Carolina Hurricanes: Hamilton is Teaching them how to Dougie

The Carolina  Hurricanes acquired Dougie Hamilton from Calgary 2 years ago, but just who is the analytical darling?

Dougie Hamilton is a polarising figure in the hockey landscape and with the Hurricanes. Some people believe he truly is one of the best defenceman in the league, because of various reasons. Some people believe he is overrated for the same reasons. Either way, Dougie Hamilton has a lot of opinions formed about him, but who is “Doogie”?

Hamilton was a 9th overall pick by the Boston Bruins, with a pick they originally acquired in the Phil Kessel trade. Dougie was so highly touted because he put up 12 goals and 46 assists for 58 points in 67 games in the OHL in his draft year. He followed it up with 15 goals and 55 helpers for 72 points in 50 games. For a defenceman, he was starting to prove himself an offensive dynamo.

Dougie Hamilton would finish his time in the OHL with 8 goals and 33 assists in 32 games. The young Toronto native was starting to prove himself to be great going forward. What lacked in his game was the ability to use his 6’6 230 frame to hit people, and be physical, but that was far more correctable than his talent was teachable to another player.

Dougie would earn a call up to Beantown where he put up 16 points in half a season.

Hamilton would put up 7 goals and 18 helpers in the 2013-14 season, and follow it up with 10 goals and 32 helpers in the 2014-15 season. That totals up to 178 games, with 22 goals and 61 assists for 83 points through his time in Beantown. In the summer, not for the first time ever, Hamilton would find himself on the move in the hockey world.

Dougie Hamilton in the 2015 offseason was traded from Boston to Calgary for Calgary’s 2015 1st round pick (Zach Senyshyn), Calgary’s 2015 2nd round pick (Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson) and Washington’s 2015 2nd round pick (Jeremy Lauzon). This trade was not quite the same magnitude that sent Dougie out of western Canada, but it was a big trade at the time.

During his time in Alberta, he recorded a career high of 50 points in the form of 13 goals and 37 helpers in 2016-17. However, during his time in Calgary, rumors started to circulate about Dougie Hamilton not being great in the locker room, after being traded at such a young age out of Boston. He recorded 42 goals and 95 assists for 95 points in 245 NHL games in Calgary.

At the end of the 2017-18 season, Calgary moved Dougie Hamilton out to the Carolina Hurricanes, along with Micheal Ferland and Adam Fox‘s rights, for Noah Hanifin and Elias Lindholm.

Dougie Hamilton got of to a slow start in Raleigh. However, from January 1st 2019 up until this point in time, there’s not a defenceman in the league who has more goals than Dougie Hamilton. He is second in defensive scoring league wide, only to Washington’s John Carlson. Dougie Hamilton leads the Hurricanes in points, tied with Andrei Svechnikov. Dougie has slid in seamlessly.

Dougie Hamilton “only” had 18 goals and 21 assists last year for 39 points last season, his lowest ever total through 82 games. However, the big defenceman has 28 points, (10 goals, 18 assists) through 20 games this season. In a total 109 NHL games in Carolina, he has 67 points. That is more than 1 point every 2 games. He’s really quite the player.

As for his locker room presence, Dougie Hamilton along with Warren Foegele and Andrei Svechnikov are the three musketeers in the Hurricanes locker room (Yes there were 4 musketeers, leave me alone with your “Dartanian”).

Dougie Hamilton was always an outcast in Calgary and in Boston. He was never quite the right for either city. But as a jerk, this man has done quite alright. Widely loved by fans, and teammates alike. The man dubbed “Doogie” by Andrei Svechnikov is hopefully going to be a Hurricane for a long time to come.

Question for Cardiac Cane readers: What do you think about Dougie Hamilton being a cane for the remainder of his career?