Tom Wandell (Photo Taken by Melissa Grissom)

Center/ #23

January 29, 1987 in Södertälje, Sweden

6’1/ 200 lbs

GP: 72

G: 6

A: 9

P: 15

+/-  -5

Contract Status: RFA

In the early parts of the 2008-2009 season the Dallas Stars had been plagued with the injury bug and out of nowhere a young Swedish forward named Tom Wandell got called up from his Swedish professional league with Timra IK to make his NHL debut. In 14 games that season really playing only fourth line minutes young Wandell had 3 points (1G, 2A) and had left a pretty good impression with the Stars players and staff, and at the beginning of the 2009-2010 season Tom Wandell had found himself a roster spot on the Dallas Stars roster. His rookie campaign had a lot of promise as in 50 games that season Wandell already had 15 points (5G, 10A) and was showing to have picked up the North American style of game real well, but unfortunately 50 games is all that Wandell would play as an ACL injury sidelined him for the rest of that season. 2010-2011 had the same promise as Wandell got off to a good start, but he had a very long dry spell and ended the season with 9 points (2G, 7A).

This season was one of Wandell’s last chances to prove what he can do and at times in the season he was everywhere, his skating was well and he developed a real grinding side to his game, plus when Mike Ribeiro and Jamie Benn went down with injuries Tom Wandell stepped up to a top six role and was not bad giving the Stars another option, and at times he sprinkled in points but at other times there were those long dry spells once again and some games he was just invisible. Tom Wandell’s leash is running very thin in Dallas but he might have found a little slack with the trade of center Mike Ribeiro at the Entry Draft the Stars find themselves with holes at the center position and on the last day that RFA’s could receive a qualifying offer from their respective teams Wandell received one from Dallas, many have different views about Wandell’s worth in the organization but the truth is that Dallas is in need of centers and Wandell can fill the role, but needs to find the consistency and rhythm in his game that was developing in his rookie season prior to his ACL injury