Honka has signed with Lulea HF of the SHL, Sean Shapiro of The Athletic reports.
Honka returned to the Stars on a one-year deal for the 2020-21 campaign after spending the 2019-20 season in Finland, but he spent the entirety of the year in the minors, picking up five points in 17 contests. It wouldn't be surprising to see him remain overseas for the remainder of his playing career.
... See More... See Less
Stars' Julius Honka: Assigned to AHL affiliate
Rotowire
Honka has been assigned to AHL Texas.
Honka has been with Dallas' taxi squad since the start of the season, but he has yet to crack the big club's lineup. He could be in for an extended stay in the minors.
... See More... See Less
Stars' Julius Honka: Designated for waivers
Rotowire
Honka (COVID-19 protocols) was placed on waivers Wednesday, Sean Shapiro of The Athletic reports.
Unless Honka is claimed by another team, the move will allow the club to either move the blueliner onto the taxi squad or ship him down to the minors outright. Given the contentious relationship in the past, it seems unlikely Honka would be thrilled about joining AHL Texas. With the taxi squad, the Finn will at least still be able to practice with the NHL group and could be promoted as needed.
... See More... See Less
Stars' Julius Honka: Snags one-year deal
Rotowire
Honka inked a one-year, two-way contract with Dallas on Friday.
Honka will return to the Stars following a one-year stint in Finland during which he was engaged in a contract dispute with the organization. While the blueliner should get every opportunity to secure a spot on the 23-man roster for Opening Night, the fact that he's on a two-way deal suggests he could spend some time in the minors next year.
... See More... See Less
Stars' Julius Honka: Hoping to return to team
Rotowire
General manager Jim Nill told reporters that Honka would like to rejoin the Stars for the 2020-21 campaign, Sean Shapiro of The Athletic reports.
Honka missed out on last season after failing to come to an agreement regarding his contract. With JyP HT Jyvaskyla, the 24-year-old blueliner notched four goals and 11 helpers in 46 appearances. The Finn would likely push Joel Hanley and Andrej Sekera for a spot in the lineup if he does in fact re-sign with the Stars.
... See More... See Less
Stars' Julius Honka: Signs with Finnish club
Rotowire
Honka, who is still holding out due to a contract dispute, has signed a one-year deal with JYP of Liiga, Sean Shapiro of The Athletic reports.
Honka, a restricted free agent, formally requested to be traded by Dallas in mid-September, but the Stars have yet to find a suitable partner. With his NHL future still hanging in the balance, the 23-year-old blueliner has decided to head to his native Finland to ensure he's in playing shape if and when he's dealt to another NHL organization. As long as his rights are traded and he signs a new deal prior to Feb. 1, he'll be able to return to North America and suit up for his new NHL club immediately. However, if a deal doesn't occur prior to that date, he'll spend the entirety of the 2019-20 campaign in Finland.
... See More... See Less
Stars' Julius Honka: Formally requests trade
Rotowire
Honka has requested to be traded by the Stars, Matthew DeFranks of The Dallas Morning News reports.
This development doesn't come as a surprise, as the Stars simply have too much at defense for Honka to have a regular role, and he's shown major potential during his time in the AHL over the past several seasons. The 23-year-old blueliner is an effective power-play quarterback, so if he's picked up by the right team, he'll have sneaky sleeper potential.
... See More... See Less
Stars' Julius Honka: Issued qualifying offer from Dallas
Rotowire
Honka was given a qualifying offer from the Stars on Tuesday.
Honka wasn't much of a factor at the NHL level last season, suiting up in 29 games and collecting four helpers. He didn't appear in game action for the Stars going all the way back to Jan 15, so he'll likely have to stick in out in the minors to begin 2019-20.
... See More... See Less
Stars' Julius Honka: Stuck in press box
Rotowire
Honka has been a healthy scratch in 18 straight contests.
The blueliner has recorded only four assists in 29 appearances this year. Right now, Stars coach Jim Montgomery seems to prefer Taylor Fedun over Honka and deadline acquisition Jamie Oleksiak.
... See More... See Less
Stars' Julius Honka: Good to go
Rotowire
Honka (upper body) will play Friday against the Capitals, Sean Shapiro of The Athletic reports.
Honka exited Wednesday's 5-4 win over the Devils prematurely for precautionary reasons, but he was never in serious danger of missing Friday's contest. The 23-year-old Finn will slot into his usual spot skating on the Stars' third pairing against Washington.
... See More... See Less
Stars' Julius Honka: Sits out remainder as precaution
Rotowire
According to coach Jim Montgomery, Honka's (upper body) absence after he left Wednesday's game against the Devils was precautionary, Sean Shapiro of The Athletic reports.
Fortunately, it sounds as though Honka has avoided a serious issue, as he was kept out to preserve his health moving forward. His next chance to retake the ice arrives Friday when the defending champs stroll into town having won four of their last five games.
... See More... See Less
Stars' Julius Honka: Done with upper-body issue
Rotowire
Honka will not rejoin the action Wednesday due to an upper-body injury, Sean Shapiro of The Athletic reports.
Honka marks the second player of the note to be ruled out for the remainder after Jamie Benn (upper body) was ruled out earlier in the contest. If Honka is unable to rejoin the action Friday, Connor Carrick would presumably retake a spot among the pairings.
... See More... See Less
Stars' Julius Honka: Watching from press box
Rotowire
Honka (illness) will be a healthy scratch for Friday's home game against the Senators, Sean Shapiro of The Athletic reports.
Dallas' first-round, 14th overall pick (2014) hasn't exactly thrived under the direction of first-time NHL coach Jim Montgomery, as three assists represent his point total over 18 games. Of course, Honka is only averaging 14:19 of ice time -- with his power-play role reduced to 0:38 per game -- so it's safe to leave him on the waiver wire until he builds up his confidence and starts playing more.
... See More... See Less
Stars' Julius Honka: Out against Penguins
Rotowire
Honka (illness) will not be in the lineup versus Pittsburgh on Wednesday, Mike Heika of the Stars' official site reports.
Honka -- who will be replaced in the lineup by Benjamin Gleason -- is averaging a mere 14:19 of ice time in his 18 appearances this season and has just three assists to show for it, so his absence from the lineup will likely go unnoticed by the bulk of fantasy owners. Barring a more severe ailment, the blueliner will likely be back in the lineup ahead of Friday's clash with Ottawa.
... See More... See Less
Stars' Julius Honka: Under the weather
Rotowire
Honka missed Wednesday's morning skate due to an illness, Matthew DeFranks of The Dallas Morning News reports.
Honka hasn't officially been ruled out of Wednesday's game against the Penguins, but he should be considered questionable at best at this juncture. If Honka's unable to go, Benjamin Gleason will likely slot into the lineup against Pittsburgh.
... See More... See Less
Stars' Julius Honka: Set up for success in season debut
Rotowire
Honka will be paired with Marc Methot against the Ducks on Saturday, Sean Shapiro of The Athletic reports, relaying from Stars coach Jim Montgomery that this gives the defenseman "the best chance at success" in his season debut.
Honka will make his season debut three games into the season. Had it not been for the Stars acquiring Connor Carrick in an Oct. 1 trade for a 2019 conditional seventh-round draft pick, the first-round pick (2014) likely would have been in the lineup from the start. Honka has produced just nine points over his first 58 NHL games, but in fairness to the Finn, he never really got a fair shake under former bench boss Ken Hitchcock or even Lindy Ruff in the 2016-17 campaign.
... See More... See Less
Stars' Julius Honka: Healthy scratch for opener
Rotowire
Honka will be scratched from Thursday's home opener versus the Coyotes, Matthew DeFranks of The Dallas Morning News reports.
Honka reportedly will give way to Connor Carrick and Roman Polak, but it sounds like the 22-year-old will get an opportunity soon enough. Selected in the first round (14th overall) of the 2014 draft, Honka is coming off a campaign under the direction of Ken Hitchcock that included a mere four points over 42 games, but the team has since replaced Hitchcock with former University of Denver bench boss Jim Montgomery.
... See More... See Less
Stars' Julius Honka: Impresses in preseason win
Rotowire
Honka registered a goal and assist in Dallas' 3-1 preseason win over the Avalanche on Wednesday.
Before tonight, it had been a struggle for Honka so far this preseason. Entering Wednesday night's contest, the 22-year-old defenseman had been limited to one assist in three games. Now, with three points in four games, the spike in production could give Honka confidence heading into the regular season.
... See More... See Less
Stars' Julius Honka: Limited output in preseason
Rotowire
Honka has one assist and a plus-1 rating through three preseason games.
The Stars are waiting for Honka, who was selected in the first round of the 2014 draft, to fulfill his potential. They added another rookie defenseman, Miro Heiskanen, in this year's draft, so now's the time for Honka to make his move. Now 22 years old, he had a measly four points in 42 games for the Stars last season, meaning he needs to develop rather quickly.
... See More... See Less
Stars' Julius Honka: Blueliner's minutes to rise with coaching change
Rotowire
Honka's in line for an increased role next season, the Dallas Morning News reports.
The Stars have welcomed a new coach in Jim Montgomery as the successor to Ken Hitchcock, so naturally, the team will have a different look in 2018-19. Honka, for one, only appeared in 42 games at hockey's highest level last season and he saw close to four fewer minutes of average ice time compared to his rookie campaign. Remember, the Finn -- who is currently competing in the IIHF World Championship -- heard his name called with a first-round (14th overall) selection in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, so there's plenty of untapped potential here.
