Stars sign four, including goaltender Hedberg and defenseman Robidas

Friday, August 05, 2005

The Dallas Stars on Friday signed four players, including goaltender Johan Hedberg and ex-Dallas defenseman Stephane Robidas. They also agreed to terms with restricted free agent Junior Lessard and signed defenseman Mario Scalzo.

Hedberg and Robidas are the big signings. Hedberg, who signed a one-year deal,  is expected to be the backup to Marty Turco, meaning that Dan Ellis and Mike Smith will get another year of development in the minor leagues.

The 32-year-old Hedberg, who played in Sweden during the lockout, played with the Vancouver Canucks 2003-04 season, where he was the backup. He has 137 NHL games under his belt with a 54-63-14 record, a 2.83 goals against average and a .901 save percentage.

Robidas, 28, is a familiar face to Stars fans. He played with the Stars in 2002-03 and part of 2003-04 before being traded as part of the deal that brought Jon Klemm to Dallas.

Scalzo, a 21-year-old defenseman, was a teammate of Sidney Crosby on Rimouski of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. He's 5-10 and 190 pounds.  He had 24 goals, 50 assists, a plus-13 rating and 104 penalty minutes in 62 games.

Lessard, a restricted free agent and one of Dallas' top prospects, accepted his qualifying offer from the Stars. He played with Houston of the AHL last season.

Links:
Johan Hedberg Profile
Junior Lessard Profile