Dallas Stars select Miro Heiskanen with the No. 3 pick

CHICAGO — With the No. 3 pick in the NHL Entry Draft the Dallas Stars have selected Finnish defender Miro Heiskanen.

Here is a quick scouting report on Heiskanen from my draft guide:

If any player is going to oust Nolan Patrick and Nico Hischier from the top two it’s Finnish defender Miro Heiskanen. Heiskanen played a full season in the top Finnish league before he turned 18 and has the complete toolbox to be a top-pairing NHL defensemen. Heiskanen is a possession-driving puck mover and a shutdown defender in one, and he proved that both against grown men in Finland and against his peers at the under-18 world championships. Heiskanen makes the smart decisions with the puck whether it’s leading a breakout with a pass or carrying it through the neutral zone. In the offensive zone Heiskanen does a great job walking the blue line and consistently gets shots through traffic — he’s going to be a key weapon on the power play. The ease in which Heiskanen plays the game is very encouraging and he could be a nice piece of the Stars defense core on the left side.

Heiskanen said it was an amazing feeling to be drafted by the Stars and he knows a little bit about the franchise.

He doesn’t know the Stars fellow Finnish defenders (Julius Honka and Esa Lindell) directly, but he did play with Stars center prospect Roope Hintz in the past.

“I’ve heard it’s a great organization,” Heiskanen said.

Heiskanen, who is only 17, was joined by his family in Chicago this week and said it’s been an exciting trip. He also said he didn’t get much sleep the night before the draft.

Heiskanen instantly becomes one of the Stars top prospects, and he fills a void on the left side. Dallas is stock with young right-handed defenders in Stephen Johns, John Klingberg, and Julius Honka, while Heiskanen at some point could be the top defender on the left side.

In the short term the Stars still have to determine where Heiskenan will play next season. He was asked about that during his media scrum and said “we’ll find out in September.”