Fresh off NHL honour, WHL alumnus Nill earns contract extension with Dallas Stars
After securing the Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year award last month, WHL alumnus Jim Nill has earned a contract extension with the NHL’s Dallas Stars.
Dallas Stars Owner and Governor Tom Gaglardi, who is also the Governor and Co-Owner of the Kamloops Blazers, announced Nill’s two-year contract extension Monday morning.
“Jim has proven himself to be one of the best general managers in the NHL,” Gaglardi said. “He has meticulously built a team through free agency, trades and the NHL Draft that’s among the best in the League, while also ensuring that the Stars are championship contenders for years to come. He’ll be able to continue his vision of working toward our goal of bringing another Stanley Cup to the state of Texas.”
Nill, 65, enters his 11th season with the Stars, having served as the team’s 11th general manager and sixth GM since moving to Dallas. During Nill’s tenure, the Stars have amassed a record of 403-280-98 and have made the Stanley Cup Playoffs in six seasons (2013-14, 2015-16, 2018-19, 2019-20, 2021-22 and 2022-23), including two trips to the Western Conference Final (2020, 2023) and an appearance in the Stanley Cup Final (2020). The longest serving general manager in franchise history, Nill became the first GM in team history to win the Jim Gregory General Manager of the the Year Award following the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign, which recognizes the work of the top general manager in the NHL.
“My family and I are grateful to Tom Gaglardi for his commitment to the organization and giving me every resource available to build this team,” Nill said. “I’m fortunate to have an incredible team of individuals alongside me that have worked tirelessly behind the scenes to help build our team into what it is today. I’m excited to continue my work in developing a winning culture and reaching our shared goal of winning the Stanley Cup.”
Nill, who hails from Hanna, Alta., spent three seasons as a player in the WHL (then known as the WCHL) with the Medicine Hat Tigers from 1975-78, totalling 166 points (75G-81A) over his time in the Gas City. He was selected by the St. Louis Blues in the 1978 NHL Draft and went on to enjoyed a nine-season NHL career as a right wing with the Boston Bruins, Vancouver Canucks, St. Louis Blues, Winnipeg Jets and Detroit Red Wings.
Before arriving in Dallas, he spent time in the front offices of the Red Wings and Ottawa Senators.
Internationally, he represented Canada at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, N.Y.
