Being a West Coastie, and able to catch LA Kings games at will (stress “at will”), watching Drew Doughty play in this young season has been a pleasure. He is mature beyond his age, has great hockey instincts, a better than average shot and has stellar hockey vision. He will not make a fantasy hockey impact per say, but he is a gifted talent and in my humble opinion—a tier above Jack Johnson in the developmental stages of their young careers. With that said, those NHL fantasy hockey owners who read my post that are in daily leagues, would’ve benefited from my prediction last night. Doughty netted his first career NHL goal last night and ran the powerplay better than any defender on the ice.  Maybe I got lucky. What is even more impressive is that Doughty logged over 25 minutes of ice-time to lead the Kings last night and was a +1 with 5 SOG. It remains to be seen if Doughty will be a fantasy hockey success this season, because history has shown defenseman adjust at a slower rate than forwards in the NHL, but he’s a remarkable talent with all the confidence of his team on his side.  Also, the Los Angeles Kings have yet to allow a powerplay goal this year in 5 contests. Coincidence? I think not. Kings fans be thankful, very thankful you drafted this kid ,and remember when you are watching him, he’s only 18 and plays like a seasoned pro.

Doughty Season Fantasy Impact - In keeper leagues Doughty might be a year or two away, but look for his numbers in his rookie campaign to like this: 8 G, 23 A, -5, 135 SOG, 50 PIM, 17 PPP