Stars, Sabres swap AHL defensemen

Photos: Micheline V, Todd Reicher

The Dallas Stars have acquired defenseman Oskari Laaksonen from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for defenseman Joseph Cecconi.

Laaksonen, 23, has tallied two assists in 10 games with the AHL’s Rochester Americans this season. The native of Tampere, Finland, has totaled seven goals and 44 assists for 51 points in 109 games with Rochester over three AHL seasons, and was voted to the North Division All-Star Team in 2020-21.

Laaksonen was selected by the Sabres in the third round of the 2017 NHL Draft.

Cecconi, 25, has recorded two assists in 12 games with the AHL’s Texas Stars this season. The fourth-year pro has skated in 176 career games in the AHL, all with Texas, and has totaled four goals and 29 assists for 33 points.

A native of Youngstown, N.Y., Cecconi was a fifth-round choice by Dallas in the 2015 NHL Draft.