Faceoff Factor

Prospect Profile: Drew Doughty

Jesse Marshall | NHL Entry Draft

May 14, 11:40 AM | Hype this story!

Drew Doughty – D – Guelph Storm (OHL) – 6’0 – 185lbs – London, ONT – Shoots R – Dec. 8, 1989

Drew Doughty had a workhorse of a season. Playing in the Canada-Russia Superseries all the way through the OHL playoffs, Doughty has probably played more games than any player in this draft class.

It’s a testament to his preparation and his endurance level. Doughty showed great poise and stamina this year with Guelph as he logged 25+ minutes a night and doled out solid performances on the blueline throughout.

When done correctly, the game of hockey is a beautiful thing to watch, and when Drew Doughty winds it up for an end-to-end rush, it’s about as good as it gets.

Doughty’s foremost strength is his offensive prowess. He is constantly helping forwards create chances offensively, and if he isn’t providing support on the boards, he’s carrying the puck up ice and creating chances via his skates and his passing ability.

On the power-play, Doughty sports a great shot and his skating/pivoting ability make him a great threat on the man-advantage. He’ll shoot the puck from everywhere and directs the flow of the play with his vision and passing abilities.

But don’t discount what he can do in the defensive zone. Doughty’s strengths defensively come from his cool demeanor, his ability to skate the puck and his smarts. Rarely does Doughty make an ill advised pass or get caught out of position. He showed his defensive prowess this year in the world stage as he continually played solid hockey during international competitions. He was named top defenseman of this years WJC. Worked with Flyers prospect Ryan Parent at Guelph and commends him continually for teaching him about defensive play.

Doughty will almost certainly be taken by the Kings, who have now stockpiled some great defensive talent in Jack Johnson and Thomas Hickey. Should he be taken by the Kings, he’ll compliment an already solid core of young defensive prospects. He’s listed as a RD, but he can play either side of the ice, allowing the Kings to have some versatility in that regard.

2007/08 Regular Season Statistics: 58GP – 13G – 37A – 50Pts – -1 – 68PIM

2007/08 Playoff Statistics: 10GP – 3G – 6A – 9Pts – 14PIM