Calgary Flames 27 Days Until the Season Starts: #27 Dougie Hamilton
As we continue to count down the days until the regular season starts, let’s look at a former Calgary Flames player with the number 27.
Since the start of August, we’re counting down the number of days left until the regular season starts up again! Everyday until the start of the season, we’ll be talking about a Calgary Flames player whose number correlates with how many days there are left.
Last time we talked about one of the best snipers in Flames history (that’s mainly a joke). That was #29 Deryk Engelland.
Today, let’s look at a player who is just now getting into his prime on the Flames roster. With 27 days left, let’s look at #27 Dougie Hamilton.
Related Story: 29 Days Until the Season Starts: #29 Deryk Engelland
Who is Dougie Hamilton?
Name: Dougie Hamilton
Birth place: Toronto, ON, Canada
Position: D
Shoots: Right
Birthdate: 1993-06-17
Height: 6’6″ / 198 lbs
Weight: 95 kg / 210 lbs
Drafted by: Boston Bruins, 9th Overall 2011
Stats with all NHL teams, regular season:
Upon being drafted, Dougie Hamilton didn’t play with the Boston Bruins, the team he was drafted with at the ninth overall pick. But that’s no uncommon, seeing how defencemen normally need a few years to develop as players right after their draft. He spent the 2011-12 season playing with his junior team, the Niagara IceDogs of the OHL. He put up 17 goals and 72 points in 50 regular season games.
His 55 assists and 72 points led all OHL defencemen that season (for assists and points). The IceDogs went all the way to the finals, but were defeated by the London Knights. Dougie however put up 23 points in 20 playoff games. This was tied for fourth among all skaters during playoffs and he was tied for first among defencemen.
Calgary Flames
That season definitely impressed the Bruins. He was named CHL’s defenceman of the year, he received the Max Kaminsky Trophy as OHL’s most outstanding defenceman.
That year, he also made it to Team Canada’s roster at the World Juniors. He had six points in six games and Canada won bronze that year. He also had the most amount of points among defencemen at the WJC.
During the season in December of 2011, he signed a three-year ELC with the Bruins.
He got almost a full-time roll with the Bruins in 2012-13 where he had five goals and 16 points in 42 games (lockout shortened season). This was third among defencemen rookie. The Bruins made the playoffs that season and even made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals. Unfortunately, they were defeated by the Chicago Blackhawks.
Defenceman Andrew Ference got suspended for a game during the playoffs and Dougie got the go-ahead. He had three points in seven games. But if the Bruins ended up winning, he could have had his name imprinted in the Stanley Cup in just his rookie year.
Fast forward to 2015 when the end of his ELC was coming up. Seen as a top defenceman in the making, when he was traded to the Calgary Flames for a decent price (seeing how he was worth more), this left a bitter taste in Bruins fans mouths. It seemed like Dougie thought he was “too good” to play for the Bruins.
However, it was later revealed that Dougie wanted to play in the same organization as his brother, Freddie Hamilton. But Boston didn’t want to trade for him, so Calgary offered him a deal that they would sign his brother. The Bruins hands were basically tied since Dougie wanted out. So they traded him to the Flames for three draft picks in a draft-day trade. Hamilton signed a six-year contract with the Calgary Flames a few days later.
Before the regular season started in 2015-16, the Flames also traded to Freddie from the Colorado Avalanche and the two brothers would be reunited in the same organization. I’m sure their parents were happy too.
In 2015-16, Dougie somewhat didn’t live up to his expectations. He had just 12 goals and 43 points in 82 games. The season before, he had 42 points in just 72 games. He also had a +/- of -14. Flames fans were somewhat concerned, but not to the point where they wanted him gone. And Flames management also had confidence in the new Flame that he would excel the following season.
And he did.
This season, he had a career high in goals (13), assists (37), and points (50). Most recently, he was voted as the 16th best defenceman by NHL.com and he was ninth in Norris voting this season. Right ahead of him at eighth was his defensive partner and Flames captain, Mark Giordano. Hamilton credits a lot of his turn around season to Giordano.
Related Story: Dougie Hamilton Ranked 16th Best Defenceman
Via Calgary Herald:
It was definitely a big change from where I started the season. I think I was playing with a bunch of different partners, third-pairings and that kind of thing. I had a bad stretch of games with a lot of minuses. (Gulutzan) put me with Gio and it kind of turned my season around. I tried to make the most of it and take the opportunity.I think he’s just so good at everything, I don’t think he has a weakness. Any aspect of the game, he’s good at it. His shot, he’s physical, his skating and he’s smart. Pretty much everything there. He’s a guy I look up to.
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Being on that first pairing with Gio again and having the Cup contention window open for the Calgary Flames, he may exceed that 50-point career high and make potentially make it in a Norris voting this season.