Steelheads Alumni Spotlight Series: Thomas Harley
By Easton-Leaf Lepage
Thomas Harley has enjoyed a massive breakout season for the Dallas Stars this year.
The former Steelhead scored 15 goals, tied for eighth among NHL defencemen, and added 32 helpers for a total of 47 points in his first full NHL season. The hulking 6 ‘4 defenceman’s combination of size and offensive firepower sees him as one of the most promising young blueliners in the NHL.
“He’s elite,” said Dallas Stars bench boss Peter DeBoer of Harley this season. “There have been a lot of nights where he has been one or two of the best players on the ice on both teams. I think this guy should be on the radar of the Olympic team and the Four Nations.”
Harley logged over 21 minutes of ice time a night for the Stars this season, trailing only Miro Heiskanen among Stars skaters. The Syracuse native is already one of the team’s most trusted players at just 22 years old.
Harley was drafted 14th overall by the Steelheads in the 2017 OHL Priority Selection Draft, playing 189 games and amassing 130 points across three seasons for the club. He is tied for 5th in Steelheads history with 100 career OHL assists and ranks 13th in games played and ninth in points for his career amongst all Steelheads.
Harley’s 47 assists in the 2018/19 OHL season is a franchise record for defencemen. He was also awarded the Bobby Smith Trophy after the 2018/19 season as the OHL’s Scholastic Player Of The Year.
Although he made a notable playoff appearance for the Stars in the 2020 bubble at 18 years old, Harley did not establish himself as an everyday NHL contributor until this season. He played 66 games for the Texas Stars in the AHL in 2022/23, putting up 34 points and adding nine more in 19 playoff games.
“I’m glad I didn’t go back and forth,” Harley said of his development in the AHL. “It let me just focus on what I was doing there, and I think that was the best way for me.” The Stars’ methodical development plan for Harley has paid off, as the budding score potted the most goals in a season since his final year with the Steelheads in 2018/19.
A pending restricted free agent after this season, Harley will surely cash in on his breakout year with a large contract extension with Dallas. A strong team bursting with young talent will only get better as Harley continues to improve.
