After a breakout year and extensive run as the Stars’ top defenseman, Harley is in line to take another strong leap forward in 2025-26
Name: Thomas Harley
Age: 23 (will turn 24 on Aug. 19)
Birthplace: Syracuse, New York
Height/Weight: 6-3, 211
2024-25 Regular-season Stats: 16 goals, 34 assists, 50 points, 23:23 avg. TOI in 78 games
2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs Stats: 4 goals, 10 assists, 14 points, 25:58 avg. TOI in 18 games
Contract: On final year of two-year deal that averages $4.0 million per season
Performance evaluation: Harley had a massive 2024-25 season, and two key reasons why were Miro Heiskanen getting injured in January and Harley getting the call to play for Team Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off in February. The 18th overall pick in 2019 has had an interesting career arc, and 2024-25 marked a bit of a breakout for the young star. In the 48 games before Heiskanen was injured, Harley averaged 22:27 per game in ice time and ranked 34th among defensemen in scoring with 23 points (7 goals, 16 assists). In the 30 games without Heiskanen, Harley averaged 24:53 in time on ice and ranked sixth among NHL defensemen in scoring with 27 points (9 goals, 18 assists). Harley was called in at the last minute as a replacement for Team Canada at the 4 Nations and helped beat Team USA in the championship, winning a gold medal in the process. It was a huge challenge for the young defenseman, and he stepped up in a notable way. That helped boost his confidence as he returned to Dallas, where he led the defense down the homestretch of the regular season and through a First Round win against Colorado. He also took the majority of the minutes in the Second Round against Winnipeg as Heiskanen cautiously worked through his injury to get back into the lineup. Harley finished the playoffs with 14 points (4 goals, 10 assists) in 18 games – a significant jump from the 4 points (0 goals, 4 assists) he had in 19 games the year before.
Expectations for 2025-26: Harley’s career has been unconventional. After COVID shut down junior hockey in the spring of 2020, he was allowed to join the Stars in the playoff bubble at age 19. And while he played just one game, he was a part of the group that made it to the Stanley Cup Final and was locked down in Edmonton for two months. He then bounced back and forth between the NHL and the AHL in the following three seasons. At the advice of coach Pete DeBoer, Harley was sent to the Texas Stars in 2022-23 and played 66 games before being called up to the NHL for the final six games and a 19-game run in the playoffs. He credits the coaching staff in Cedar Park with helping him a great deal in developing his overall game at the time. Neil Graham, who was his AHL head coach at the time, is now an assistant coach in Dallas under new head coach Glen Gulutzan. Harley should have an eventful season. One, he is among the candidates to play for Team Canada at the Olympics. Two, he could be a restricted free agent at the end of the season and likely will get a significant raise and a long-term contract extension. And three, his performance last season seems to indicate the need for the new coaching staff to find a way to balance the minutes between him and Heiskanen. Because of his ability to score (especially on the power play), Harley deserves to be seen as a No. 1 or 1-A defenseman. The young defenseman will turn 24 later this month, and he has handled pretty much every challenge in his pro career so far with grace and confidence. The expectation is that he should be able to handle all that is on his plate and more in the season ahead.
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Mike Heika is a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on X @MikeHeika.
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