lb defender notched 30 points (12G, 18A, 20PIMS) in just 18 regular season games last year as he showed the offensive upside that caught the Stars’ eyes in Pittsburgh. A smooth skater Estenes is not shy about jumping into the rush and creating added offensive firepower.
Kody Wagner (D) joins the Stars from the Columbus Icemen High School squad in Shelbyville, Indiana. The 6’3″, 190 lb defender registered 28 points (8G, 20A) in 45 games. Wagner provides solid offensive upside but proved he was more than willing to mix it up physically as he also logged 98 minutes in penalties throughout the season.
Stars’ GM Reggie Hall said, “both Kody and Tommy give us big bodies on the blueline and while they bring different styles they are highly skilled and excellent skaters. They stood out in Pittsburgh during the Showcase and we felt they could step in right away and help replace the defenders we moved on from last year’s squad. They were both very eager to get to Dallas and take the next step in their growth.”
Welcome to Dallas boys.
In other news, the Dallas Jr. Stars are heading to Las Vegas this weekend to scout the annual Global showcase. With players from last season moving on to college and higher levels of junior hockey, the Stars are looking to reload with more of those kind of players looking to advance themselves.
