Cups won and points scored seems to be the most important qualifiers for the NHL Hall of Fame. Enter Kings D Drew Doughty . Drafter #2 overall in the 2008 NHL Draft by the Kings, Doughty has exceeded expectations with his overall play. A great skater, plays very well in his own end and contributes offensively. This is most likely why he won his first major award, the Norris Trophy in 2015-16 as the NHL’s top defensemen, He has also proven his worth with two Stanley Cup championships, with the first coming in 2011-12 and the second coming in 29013-14.
One of the more important core pieces of the Kings puzzle, Doughty never shies away from the physical play, yet he is always in the offensive zone. in 770 career regular season games he has scored 102 goals, 320 assists for 422 points, a +93 and 47 power play goals. He also has 16 goals, 35 assists for 51 points, -3 and 6 power play goals in 84 career playoff games. Doughty has always contributed to the Kings in some way and is one of the more reliable defensemen on the team.
His award shelf is getting full, going all the way back to the OHL’s Guelph Storm. His awards include 2005-06 All-Rookie Team, 2006/07-07-08 First All-Star Team, 2007-08 Max Kaminsky Trophy, and in 2007-08 was a CHL 1st All-Star Team selection. In the NHL, he was a 1st team All-Star in 2009-10 and 2015-16, and in 2014-15 was a 2nd team All-Star. He participated in the All-Star games in 2015-18. Voted to the All-Rookie Team in 2008-09 and in 2018 was awarded THN (The Hockey News) Bobby Orr Award. With this kind of resume, Drew Doughty is a no doubt Hall of Famer…..or is he?
(photo:zimbio.com)
(stats:NHL.com)