Tampa Bay Lightning 6th round pick in the 2012 draft (#161 overall), 3rd year defenseman Jake Dotchin(59) skates his first NHL game after getting off to a career year start with affiliate Syracuse Crunch.
He already has 3 goals and 9 assists in 33 AHL games with a +10 rating, which is 2nd on the team.
The big 6’3″ 212 lbs. plays a hard-hitting style game but also can affect the score sheet as he did in his third and final year with Barrie Colts, where he notched 35 assists in 63 OHL games.
In his debut he dished out 4 hits in 18 shifts for 11:47 of total ice time but left the game with a -1 rating in a 5-3 loss.
Not one to drop the gloves often, the 22-year old is unafraid to protect teammates and could become a valuable tough guy in the parent’s club lineup.