Dan Hamhuis is pretty familiar with Lindy Ruff, having played for the Stars coach on the gold medal Canadian team at the 2014 Olympics.

But the veteran defenseman, who signed with Dallas as a free agent in July, said he does have one change he would like to make in his relationship with his new coach.

“I’m hoping Lindy is giving me a little more ice time than he gave me at the Olympics,” Hamhuis joked of the four minutes a game he averaged while competing on a very talented blueline in Sochi.

You can be sure the 6-1, 209-pound lefty will get plenty of playing time. The Stars brought Hamhuis in to help lead the transition of a young defense, so he will be a key component of a team that is hoping to go after the Stanley Cup this season. The 33-year-old has averaged 22 minutes a game during his 11-year NHL career, and he comes to Dallas at a time when those minutes will be crucial.

“He’s a solid, dependable veteran player, and we expect good things from him,” Ruff said. “He fits perfectly with us.”

The Stars let go of defensemen Alex Goligoski, Jason Demers and Kris Russell in the off-season to clear room for a group of youngsters that includes: Stephen Johns, Esa Lindell, Patrik Nemeth and Jamie Oleksiak. But while that quartet will be given the opportunity to take a bigger role, Dallas wanted some veteran help. Adding Hamhuis to Johnny Oduya and John Klingberg gives the Stars the chance to find the right mix on defense.

“It’s going to be different, because we’re getting younger, we’re getting bigger and we’re getting faster on the backend,” said Stars general manager Jim Nill. “We’ve talked about how we’ve got this young defense coming. Now’s their time. But things didn’t just get thrown against the wall. This has been the plan, and we’ve still got a veteran presence there.”

A presence that fits the bill pretty well. Hamhuis has logged 872 NHL games with Nashville and Vancouver, and has often worked with younger players. That means if he’s partnered with Klingberg on the top pair or with Johns or Nemeth, he can help make the younger defenseman better.

“It’s a role I’ve had in the past, and I’m really comfortable with it,” Hamhuis said. “I enjoy helping these guys along to learn what it is like to play in the NHL. It’s tough to get here, but it is even tougher to stay. It’s those habits and the day-to-day things that can make you a better player, and the ultimate goal is winning the Cup.”

Of course, Hamhuis will need a little help, too. He’s a native of Smithers, British Columbia and he played in Vancouver for five seasons, so leaving his home province is tough. But he has players like Jason Spezza and Patrick Sharp, who made similar transitions from Ottawa and Chicago, and are now energized by the electricity of a young lineup that last season finished with the second best record in the NHL.

“I’ve had numerous texts from players, phone calls from players welcoming me to the team,” Hamhuis said when he visited in July. “My wife has been contacted by a number of the wives, as well. It’s been a very welcoming environment.”

One in which Hamhuis will definitely play a big role. A thoughtful player who knows how Ruff thinks, Hamhuis said he should be able to fit onto any pairing the coach selects. He also was a part of Canada’s gold medal team at the 2015 World Championships -- a squad assembled by Nill and including Spezza, Tyler Seguin and Cody Eakin -- so he comes in with more than just a few connections in Dallas.

He also comes in with a pretty good understanding of his role.

“The strength of this team is the offensive power, and I’m hoping what I can bring to the team is sound defensive presence,” Hamhuis said. “That’s the way I have played throughout my career, I take a lot of pride in my defensive game.”

Whether he’s playing four minutes or 22.

“He’s going to play top minutes for us,” Nill said. “You can look at his resume, and I’m a big resume guy.”

Twitter: @MikeHeika