DALLAS– For Dallas Stars goalkeeper talent Arno Tiefensee, Texas is not only geographically but also physically far away from Germany.

“It’s hot out here, as a European I’m not used to this heat,” the 22-year-old said last month during the Stars’ development camp.

The 1.93 m tall native of Weißwasser was selected by Dallas in the fifth round (No. 157) of the 2023 NHL Draft and has established himself as the No. 1 goalie for Mannheim in the German Ice Hockey League, the top professional league in his home country. Last season he was 19-13-0 with a goals-against average of 2.43, a save percentage of .907 and one shutout in 32 games.

As part of the Stars organization, Tiefensee had access to useful insights from Ben Bishop, one of the NHL’s former top goalies who now works as player development coordinator for Dallas after retiring at the end of the 2022-23 season.

“I was able to go to Germany last year and watch him play,” Bishop said of Tiefensee. “He had a really good season. He’s improving every year.”

“His size and the way he handles his body, he’s very straight to the shooter and a lot of pucks hit him. That’s a good thing for a goalie. He has all the tools (to succeed in the NHL), it’s just a matter of sharpening them.”

This is one of the benefits Tiefensee received from attending development camp, where he spent a lot of time working on his game with Bishop and Dallas’ goaltending coaches.

“We talked about a few things, like puck handling, looking for pucks better,” Tiefensee said. “They gave me some great tips. Also Bishop, he’s been in the game for many years now … so he has some great tips too.”