L.A. Kings: Drew Doughty Looks to Improve Upon Outstanding Sophomore Season

After being named the Ontario Hockey League’s top offensive defensemen in two consecutive years, Drew Doughty, formerly of the Guelph Storm, was drafted second overall by the Los Angeles Kings in the 2008 NHL Draft.

Doughty, a London, Ontario native, grew up a displaced Kings fan who grew up wearing Wayne Gretzky and Kelly Hrudey sweaters as a child. “I was losing it,” Doughty told the Los Angeles Times on draft day. “I was a little worried. I looked at my parents and kind of buried my face in my hands. They were a little worried because they knew how bad I wanted to come here.”

Originally Kings general manager Dean Lombardi was hesitant to consider Doughty NHL-ready, even though he had tallied 50 points in 58 games with the Storm.

“Coming into training camp I know I had a chance [to make the team], but it would be difficult,” Doughty told NHL.com. “I did everything I could. I worked as hard as I could and got into those exhibition games and I thought I played well.”

The young defenseman’s hard work paid off. During his first nine games he averaged 19 minutes of ice time. Although the Kings considered sending him back to the OHL before his tenth game, they decided to keep their dynamic blueliner in LA, effectively terminating his relationship with the Storm.

“Growing up it was always my dream to play in the NHL and I worked as hard as I could to get here,” Doughty stated at the time. “To be here at 18, I definitely never thought that would happen.”

Doughty was greatly assisted by his experienced defensive partner, Sean O’Donnell (currently with Philadelphia). Although Doughty excelled in the OHL, playing defensemen at the world’s highest level is much more complicated and takes time for a young player to learn, even when they have incredible ability.

O’Donnell, who has played with many defensemen in his 18-year career, was enamored with both the physical and mental aspects of Doughty’s game.

“When you’re second overall you obviously have a lot of physical ability, but the thing that separates him is his maturity,” O’Donnell told NHL.com. “He gets the game. He’s a level-headed kid. There are certain plays that took me a while that he gets automatically.”

Born to Paul and Connie Doughty, Drew, who was named after his mother’s favorite football player, Dallas Cowboy Drew Pearson, was introduced to hockey when he was given a mini-stick for his first birthday.

“When he unwrapped that, nothing else mattered,” Connie told the Toronto Star. “It was just instant. He loved hockey. He just had that immediate passion for it.”

A two sport athlete through most of his childhood, Doughty decided to drop soccer at age 13 in order to focus on hockey. His decision was difficult. Both of his parents were avid soccer fans. Drew’s younger sister, Chelsea, was named after the famous English Premier League team.

Five years later Doughty’s focus would pay off. During his rookie season, the sensational defenseman played 81 games and finished the year with six goals and 21 points. His efforts were noticed by coaches, experts, and fans around the league, who voted him on to the NHL All-Rookie Team.

Last year Doughty finished third in the league in scoring among defenseman and became the second youngest player—behind Bobby Orr—to be nominated for the Norris Trophy, which was eventually won by Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith. The blueliner’s production helped the Kings advance to the postseason for the first time since the 2002 season.

Sports Illustrated columnist Michael Farber wrote a piece featuring Doughty and his dynamic spin move (Mar. 29), which the defenseman used frequently to shake off aggressive forwards.

“I have no problem with people calling it my signature move,” Doughty told Sports Illustrated. “Maybe guys will read it now. But even if they do, the worst thing that can happen is I just backhand [the puck] into the zone.”

Despite all his success, Doughty remains humble in the locker room. After two years of wearing No. 8 on the back of his sweater, Doughty offered to have his number changed in order to accommodate newly-acquired defensemen Willie Mitchell, who has worn No. 8 in his last four years with Vancouver.
Mitchell respectfully declined.

With the departure of Sean O’Donnell, Doughty is expected to be paired with the former Canuck to start the season.

“That was intriguing coming down here,” Mitchell, one of the league’s premier stay-at-home defenseman, told NHL.com. “To play with a player like that—how I play the game, it seems like [we] would compliment each other really well.”

In the past two years Doughty has been nominated for the Norris Trophy, won a gold medal with Team Canada at the 2010 Olympics, and earned the No. 1 spot on the Kings roster. There’s only one glaring omission from his resume.

A Stanley Cup Championship.