Dakota Joshua
| Birthday: 1996-05-15 | Position: C |
| Eligible for draft: 2014 | Shoots: Left |
| Drafted: 2014 | Height: 6-2 |
| Acquired: 5th round (128th overall), 2014 | Weight: 182 lbs. |
Probability of Success
- D
History
2011-12: Dakota Joshua skated for the Honeybaked U16 midget team in Michigan. In 29 games he scored 13 goals with 8 assists and 16 penalty minutes. Honeybaked finished second to Chicago Mission in the High Performance Hockey League standings. Joshua was invited to the USA Hockey Select National Team Evaluation Camp.
2012-13: Joshua played for four different teams as a 16-year-old — appearing in one USHL game with the Sioux Falls Stampede, skating for the USA NTDP U17 team, and splitting the season between the Honeybaked U18 and U16 teams, He scored had an assist and was +2 in an April win over Omaha in his only game with the Stampede. Joshua scored 2 goals and was minus-6 with 2 penalty minutes in six games with the USA NTDP team. He had no points nor penalties in 11 games with the Honeybaked U18 team and in 18 games with the club’s U16 squad he scored 12 goals with 10 assists and 18 penalty minutes.
2013-14: Joshua joined Sioux Falls on a full-time basis and in January committed to playing college hockey at Ohio State in 2015-16. He scored 17 goals with 21 assists and was +6 with 58 penalty minutes. The Stampede finished fourth in the Western Conference and were swept by first-place Waterloo in a first round series. Joshua had no points and was minus-2 with 8 penalty minutes in three playoff games. He was ranked 157th amongst North American skaters in the Central Scouting final rankings and was selected by Toronto in the fifth round (128th overall) of the 2014 NHL Draft.
2014-15: Joshua returned to Sioux Falls for his third season with the Stampede. He scored 20 goals (eight on the power play) with 20 assists and was +4 with 74 penalty minutes in 52 regular season games. Sioux Falls, after finishing fourth in the Western Conference, knocked off first-place Sioux City in the first round and then rolled through the playoffs, defeating Muskegon in the Clark Cup finals. Joshua scored 4 goals with 9 assists and was +10 with 38 penalty minutes.
2015-16: Joshua skated in 29 of 36 games for Ohio State University in his freshman season. He scored 5 goals with 12 assists and was +1 with 50 penalty minutes. The Buckeyes finished fourth in the Big 10 and defeated Michigan State, 4-3 in overtime, to reach the conference semifinals. Ohio State lost to Minnesota, 4-2, ending the year 14-18-4.
Talent Analysis
Joshua is a raw but offensively dynamic forward prospect. His tall frame suggests he can be a powerful force once he adds strength and bulk. He can sometimes walk the line between aggressive and undisciplined but should have time to hone his game and mature physically.
Future
Joshua skated for Ohio State University as a freshman, providing both toughness and supplementary scoring for the Buckeyes. Ohio State showed steady progress through the season and Joshua is one of the underclassmen who should see a significant role in 2016-17. He is still developing but projects as an offensively-inclined forward with the size and demeanor to complement some of the highly-skilled smaller forwards in the Toronto system.
