Stars injury news: Thomas Harley to return to lineup after missing 12 games

The Dallas Stars are set to welcome defenseman Thomas Harley back to the lineup on Tuesday night against the Winnipeg Jets, according to the Winnipeg Free Press Jets beat reporter, Ken Wiebe. 

Harley has missed the last 12 games for the Stars with a lower-body injury and was initially given week-to-week status by the hockey club on Nov. 15 ahead of a matchup against the Philadelphia Flyers. 

While it is unclear when he suffered the injury, he left a void on the Dallas blueline. The 24-year-old has one goal and 10 points in 18 games with the Stars this season, spending most of his time on the second defensive pairing. 

He has also averaged 22:59 of ice time per game, still the third most amongst Stars skaters, only behind Miro Heiskanen and Esa Lindell. In addition to his points tally, he has 21 shots on goal and 43 blocked shots. 

A native of Syracuse, New York, the dual American-Canadian defenseman’s return comes at a vital time not only for the Stars, but for himself as he battles to crack the Team Canada roster for the 2026 Milano-Cortina Olympics, after helping Canada to a title at the 4 Nations Face-Off in February. 

On Tuesday, TSN’s Pierre Lebrun reported that Team Canada management under General Manager Doug Armstrong had narrowed the potential roster down to the “low 30s,” and that every player on February’s winning team remained in contention, which would include Harley.

The Stars enter Tuesday night’s clash in Winnipeg sitting second in the NHL’s Central Division with 45 points in 30 games, only trailing the Colorado Avalanche, who have 48 points in 29 contests. After Tuesday, they head to face the Minnesota Wild on Thursday, before returning home to host the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers on Saturday night.