Jack Dougherty THW Close-Up:
Date of birth: 5/25/1996
Place of birth: Cottage Grove, Minnesota
Ht: 6’2″ Wt: 185 lbs
Shoots: Right
Position: D
NHL Draft Eligibility: 2014
Twitter: @jackdougherty2
THW The Next Ones Rankings (January 2014): 37
Other Rankings:
THW War Room Rankings (April): 35
Craig Button: not ranked
CS Final Rankings for North American skaters: 30
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Jack Dougherty is a great thinker of the game at both ends of the ice. He is calm with the puck and rarely makes bad turnovers in any of the three zones. He can see the play before it develops and makes a crisp first pass out of the zone. The nice thing about him is that he has an edge and uses his size well. He doesn’t lay huge checks all the time, but when he does they’re clean and dominant.
He’s an unselfish defenseman who’d much rather get the simple asset rather than score the goal. He leaves the slick moves to the forwards, while his game his bare bones and simple. He is positionally sound and takes away passing lanes. Standing 6’2″, it’s easy for Dougherty to clog up lanes and block shots – which he does willingly.
Of the times that I saw him play this season, his drawback was his skating. He didn’t seem be as proficient as the other defenders on the NTDP. He wasn’t fast and his skating was choppy, but a few years of hard work and training should fix that up. Even still, I think Dougherty is another fantastic defenseman to come out of the NTDP.
Where Will He End Up In June:
Dougherty is a likely 2nd round pick, but might sneak into the 1st round.
Scout’s Honor:
“Dougherty is an intelligent defenseman who tries to blend strong positioning while trying to inflict a physical dimension on his opponent. He isn’t the fleetest of foot, but does get where he needs to go. He also makes a strong first pass and has solid offensive instincts.“
Aaron Vickers – Future Considerations
“A tough two-way defenseman with some good offensive abilities, Dougherty can do a little bit of everything for Team USA. He should draw top-four minutes at the U18WC with his solid skating and he should be able to exploit the big ice a bit. Dougherty has gotten his fair share of draft buzz this year, even being floated as a first-round possibility, but that may be a little lofty. Either way, there’s some real talent here and he should be an important player at the Worlds.“
Chris Peters – United States of Hockey
Statistics:
International Tournaments:
Dougherty has played twice for Team USA scoring seven points in 12 games and winning a gold medal.
Bio/Interview(s)/Links:
Interview with Over the Boards
Profile on Last Word On Sports
ETA:
2-3 years
Risk/Reward Analysis:
Risk: 1/5 Reward: 3.5/5
NHL Potential:
2nd pairing two-way defenseman that plays in all situations
Strengths:
Good first pass
Simple plays
Hard shot
Positionally sound
Shot blocking
Cuts down lanes
Two-way play
Flaws/Aspects He Needs To Work On:
Skating
Fantasy Hockey Potential:
Offensive: 4/10 Defensive: 6/10
NHL Player Comparison:
– NHL comparison: Kevin Bieksa
Videos:
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THW’s The Next Ones prospect profile template design architect: Chris Ralph
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