Roope Hintz (Finnish pronunciation: [ˈroːpe hints]; born 17 November 1996), nicknamed the "Ace of Spades", is a Finnish professional ice hockey player who is a forward and alternate captain for the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League (NHL).
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. As the youngest player on Ilves during the 2014–15 Liiga season, Hintz recorded five goals and 12 assists for 17 points through 42 games. 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.
Hintz made the transition to the North American professional leagues during the 2017–18 NHL season. 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.
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Early life
Hintz was born on 17 November 1996, in Nokia, Finland to parents Marika and Kai. 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.
Playing career
Ilves
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.
During the 2014–15 Liiga season, which Hintz played with 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.
HIFK
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 postseason and led the Liiga in scoring with three goals and 11 assists for 14 points through 14 games prior to HIFK being eliminated.
Dallas Stars
Following the conclusion of the 2016–17 Liiga season, Hintz signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Dallas Stars. 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. 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. He then recorded three goals and three assists in the Conference Finals against the Rockford IceHogs, including the overtime game 6 winner. His goal came with 8.5 seconds left in overtime to give the Stars a 2–1 win over the IceHogs. The Stars eventually lost to the Marlies in game 7 of the Finals.
Following their Calder Cup loss, Hintz participated for the Stars in the 2018 NHL Prospect Tournament in Traverse City, Michigan. During the tournament, he centered the Stars' top line with various linemates including Nick Caamano and Jason Robertson. He continued to impress the Stars' coaching staff during their preseason games and spent time centering the top line with Jamie Benn and Alexander Radulov. As a result of his impressive training camp and preseason efforts, Hintz was named to the Dallas Stars roster to start the 2018–19 NHL season. He subsequently made his NHL debut on 4 October 2018, playing 9:59 and recording one shot on goal and four hits in a 3–0 win over the Arizona Coyotes. However, after playing in five games for Dallas and recording seven shots, Hintz was reassigned to their AHL affiliate on 20 October. When speaking of the demotion, coach Jim Montgomery stated it was to get him going after he struggled in his five games. Upon returning to the AHL, Hintz earned a spot on their top line alongside Denis Gurianov and Michael Mersch as he recorded four points through his first three games. He remained in the AHL for nine games and produced 11 points before being recalled to the NHL level on 18 November 2018. That same night, Hintz played in his sixth NHL game and scored his first NHL goal at the Barclays Center in a 6–2 victory over the New York Islanders. During his time at the NHL level, Hintz recorded three points before being reassigned to the Texas Stars on 6 December.
International play
He represented Finland at the 2026 Winter Olympics and won a bronze medal.