The NHL has continued to rank the top 50 players, with Dallas Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen coming in at 21st best in the league.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, the NHL has been releasing its list of the 50 best players in the league through various stages, with Stars forward Jason Robertson previously ranking as the 49th best player in hockey.
Now, another Stars player has made the cut, with Heiskanen being the second player announced on this prestigious list.
Heiskanen is coming off a solid year with the Stars despite dealing with a significant knee injury that limited him to just 50 games during the 2024-25 regular season.
The 26-year-old defenseman managed to collect just five goals but contributed 20 assists during his appearances while being one of the most stout defenders in the NHL.
Heiskanen’s knee injury also forced him to miss the first 10 games of the postseason, yet he still finished with one goal and three assists in just eight playoff games.
Although the statistics do not jump off the screen, Heiskanen has established himself as one of the best all-around players in the league, becoming one of the best skaters and most effective defenseman in all of hockey.
Heiskanen will once again be relied upon during the 2025-26 season for a Stars team that is looking to compete for the Stanley Cup, with the team making various moves over the past few seasons to demonstrate how committed they are to winning.
While Heiskanen and Robertson have both been recognized by the league to this point, there are likely more players from the Stars who will be ranked even closer to the top.
Players such as goalie Jake Oettinger and forward Mikko Rantanen are both widely expected to finish inside the Top 20 of these rankings. However, no official timeline has been released for when to expect this announcement.
This list comes as NHL teams around the league begin to participate in the preseason, with the Stars picking up a win in their first preseason matchup against the St. Louis Blues.
Moving forward, Dallas will have five more preseason matchups before the regular season begins on October 9 with a road game against the Winnipeg Jets.