{"id":203515,"date":"2026-03-13T20:20:10","date_gmt":"2026-03-13T20:20:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/203515\/"},"modified":"2026-03-13T20:20:10","modified_gmt":"2026-03-13T20:20:10","slug":"who-is-justin-hryckowian-5-things-to-know-about-dallas-stars-scrappy-rookie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/203515\/","title":{"rendered":"Who is Justin Hryckowian? 5 things to know about Dallas Stars’ scrappy rookie"},"content":{"rendered":"

A wild night at American Airlines Center on Thursday<\/a> may have served as the breakout party for a Dallas Stars youngster.<\/p>\n

Stars\u2019 rookie Justin Hryckowian is the talk of the NHL after his wild night that saw him take on half the Edmonton Oilers roster himself during Dallas\u2019 7-2 smashing<\/a> of their rivals to the Way North. <\/p>\n

Here are five things to know about the scrappy youngster, including how he ended up in Dallas after going undrafted.<\/p>\n

Related<\/p>\n

\"Dallas<\/p>\n

Sports Roundup<\/p>\n

Get the latest D-FW sports news, analysis and opinion delivered straight to your inbox. Plus, Kevin Sherrington’s A La Carte.<\/p>\n

By signing up, you agree to our\u00a0Terms of Service<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Privacy Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n

1. The basics<\/p>\n

Name: Justin Hryckowian<\/p>\n

Born: February 23, 2001<\/p>\n

Hometown: L\u2019\u00cele-Bizard, Quebec, Canada<\/p>\n

Position: Center\/forward<\/p>\n

College: Northeastern<\/p>\n

Height\/weight: 5-11, 198 pounds<\/p>\n

2. Pronunciation guide<\/p>\n

Yeah, this one\u2019s a doozy. But thankfully the Stars media guide is here to help.<\/p>\n

Justin\u2019s last name is pronounced: \u201crihts-KOH-vee-ihn.\u201d<\/p>\n

It features a few silent letters, and what\u2019s known around these parts as \u201cThe Nowitzki W.\u201d Stars fans have been hearing it a lot lately.<\/p>\n

3. Journey to Dallas<\/p>\n

Hryckowian played for Northeastern from 2021-2024 and was named the Huskies\u2019 captain in his final season. Despite finishing with the Best Defensive Forward title in his conference, he went undrafted in the 2023 draft.<\/p>\n

He signed with the Stars in March of 2025 as an undrafted free agent on a two-year entry-level contract, beginning in the 2024-25 season. He spent the rest of the 2023-24 season on an amateur tryout contract with the Texas Stars.<\/p>\n

He stayed with the AHL Stars the next season and led all rookies with 26 points through his first 27 games before he was called up to make his NHL debut in December of 2024. He\u2019d go on to play five games that season.<\/p>\n

With the Stars\u2019 heap of injuries both to start 2025-26, and still this far into it, Hryckowian has carved out a role for himself. He\u2019s played in 64 games this season and totaled 22 points with 10 goals and 12 assists.<\/p>\n

4. Justin, this is the Oilers. Oilers, Justin…<\/p>\n

Hryckowian\u2018s scrappy playstyle has been apparent since he got to Dallas \u2014 he\u2019s currently third on the team in penalty minutes \u2014 but he really seemed to make a name for himself in March after getting under the skin of the entire Edmonton Oilers roster.<\/p>\n

In a game where the Stars smashed the Oilers, Hryckowian was pestering Edmonton players all night en route to drawing four penalties. It was none other than Connor McDavid \u2014 arguably the best player in the world \u2014 that he really seemed to be butting heads with, at one point even dropping gloves with McDavid. That\u2019s quite out of character for the Edmonton captain … but not so much for Hryckowian, who\u2019s had his share of five-minute majors<\/a> this year.<\/p>\n

5. Hryckowian vs. All of Canada<\/p>\n

The lasting image from the 7-2 victory was Hryckowian standing solo in front of the Oilers bench appearing to point out players one-by-one with his stick before he was ushered away by the referees and another annoyed Oiler.<\/p>\n

An all time ESPN+ freeze frame of the protagonist\/antagonist Justin Hryckowian. The Stars should commission a local artist in Dallas to paint this and gift it to Hryckowian. I’m serious. This is an all timer. It is pure organic art. All-time chirper Ray Ferraro with the headset..\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/pAW6PFgKMY<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 BucciOT.Com (@Buccigross) March 13, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Green<\/a>Former Dallas Cowboys star Micah Parsons swaps jerseys with Oilers\u2019 Connor McDavid<\/a><\/p>\n

Parsons, now with the Green Bay Packers, shared a moment with McDavid after Edmonton\u2019s loss to the Dallas Stars.<\/p>\n

\"Dallas<\/a>Red-hot Dallas Stars blow out Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers in gloves-off contest<\/a><\/p>\n

Jason Robertson and captain Jamie Benn both scored two goals in a game that was hardly in doubt as Dallas extended its point streak to 14 games.<\/p>\n

\"Dallas<\/a>Thursday\u2019s TV\/Radio listings (March 12)<\/a><\/p>\n

The Dallas Stars host the Edmonton Oilers for a showdown at American Airlines Center.<\/p>\n

\"Dallas<\/a>3 things to know about Stars-Oilers: Can Dallas keep streak going in WCF rematch? <\/a><\/p>\n

The Stars enter Thursday\u2019s game against their historic rival with points in 13 straight games.<\/p>\n

Find more Stars coverage from The Dallas Morning News here<\/a>.<\/p>\n