Stars sign Helenius to one-year contract
July 3, 2002 -- The Dallas Stars have signed defensemen Sami Helenius and Alexei Komarov to one-year contracts for the 2002-03 season and right wing Aaron Downey to a one-year deal with a club option for a second, it was announced today by Stars General Manager Doug Armstrong. No further terms were disclosed.
Helenius, 28, played in 39 games for the Stars during the 2001-2002 season, recording 58 penalty minutes. The 6-6, 230-pound defenseman registered career-highs during 2000-01 with Dallas in games played (57), assists (2), points (3) and penalty minutes (99). He also made his NHL playoff debut in 2001, appearing in Game Four of the Western Conference Semifinals at St. Louis.
“We are very pleased to have Sami back for a third year of service,” said Armstrong. “He will add excellent depth to our defensive unit.”
A fifth round selection by the Calgary Flames (102nd overall) in the 1992 NHL Entry Draft, Helenius has appeared in 140 career NHL contests with Calgary (three games), Tampa Bay (8 games), Colorado (33 games) and Dallas (96 games). The Helsinki, Finland native originally came to Dallas as a free agent on July 12, 2000.