By Luke McGinnis
Last season, the Stars finished in eighth place in the Elite Ice Hockey League standings, before falling to the Belfast Giants in the playoff quarter-finals. This year, LeFebvre hopes that a mix of returning players and the additions of some new faces will propel his team further.
“Win the playoffs, that’s always the goal,” said LeFebvre on the squad’s aspirations for the season. “Obviously you want to make that top eight, the way we got in the last two years I don’t like, so we need to have more consistency throughout our game the whole year.”
Among those returning is captain Drydn Dow, entering his seventh season in a Stars uniform and fifth with the C on his jersey. The EIHL Defenseman of the Year is looking to build on a career-best year, in which he led all defensemen in scoring with 47 points.
“It’s a very deep group this year, we have four lines and six defensemen who can all play a lot of minutes, and we’ve got three good goalies back there,” Dow said on the strengths of this year’s roster. “I really liked our preseason, it wasn’t our A game by any means but we still ended up finding a way to win, so just building on that I think we have a really good roster and I’m looking forward to the season.”
Kris Inglis and Craig Moore are also back on the Dundee blue line, their ninth and seventh seasons respectively, providing a familiar calm presence on the back end. Alongside them on defence are new additions Jackson DeSouza, Justin Bean, and Griffin Luce, who all bring a mix of experience and physicality that should make the Stars harder to play against this season.
Dynamic forward Spencer Naas is returning to Tayside for his third season with the team. First signing with the Stars ahead of the 2023/24 season, Naas quickly became a fan favourite and went on to lead the entire league in goals with 32. After initially starting last season in Germany with EHC Freiburg, Naas rejoined Dundee in the middle of December and once again impressed, recording 46 points in just 35 games and helping the team in their playoff pursuit.
Forwards Keanu Yamamoto and Kameron Kielly are both entering their second year as members of the Dundee Stars, serving as key depth pieces whose scoring will prove vital to the team’s overall success. Keanu, the brother of current NHL player Kailer Yamamoto, finished fifth on the team in scoring with 35 points last season, while Kielly had 26 points playing mostly on the third line.
Young Star Jonathan McBean is entering his third full year with the team, recording a career high 14 points in 54 games last season, something he will look to build on with aspirations of playing for Team Great Britain in the near future. Homegrown Craig Garrigan is also returning for his seventh season as a Star, after establishing himself as a reliable defensive forward who does whatever it takes to win.
Several familiar faces from around the EIHL have made the jump to Dundee ahead of the upcoming season. Otto Nieminen, who won the 2025 playoff championship with the Nottingham Panthers, will look to replicate that success in Tayside. Alongside him are two former Cardiff Devils, Brad Schoonbaert and Ben Almquist, Estonian international Morten Jürgens from the Coventry Blaze, and Matt Berry who joins from Scottish rival Glasgow Clan.
Veteran Matt Boudens, who will serve as an assistant captain, makes the jump to Europe for the first time after a successful North American career, which included numerous stints in the American Hockey League. Finally, Hampus Olsson rounds out the forward roster, standing at 6’6” and providing offense in many different situations.
Fan favourite Jarrett Fiske is also back in Dundee, rounding out a strong core of returning import players for the Stars. After beginning last year as the team’s backup goaltender, a number of impressive performances earned Fiske the starting position towards the latter half of the season and into the playoffs. Veteran Emil Kruse will also be battling to become the team’s starting goaltender, joining the Stars after a successful career in his home country of Sweden.
LeFebvre has also recruited an exciting group of young local players, showcasing the city’s bright and upcoming talent. Jaydn Baxter – son of former Star Billy Baxter – and Rio Page have both signed two-way contracts with the team, as they continue to develop and look to make their professional debut this season. Additionally, Dominick Jaglar will join the team on a full-time basis this year after signing a two-way contract last season, giving the young goaltender valuable experience and development.
For the full home schedule and ticket information, visit dundeestars.com.
