Jake Dotchin

History

2009-10: Jake Dotchin skated for the Cambridge Hawks minor midget AAA team. In 30 regular season games he scored 8 goals with 19 assists and had 60 penalty minutes. In the playoffs he had 4 goals with 6 assists and had 26 penalty minutes in 11 games. Dotchin was selected by Owen Sound in the fourth round (70th overall) of the 2010 OHL Priority Selection.

2010-11: Dotchin played for the Cambridge Winter Hawks in the Greater Ontario Junior A Hockey League. In 41 games he scored 5 goals with 10 assists and had 88 penalty minutes. Cambridge finished eighth in the Midwestern Conference. In the five-game, first-round playoff series with Elmira, Dotchin scored 1 goal with 3 assists and had 8 penalty minutes.

2011-12: Dotchin appeared in 64 games for Owen Sound in his first OHL season. He scored 3 goals with 16 assists and was minus-two with 77 penalty minutes. Owen Sound was third in the Midwest Division and faced Kitchener in the first round of the playoffs. In five playoff games Dotchin had 3 assists and was plus-two with 8 penalty minutes. Dotchin slipped from 88th in Central Scouting’s mid-term rankings to 139th in the final rankings prior to the 2012 NHL Draft and was selected by Tampa Bay in the sixth round (161st overall).

2012-13: Dotchin began the season with Owen Sound before a mid-season trade to Barrie in his second OHL season. In 66 regular season games between the two teams he scored 4 goals with 18 assists and was an even plus/minus with 81 penalty minutes. Barrie finished first in the Central Division and reached the OHL Finals against London. Dotchin scored 1 goal with 4 assists and was +5 with 25 penalty minutes in 17 playoff games.

2013-14: Dotchin returned to Barrie for his third OHL season. In his first full season with the Colts he scored 11 goals with 25 assists (both career highs). Dotchin was +22 in 63 regular season games and was second on the Colts with 121 penalty minutes behind Sabres’ prospect Brendan Lemieux (145). Barrie finished third in the Central Division and advanced to the second round in the playoffs. Dotchin scored 3 goals with 2 assists and was an even plus/minus with 13 penalty minutes in 11 playoff games.

2014-15: Dotchin skated for Tampa Bay AHL affiliate Syracuse as a 20-year-old in his first pro season. He suffered an ankle injury while blocking a shot, missing  nearly a month in mid-season. Dotchin scored 6 goals with 14 assists and was -8 with 114 penalty minutes in 55 games. Four of his six goals were scored on the power play. The Crunch finished second behind Hartford in the Northeast Division in the re-aligned AHL before being swept by Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in the first round of the playoffs. Dotchin was -5 with no points and 4 penalty minutes in three playoff games.

Talent Analysis

Dotchin is a big defenseman who plays a defense-first game but has some offensive elements to his game. He is a physical presence in his own end and will do the dirty jobs like blocking shots and coming to the aid of teammates when necessary. Offensively he makes sharp outlet passes and can get a heavy shot through to the net — giving him power play potential. In terms of his skating, technical skills and mobility he is still developing in those areas and has shown the commitment to becoming a well-rounded player.

Future

Dotchin skated for Tampa Bay AHL affiliate Syracuse in 2014-15 in his first pro season. Despite missing time in mid-season due to injury and wearing down at the end of the more demanding pro season (when the Crunch as a team struggled), he showed glimpses of potential that suggest he can be a solid second or third pairing defender at the NHL level one day. He must continue to develop physically and hone his skating and tactical play to become more consistent and reach that potential.