Charlie Paquette finished his OHL career with a combined 65 games between the Guelph Storm and Brantford Bulldogs in 2025-26, posting 29 goals, 34 assists, and 63 points. Guelph traded him to Brantford in January as part of its Memorial Cup rebuild, and Paquette added 11 points in 15 playoff games as the Bulldogs made a deep postseason run.

Paquette is captaining the Guelph Storm in his fourth OHL season. His offense so far through 20 games- eight goals and 10 assists- has him trending towards a slight decline from his previous campaign’s output.

Often teams draft for grit and end up with big players without the hop. That’s not what the Stars get in Paquette.

Selected 222nd overall in the seventh round, Charlie Paquette is now a member of the Dallas Stars.

Paquette is a power forward who plays big and does not back down from contact along the boards. His forecheck is his most notable feature: he finishes every route, pins defenders, and creates loose pucks his linemates convert. He has a useful shot from the circles, though his release is deliberate and he will not beat AHL goalies clean from distance the way he did in the OHL. His net-front work is where the goals come from, deflections, jams, and rebounds. The passing improved in his final OHL season, with more intent on cycle feeds.

His skating is below average for a pro, and his first three steps lack burst. He will not drive a line or create his own space at higher levels. Defensively he is committed but positionally inconsistent. Paquette does not have a Dallas contract yet and will need to earn one at training camp. At present, he projects as organizational depth, a physical bottom-six right wing who can kill penalties and chip in 10 to 15 goals per year in the AHL. Fantasy relevance would require a significant development step in skating or finishing. Monitor only in the deepest leagues.

Paquette’s value to the Dallas Stars, and by extension, our fantasy squads, will be on throwing the body and throwing pucks at the net. He won’t be a valuable asset in points-only, shallow or most redraft leagues, but could find a role as a category specialist in the hits column. Stash him in leagues where hits matter, as he will likely get a call up to the Texas Stars when his junior season ends and will become a better known asset as time goes by.

The 6-2, 207-pound centre is aggressive, hard-hitting, and magnetic to the net front. At 222nd overall, Dallas bet on a high-floor player who could join their pro ranks as soon as next year – although he is not worth stashing in fantasy leagues.

Not selected in his first year of draft eligibility, Paquette heard his name called in his second year of eligibility after doubling his point total with Guelph of the OHL. Known more for his hits and forechecking, popping from 35 to 70 points (37 goals and 33 assists) was enough to get the Stars to take a swing. Seventh rounders are not often NHL material, but the multi-cat potential is there for Paquette in deeper leagues if he can keep himself on the path he’s on currently.