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If you’re a Dallas Stars fan, you should get excited about Thomas Harley. Here’s what you need to know about the American-born, Canadian-bred NHL defenseman.
Thomas Harley was born in Syracuse, New York, on August 19, 2001, to Edmonton, Alberta-born parents Brian and Stephanie Harley. Brian is an orthopedic surgeon, while Stephanie is a pharmacist. Thomas shares an “amazing” bond with Brian, who was once his hockey coach, who wouldn’t miss a chance to watch him play in the Western Conference Finals in Las Vegas, Nevada.
In May 2023, Harley told CBS News, “As kids, we all grew up chasing the Stanley Cup and wanting to win it, and we have a real good chance with this club in here … For [my dad] to come and watch and be a part of it is [awesome] and it’s something I’ll cherish forever.”
Not only does Thomas have Edmonton roots, but the future Stars defenseman was born into an athletic family and became a dual citizen of the United States and Canada. His father, Brian, and his siblings — Stuart, Greg, and Emilie — all played ice hockey. Brian played for the University of Alberta, Stuart played for the Milwaukee School of Engineering, Greg played for the Hearst Lumberjacks, and Emilie played for Robert Morris University before being drafted by the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF).
Harley is a dual citizen who represents Canada at the international level. In July 2019, Harley told The London Free Press: “My parents were Canadian and raised me that way … I grew up celebrating Canadian holidays like Boxing Day and Victoria Day. I cheered for Canada in the Olympics and World Juniors. We had a Canadian flag up in the window for Canada Day.”
“The neighbors thought we were crazy.”
Harley was drafted 18th overall in the first round by the Dallas Stars in the 2019 NHL Draft. Previously, Harley played for the Mississauga Steelheads of the OHL from 2017 to 2020 and the Vaughan Kings of the GTMMHL in 2016-17.
Harley’s journey to the NHL was interesting, to say the least. Despite being a first-round draft pick in 2019, Harley was cut from the Dallas Stars’ roster ahead of the 2019-20 NHL season and returned to the Steelheads for the season. And, in 2020, Harley was named to the Stars’ taxi squad, stayed with them in the bubble in Edmonton, and added ten pounds of muscle by working out consistently.
Harley’s patience and persistence paid off. According to multiple sources, Harley was supposed to become a Dallas Stars regular ahead of the 2022-23 NHL season. But a Nils Lundkvist trade and an unimpressive training camp basically kept Harley with the Texas Stars of the AHL for the season.
Harley was limited to six regular-season games with the Dallas Stars in 2022-23 but remained with the Stars for the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs, where he recorded nine points (one goal and eight assists) in 19 postseason games. Since then, Harley has become an overtime hero while making the most of his extended chance. Harley has played his way onto the top defensive pair with fellow defenseman Miro Heiskanen.
In my opinion, Harley is an underrated blueliner (defenseman) for the Dallas Stars.
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Rangers Sign Former Stanley Cup Champion to Tryout Agreement
The New York Rangers are adding to their forward depth ahead of their upcoming training camp. The Rangers are entering a new chapter of their organization under new head coach Mike Sullivan. After missing the postseason last year, the organization is trying to rebound and respond accordingly in 2025 and 2026. Former Stanley Cup champion forward Conor Sheary is the latest player to join the new-look Rangers. The veteran forward agreed to a professional tryout agreement (PTO) with the club and will look to earn an NHL deal with his performance in training camp and the preseason. Sheary is a veteran of 593 NHL games. Originally an undrafted free agent, he signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins after completing his collegiate career. Following a year with the Penguins' AHL affiliate, he forced his way onto the NHL squad after posting 36 points in his first 30 games of the 2015-2016 season at the AHL level. His debut NHL season went better than ever expected, and he was a key part of the Penguins' lineup that won back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017. Sheary's coach at the time, both at the AHL and NHL levels, was Mike Sullivan. Now, he'll get the chance to reunite with the coach under whom he won two championships. In addition to playing for the Penguins, Sheary has played for three other NHL franchises. The Pens dealt him to the Buffalo Sabres before the 2018-2019 campaign, but he would return to Pittsburgh the following season at the trade deadline. After his second stint with the Penguins, he joined the Washington Capitals. He played three seasons in Washington, D.C. before landing with the Tampa Bay Lightning, where he spent the past two years. Over his 593 career games, he's compiled 124 goals and 143 assists for 267 points. His best NHL season came during the 2016-2017 campaign, his second in the league. He scored 23 goals and added 30 assists for 53 points in 61 regular-season games.
Browns make curious decision with rookie QB Shedeur Sanders
The Cleveland Browns are giving Shedeur Sanders special treatment in training camp, but it's not the type of favoritism the fifth-round pick would necessarily want. Per Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN, Sanders is the only Browns quarterback who has not been taking reps with the first-team offense during OTAs or the first two practices of training camp. Former Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick Kenny Pickett, veteran Joe Flacco and rookie Dillon Gabriel have all split reps with the first team. Despite being asked to throw passes to members of the equipment staff amid a shortage of professional pass-catchers for a four-quarterback roster, Sanders said he's thankful for the opportunity to show the Browns coaching staff his talents. "I feel like that it's not in my control, so I'm not going to think about that or even have that in my thought process of why it is," Sanders said to a question as to why he's not getting first-team reps. "There's a lot of people who want to have the opportunity to be at this level, and I'm here and I'm thankful to have the opportunity. So, whenever that is, that is." Sanders, 23, believes that he can contribute more to the Browns than what the coaching staff is asking of him. "It doesn't make me feel down or left out because I know who I am as a person," Sanders said. "I know who I am as an individual and I know what I could bring to this team. So, I can never feel less than any circumstance." The Browns selected Sanders with the No. 144 pick in April's draft. As a player whom many draft analysts thought was a first-round talent, Cleveland took what could be the steal of the draft in the fifth round. It's curious why the Browns aren't giving Sanders a shot with the first team early in training camp before the quarterback race becomes more serious. Cleveland should see what Sanders has to offer this summer. Flacco, 40, isn't a long-term solution at the position. Pickett failed in Pittsburgh. The Browns need to gauge what rookies Gabriel and Sanders can do with the first team. Having Sanders throw balls to the equipment staff is a waste of everyone's time. But then again, Cleveland has wasted plenty of quarterbacks.
New suitor emerges for Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suarez
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Aaron Rodgers had the worst possible start to Steelers camp
Aaron Rodgers made his practice debut for the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday, and it was not necessarily a moment he will want to remember. Rodgers’ very first pass was intercepted by linebacker Patrick Queen. The quarterback was trying to find top target DK Metcalf on a curl route, but was not quite accurate enough. Rodgers will not lose any sleep over this. It is not the first interception he has thrown in a practice session and it will not be the last. It did make for some amusing viewing for critics, though, and even some Steelers fans got a chuckle out of it. The Steelers are hoping Rodgers can lift them to at least a playoff win in 2025. If he succeeds, he is in line for a pretty big payday, and might even be able to go out on a high note if this is in fact his final NFL season. The other bright side to Rodgers’ inauspicious start to his Pittsburgh career? It will probably make Giants rookie Jaxson Dart feel a little bit better about his own first pass.
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