Dallas Stars

The Dallas Stars were branded with the nickname 'Helsinki South' during the 2005-06 NHL season due to the six talented, hard-working and effective Finnish players on the roster. The club today rewarded two of those Finns, wingers Jere Lehtinen and Niklas Hagman, with contract extensions that will keep Stars fans yelling 'Suomi' next season.

Stars General Manager Doug Armstrong announced today that the club had exercised its option on Lehtinen's contract for the 2006-07 season, while Hagman received a two-year deal through the 2007-08 campaign.

"Over his 10 seasons with the Dallas Stars, Jere Lehtinen has demonstrated his worth to this organization with consistency and hard work," said Armstrong. "He leads his teammates through his work ethic on the ice and we are glad to have him secured for next season. Niklas Hagman proved that he fits in well with our hockey club with his grittiness and strong penalty killing. We believe that he will only continue to develop as a solid player in this league."

Lehtinen, 32, set career-highs last season in goals (33) and power play goals (14) and tied career-highs in game-winning goals (6) and games played (80). Among team leaders, he ranked first in goals, power play goals and game-winners.

A three-time Selke Trophy winner (2002-03, 1998-99, 1997-98), Lehtinen is one of three players to ever win the Selke three times or more (also Bob Gainey and Guy Carbonneau). He has been nominated for the Selke this season, his sixth nomination. A six-time 20-goal scorer, he has been named to the NHL All-Star Game twice (1998, 2002 missed 2002 game due to injury) and was originally Dallas' fourth round selection (88th overall) in the 1992 NHL Entry Draft.

The 6-0, 192-pound right wing appeared in his fourth Olympics with Team Finland during the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Torino, Italy, earning a silver medal with Finland and recording three goals and five assists for eight points with a +6 rating.

Lehtinen's teammate both in Dallas and with Team Finland Hagman was acquired from Florida in December in exchange for a seventh round draft pick in 2007. Overall last season, he collected eight goals and 13 assists for 21 points in 84 games. In five playoff games, Hagman tallied two goals and an assist, with both goals coming in the Stars' 4-1 win during Game Four in Colorado.

The 6-0, 205-pound left wing played in his second Olympics with Team Finland in 2006, collecting one assist and also earning a Silver Medal. He and his father Matti are the first Finnish father-son duo to play in the NHL.

In addition to inking the Finns to deals today, the Stars struck a deal with the New York Rangers and signed their newest player to a one-year contract. The club acquired 26-year-old center Mike Green from the Rangers in exchange for a conditional draft pick in 2008.

Green spent the 2005-06 season playing for the Hannover Scorpions in the German Elite League, tallying 17 goals and 26 assists for 43 points with 122 penalty minutes in 50 games. Among team leaders, he ranked tied for first in goals and second in points.

The 5-11, 195-pound center appeared in 24 NHL games with Florida and the New York Rangers during the 2003-04 season, recording one goal and three assists for four points. In 2002-03 with San Antonio of the AHL, he finished second on the team in goals (26) and points (60) in 80 games. He notched San Antonio's first-ever hat trick and was named the club's "Man of the Year."

The native of Victoria, B.C., had a decorated junior career with the Kootenay Ice of the Western Hockey League from 1996-2000. He registered 92 goals and 121 assists for 213 points with 116 penalty minutes and led his club to the 2000 WHL championship. He finished his junior career as Kootenay's all-time leader in goals, assists, points and game-winners.

Green should immediately provide the Stars organization with some depth and scoring punch, and in one final move today, Dallas announced a one-year extension to its affiliate agreement with the ECHL's Idaho Steelheads. As a Dallas Stars affiliate during the club's inaugural season of 2003-2004, the Steelheads captured the Patrick J. Kelly Cup, awarded to the ECHL champions.

"We are pleased to continue our affiliation with Idaho and we are expecting continued success for the Steelheads," Armstrong said. "Idaho has done an excellent job as a development affiliate for the Dallas Stars, and together with Iowa in the American Hockey league, we should continue to have a solid, coordinated partnership."

Considered the premier "AA" hockey league in North America, the ECHL has affiliations with 23 of the 30 teams in the National Hockey League. Additionally, the ECHL has affiliations with 23 of the 27 teams in the American Hockey League, creating a true minor league system where players can be promoted within the given parent organization.

The Idaho Steelheads play at the 5,000-seat Qwest Arena, which opened in downtown Boise in 1997. The club played host to over 178,000 fans at their home games last season, which saw the Steelheads finish with the highest point total since joining the ECHL in 2003 (94 points) and the franchise's most wins with 43.

After posting a 43-21-8 record in the regular season, Idaho reached the ECHL's Western Conference Semifinals in 2005-06 before falling in seven games to the Las Vegas Wranglers. During a one-year hiatus from their affiliation with Dallas, Idaho served as an affiliate of the NHL Phoenix Coyotes and AHL Utah Grizzlies in 2004-2005.