Expectations are high for the Dallas Stars following consecutive trips to the Western Conference Finals. They are living up to them so far, winning seven of their first nine games and sitting in second place in the Central Division with 14 points.

The play of goaltenders Casey DeSmith and Jake Oettinger has been one of the keys to Dallas’ success early in the season. Both rank in the top four in the entire NHL in goals against average (DeSmith second, Oettinger fourth) and save percentage (Oettinger third, DeSmith fourth) through Tuesday’s games. Multiple outlets, including ESPN, had them near the top of preseason lists ranking each team’s goaltending tandem.

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THE STARS ARE SHINING! 🌟

Casey DeSmith records a @pepsi shutout in his first start with the @DallasStars! #NHLFaceOff pic.twitter.com/rQ0JOrQLmM

— NHL (@NHL) October 14, 2024

While Oettinger is widely recognized as one of the best netminders in the league, DeSmith only arrived in Dallas this offseason. He made his NHL debut with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2017 and spent five seasons with the team before a pair of trades landed him in Vancouver ahead of last season.

The 33-year-old then signed a three-year deal with the Stars in July. DeSmith’s most recent appearance was Thursday’s 5-2 win over the Boston Bruins, which was his third start of the season and the 145th of his career. He has also started three playoff games, including two for the Canucks last season.

DeSmith’s faith in God has played an important role throughout his NHL career. He grew up in a Christian home and said in an interview with Hockey Ministries in 2021 that he was baptized around the age of 9.

During the conversation, DeSmith acknowledged that it can be easy to start living for the world and not for God as a professional hockey player.

“I think that the culture of hockey overall is very worldly, and it’s so easy to get sucked into that,” he said. “It’s happened to me, and it’s happened to a lot of other Christian hockey players that I know. It’s really important that when that starts to happen, that you recognize it and get back on track. You ask God for forgiveness.”

DeSmith also talked about how much he appreciates knowing that God’s grace is always available to him — and to everyone.

“I think that that was one of the most important things that I learned: that God will always forgive us,” DeSmith said. “He just wants to have a relationship. He wants to be your friend. … It’s about having a friendship — having a relationship — with God and just allowing Him to be in your life.”

As DeSmith was beginning to establish himself in the NHL with the Penguins, he was having a hard time staying in touch with God and was struggling with his faith. The more he thought about it, the more shame he felt and the less interested he was in reaching out to God.

Eventually, DeSmith came to the realization that God would rejoice any time DeSmith talked to Him. It didn’t matter how long it had been, what mistakes he’d made or how many daily devotionals he’d missed.

“For me, recently, that was the biggest development in my faith, was realizing how much God just wants to be my friend and have a relationship with me,” he said. “That is, in the end, most important to Him, and that should be most important to me as well.”

The Stars (7-2-0) are back in action against the defending Stanley Cup-champion Florida Panthers (7-3-1) at 1 p.m. ET Friday. The game will be played at Nokia Arena in Finland as part of the NHL Global Series.

No matter where the rest of his career and life take him, DeSmith knows that nothing can compare to the relationship he has with the Lord.

“It’s eternity. It’s forever,” he said. “It’s the most important decision that you’ll ever make. It’s the most important friendship you’ll ever have. I have some amazing friends, but none of them in reality are as important as God — as my relationship and my friendship with God.”

>> Do you know Christ personally? Learn how you can commit your life to Him. <<

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