Stars sign Niilopekka Muhonen to three-year, entry-level contract

The Dallas Stars announced Tuesday the signing of defenseman Niilopekka Muhonen to a three-year, entry-level contract that will begin in 2025-26.

The 19-year-old Muhonen was a fifth-round pick for the Stars in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, spending his 2024-25 campaign with the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers. He scored four goals and 13 assists for 17 points and 45 penalty minutes in 60 regular-season games.

He also scored a goal and two assists for three points in 18 WHL playoff games, helping the Tigers win the Ed Chynoweth Cup and reach the CHL’s Memorial Cup Final, losing to the London Knights.

Muhonen, a native of Kuopio, Finland, has represented his country on the international stage on a number of occasions. He helped Finland earn a bronze medal at the 2023 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.

Earlier in the day, Dallas signed Radek Faksa to a three-year, $6 million contract that twill keep him with the club through the 2027-28 season.

The Stars finished the 2024-25 season with a record of 50-26-6 and 106 points, second in the Central Division. In the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Dallas eliminated the Colorado Avalanche in the first round, the Winnipeg Jets in the second round but were eliminated by the Edmonton Oilers in the Western Conference Final. 

Last week, the Stars’ Jim Nill was named the 2025 NHL Jim Gregory NHL General Manager of the Year, becoming the first GM in league history to win the award in three consecutive seasons. Nill and Dallas made a splash ahead of the NHL Trade Deadline, acquiring Mikko Rantanen from the Carolina Hurricanes and signing the Finnish forward to an eight-year extension.