Roope Hintz

Roope Hintz (born 17 November 1996), nicknamed the "Ace of Spades", is a Finnish professional ice hockey forward for the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Hintz was born on 17 November 1996, in Tampere, Finland to parents Marika and Kai.

Although he was born in Tampere, Hintz grew up and learned to skate in Nokia, Finland.

He began his playing career with the Nokia Pyry at Pyry Skating School at the age of three.

He was also a multi-sport athlete growing up, playing organized basketball, soccer and hockey.

While both of his parents played basketball growing up, Hintz chose to follow his brother Miiko and play ice hockey.

Growing up in Finland, Hintz played within the Ilves organization before spending the 2012–13 season playing for the Tampa Bay Juniors in the Empire Junior Hockey League.

He also played an early portion of the season with the Bismarck Bobcats of the North American Hockey League before returning to play for Ilves professionally in Finland.

Hintz played in seven Liiga games but spent the majority of the season with Finland's U20 team.

Growing up in Finland, Hintz played within the Ilves organization before being encouraged to spend the 2012–13 season playing for the Tampa Bay Juniors in the Empire Junior Hockey League.

He also played an early portion of the season with the Bismarck Bobcats of the North American Hockey League before deciding to turn professional and play for Ilves in Finland.

During his 20 games with the Juniors, Hintz tallied 20 goals and 15 assists for 35 points as he got acclimated to the smaller ice surfaces in North America.

Upon returning to Finland, Hintz made his Liiga debut playing with Ilves during the 2013–14 Liiga season.

He played in seven Liiga games but spent the majority of the season with their U20 team.

In November 2013, Hintz was chosen as the Finnish Youth Championship League's October Player of the Month.

As the youngest player on the Ilves during the 2014–15 Liiga season, Hintz recorded five goals and 12 assists for 17 points through 42 games.

During the 2014–15 Liiga season, which Hintz played with the Ilves, he recorded five goals and 12 assists for 17 points through 42 games.

As the youngest player on the team, he finished eighth in points and seventh in assists.

Due to his Liiga play, Hintz was ranked by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau amongst the eligible European skaters before being selected 49th overall by the Dallas Stars in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft.

On 23 April 2015, after two seasons with Ilves, Hintz transferred to fellow Liiga club HIFK on a two-year contract.

Hintz was ranked by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau amongst the eligible European skaters before he was selected 49th overall by the Dallas Stars in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft.

Hintz returned to the Liiga following the draft but suffered an injury and missed the start of the 2015–16 season.

After missing the first 11 games of the season, Hintz returned to HIFK as their second-line center.

Within the following 10 games, Hintz registered two goals and three assists while also averaging 18:09 of ice time per game.

He also competed in the 2016 Channel One Cup with Finland's top national team and he recorded one goal and one assist in three games.

Despite missing the first eleven games of the season, Hintz finished the season with 19 goals and 11 assists for 30 points through 44 games.

Hintz continued his scoring prowess into the post-season and led the Liiga in scoring with three goals and 11 assists for 14 points through 14 games prior to HIFK being eliminated.

Following the conclusion of the 2016–17 Liiga season, Hintz signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Dallas Stars.

Hintz made the transition to the North American professional leagues during the 2017–18 NHL season.

He attended the Stars' training camp prior to the 2017–18 season but was assigned to their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Texas Stars.

He made his AHL debut in the Stars' season opener on 5 October and scored in their 6–5 win over the Chicago Wolves.

By December 2017, Hintz had recorded nine goals and eight assists through 31 games to lead team rookies in scoring.

He continued to produce offensively as the second half of the season began and by March was tied for fifth on the team with 27 points.

He played with the Stars' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Texas Stars, during the 2018 Calder Cup Finals against the Toronto Marlies.

Hintz's play during the 2018–19 season earned him a full-time position at the NHL level during the 2019–20 season and during 2021–22 began playing consistently as the top line center, and the top player on the team.

As a result of his play, Hintz was recalled to the NHL level on 5 March 2018.

He rejoined the AHL team the following day without making his NHL debut.

Upon rejoining the Stars' lineup, Hintz helped them make a 2018 Calder Cup playoffs push by scoring five goals in his last 10 games to tie for 11th among AHL rookies in goal scoring.

During his first Calder Cup playoffs, Hintz played an important role in the Stars' push to the 2018 Calder Cup Finals against the Toronto Marlies.

In the first round against the Ontario Reign, Hintz assisted on two important goals; Brian Flynn's game-winner in overtime and Denis Gurianov's game-winner in Game 4 that clinched the series.