What a difference a year makes. Last May, Radek Faksa was still recovering from a January shoulder surgery, the latest in a string of unfortunate injuries that plagued his early professional career. Now he has two game-winning goals to kick off the Dallas Stars' first- and second-round campaigns for the 2016 Stanley Cup.
NHL.com's Amalie Benjamin caught up with one of the Stars' impact rookies over the weekend. Faksa's backstory is pretty unforgettable, but in case you've just arrived, let's revisit TSN's video from NHL Draft Day 2012.
With the 22-year-old Czech's place in the Dallas forward corps looking increasingly permanent, his colleagues are eager to share insights into how he got there:
"Hockey IQ," Stars forward Jason Spezza said, explaining Faksa's strengths.