James Edward Nill (born April 11, 1958) is a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

former

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

player and the current

general manager A general manager (GM) is an executive who has overall responsibility for managing both the revenue and cost elements of a company's income statement, known as profit & loss (P&L) responsibility. A general manager usually oversees most or all of ...

of the

Dallas Stars The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas. The Stars compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. The Stars ...

of the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

(NHL). Nill played in the NHL throughout the 1980s with the

St. Louis Blues The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. Th ...

Vancouver Canucks The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. The Canucks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conferenc ...

Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The t ...

Winnipeg Jets The Winnipeg Jets are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg. The Jets compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. The te ...

, and

Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...

, retiring in 1990. Prior to making his NHL debut Nill also played for

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

at the

1980 Winter Olympics The 1980 Winter Olympics, officially the XIII Olympic Winter Games and also known as Lake Placid 1980, were an international multi-sport event held from February 13 to 24, 1980, in Lake Placid, New York, United States. Lake Placid was elected ...

. He worked as a

scout Scout may refer to: Youth movement *Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement ** Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom ** Scouts BSA, sect ...

for the

Ottawa Senators The Ottawa Senators (), officially the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and colloquially known as the Sens, are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa. The Senators compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Di ...

before joining the Red Wings in an executive role in 1994, staying with the team before moving to take up the general manager role with Dallas in 2013.

Playing career

Junior

Born in Hanna,

Alberta Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...

, Nill played one season for the

Drumheller Falcons The Drumheller Falcons were a Junior A ice hockey team in the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) based in Drumheller, Alberta. The Falcons joined the AJHL in the 1971–72 season as the league's seventh team after acquiring the assets of the Po ...

of the

Alberta Junior Hockey League The Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) is an Alberta-based Junior A ice hockey league that belongs to the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL). It was formed as a five-team league in 1964. The 2023–24 season began with 16 teams, however 5 ...

(AJHL) in 1975, after which he played three seasons with the

Medicine Hat Tigers The Medicine Hat Tigers are a Canadian major junior ice hockey team in the Western Hockey League (WHL) based in Medicine Hat, Alberta. Established in 1970, the team is tied with the Kamloops Blazers for the most Ed Chynoweth Cups as league cha ...

of the WCHL. He was drafted by the

in the third round, 89th overall, in the 1978 NHL Amateur Draft.

International

The next season, Nill played with the

University of Calgary {{Infobox university , name = University of Calgary , image = University of Calgary coat of arms without motto scroll.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms , former ...

before signing with the Canadian national team for 1979–80. Nill scored 32 points in 45 exhibition games before playing six games, scoring one goal and two assists, for Canada at the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics.

Professional

Nill played one season for the Salt-Lake Golden Eagles of the

Central Hockey League The Central Hockey League (CHL) was a North American mid-level minor professional ice hockey league which operated from 1992 until 2014. It was founded by Ray Miron and Bill Levins and later sold to Global Entertainment Corporation, which opera ...

(CHL) in 1980–81. He finally made his NHL debut in

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C. ...

for the St. Louis Blues. He only played one season for the Blues before being traded to the

with Tony Currie, Rick Heinz and St. Louis' fourth-round draft pick (Shawn Kilroy) in the 1982 NHL Entry Draft in exchange for

Glen Hanlon Glen A. Hanlon (born February 20, 1957) is a Canadian ice hockey coach, executive and former goaltender. Hanlon played in the National Hockey League for the Vancouver Canucks, St. Louis Blues, New York Rangers and the Detroit Red Wings. He is al ...

on March 9, 1982. He helped the Canucks to the

1982 Stanley Cup Finals The 1982 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 1981–82 season, and the culmination of the 1982 Stanley Cup playoffs. It was played between the Campbell Conference champion Vancouver Canucks in th ...

where they would lose to the

New York Islanders The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (N ...

4–0. After two more seasons in Vancouver, Nill was traded to the

in exchange for Peter McNab on February 3, 1984. He did not receive very much ice time in Boston and consequently the Bruins ended up trading him to the

for

Morris Lukowich Morris Eugene Lukowich (born June 1, 1956) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player.https://www.nhl.com/player/morris-lukowich-8448912 He was a member of the Winnipeg Jets of the World Hockey Association (WHA) and the National Hockey ...

on February 4, 1985. He played nearly four years for Winnipeg. He was sent to the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...

(AHL)'s

Moncton Hawks The Moncton Hawks were a professional ice hockey team based in Moncton, New Brunswick. They played in the American Hockey League between 1987 and 1994, operating as a minor league affiliate of the Winnipeg Jets. Home games were played at the Mon ...

. He did not stay in

New Brunswick New Brunswick is a Provinces and Territories of Canada, province of Canada, bordering Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of Fundy to the southeast, and the U.S. state of Maine to ...

long as

head coach

Jacques Demers Jacques Demers (born 25 August 1944) is a former Canadian Senator, former broadcaster and former professional ice hockey head coach. After a lengthy coaching career in the World Hockey Association and in the National Hockey League, Demers becam ...

liked his tough style of play and acquired him on January 11, 1988 in exchange for fellow journeyman NHLer Mark Kumpel. Nill played the final three years of his NHL career in Detroit with brief stints for the AHL's

Adirondack Red Wings The Adirondack Red Wings were a minor professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in Glens Falls, New York, United States at the Glens Falls Civic Center. The team was affiliated with the Detroit Red Wings of the Nati ...

. In Adirondack, he was a teammate of

Sheldon Kennedy Sheldon Kennedy (born June 15, 1969) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played for the Detroit Red Wings, Boston Bruins and Calgary Flames in the National Hockey League (NHL). Kennedy was drafted by the Red Wings in the four ...

. He retired from professional hockey after

1991 It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...

Management career

Ottawa and Detroit

After Nill retired as an active player, he joined the data analytics of the

as amateur scout. He was promoted to professional scout after only two years. He joined the Detroit Red Wings' front office in the summer of 1994 following his three-year stint with Ottawa. Nill's duties with Detroit included directing their amateur scouting and selections at the annual NHL Entry Draft. He had also served as the general manager of the Adirondack Red Wings. Nill continued to oversee the development of the Red Wings' prospects that are currently assigned to Detroit's main affiliate, the

Grand Rapids Griffins The Grand Rapids Griffins are a professional ice hockey team based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. They compete in the American Hockey League (AHL), playing their home games at Van Andel Arena. They are the AHL affiliate to the Detroit Red Wings of t ...

of the AHL, as well as those in the Canadian junior and European leagues. In his management role with the Detroit Red Wings, he helped the team to four

Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup () is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, and the International Ic ...

Championships in

1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

and

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

Dallas Stars

In April 2013, Nill was hired as general manager of the

. He immediately made several major transactions, starting with trading a sixth-round pick in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for

defenceman Defence or defense (in American English) in ice hockey is a player position that is primarily responsible for preventing the opposing team from Goal (ice hockey), scoring. They are often referred to as defencemen, D, D-men or blueliners (the l ...

Sergei Gonchar Sergei Viktorovich Gonchar ( rus, Серге́й Ви́кторович Гонча́р, p=sʲɪrˈɡʲej ˈvʲiktərəvʲɪdʑ ɡɐnʲˈtɕar; born 13 April 1974) is a Russian former professional ice hockey player who is currently a Defensive D ...

, then signed Gonchar to a two-year, $10 million contract. On July 4, 2013, in a blockbuster trade, Nill sent 2011 NHL All-Star

Loui Eriksson Loui William Eriksson (born 17 July 1985) is a Swedish former professional ice hockey forward. Eriksson was selected by the Dallas Stars in the second round, 33rd overall, at the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, and has also played for the Boston Bruin ...

(as well as prospects

Joe Morrow Joseph Mathew Alexander Morrow (born December 9, 1992) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Manchester Storm of the Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL). He was selected in the first round, 23rd overall, by the Pittsburgh Penguin ...

Reilly Smith Reilly Smith (born April 1, 1991) is a Canadian professional ice hockey right winger for the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League (NHL). Growing up in Toronto, Smith played junior hockey with St. Michael's College School before p ...

and Matt Fraser) to the

in exchange for former second overall pick

Tyler Seguin Tyler Paul Seguin ( ; born January 31, 1992) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and alternate captain for the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League (NHL). Growing up in Whitby, Ontario, Seguin began playing hockey in a house leag ...

as well as

Rich Peverley John Richard Peverley (born July 8, 1982) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He spent four years with the St. Lawrence University hockey team before turning professional, then playing three years for several teams in both the ...

and

Ryan Button Ryan Button (born March 26, 1991) is a Canadian-German professional ice hockey defenceman. He is currently a playing with Augsburger Panther of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). Button was selected by the Boston Bruins in the 3rd round (86th ove ...

. On the same day, he traded prospect Philip Larsen and a seventh-round pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft to the

Edmonton Oilers The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. Th ...

in exchange for their captain Shawn Horcoff. On July 1, 2014, Nill traded for Ottawa centre and captain

Jason Spezza Jason Rocco Anthony Spezza (born June 13, 1983) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey Centre (ice hockey), centre and current assistant general manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League. Spezza played 19 career seas ...

and right winger Ludwig Karlsson in exchange for

Alex Chiasson Alex Chiasson ( , , born October 1, 1990) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward. He has previously played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Dallas Stars, Ottawa Senators, Calgary Flames, Washington Capitals, Edmonton O ...

, Nick Paul, Alex Guptill and a second-round pick in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. On the same day, he also signed unrestricted free agent forward

Aleš Hemský Aleš Hemský (, born 13 August 1983) is a Czech former professional ice hockey player. He was originally a member of the Edmonton Oilers, who selected him in the first round, 13th overall, of the 2001 NHL Entry Draft. In the NHL he played for th ...

to a three-year, $12 million contract. On July 10, 2015, Nill traded for forward

Patrick Sharp Patrick Sharp (born December 27, 1981) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played 15 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Philadelphia Flyers, Chicago Blackhawks, and Dallas Stars. After his retirement as a pl ...

and defensive prospect Stephen Johns from the

Chicago Blackhawks The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (N ...

in exchange for defenceman

Trevor Daley Trevor Daley (born October 9, 1983) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman, currently serving as a Special Assistant to the President of Hockey Operations for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL). He playe ...

and forward

Ryan Garbutt Ryan Jonathan Garbutt (born August 12, 1985) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He last played under contract to ERC Ingolstadt of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). Playing career Undrafted, Garbutt attended Brown University, p ...

. On July 15, 2015, Nill signed unrestricted free agent defenceman

Johnny Oduya David Johnny Oduya (born 1 October 1981) is a Swedes, Swedish former professional ice hockey defenceman who played in the National Hockey League (NHL). Oduya is a two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2013 Stanley Cup Fina ...

to a two-year, $7.5 million contract. On June 28, 2023, Nill was awarded the 2022-23

Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award The Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award is awarded annually to the top National Hockey League general manager as voted by "a 42-member panel that included all 32 general managers, five NHL executives and five media members." First awarded ...

after the Dallas Stars posted a record of 47-21-14 for 108 points in the 2022-23 regular season, at the time their highest point total since 2015-16. On June 10, 2024, Nill was awarded the 2023-24 Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award, winning the award for the second year in a row, after the Stars posted a record of 52-21-9 for 113 points in the 2023-24 regular season, their most single-season wins since their 2005-06 season and their highest point total since their Stanley Cup-winning 1998-99 season.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Awards and honors

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nill, Jim 1958 births Living people Adirondack Red Wings players Boston Bruins players Canadian ice hockey right wingers Dallas Stars executives Detroit Red Wings executives Detroit Red Wings general managers Detroit Red Wings players Detroit Red Wings scouts Drumheller Falcons players Ice hockey people from Alberta Ice hockey players at the 1980 Winter Olympics Medicine Hat Tigers players Moncton Hawks players National Hockey League executives Olympic ice hockey players for Canada Ottawa Senators scouts People from Hanna, Alberta St. Louis Blues draft picks St. Louis Blues players Salt Lake Golden Eagles (CHL) players Stanley Cup champions Vancouver Canucks players Winnipeg Jets (1979–1996) players 20th-century Canadian sportsmen Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States