The 2015-2016 season represented a nice jump in development for former Wisconsin Badger, Jack Dougherty. In 2014-2015, he played on a Badger team that was in the bottom half of Division 1-NCAA hockey and he really never was able to produce very much offensively (2 goals and 7 assists in 33 games,) though his defensive game was already pretty polished. In order to join an environment where he would be able to produce more, Jack made the move to the WHL the following season.
There, he played in all situations and was the point man on the powerplay. He got better and better as the season went on and became a key cog in the Winterhawks defense. Now that the Winterhawks are eliminated in the first round (which made him eligible for AHL play,) he will join the Milwaukee Admirals to help aid them in a playoff run of their own. He will also be eligible to play for Milwaukee in the 2016-2017 season as he turnes 20 in May. This is all per the NHL-CHL agreement which requires a player to turn 20 before December of the current season to play in the AHL.
Full press release from NashvillePredators.com:
Nashville, Tenn. (April 8, 2016) – Nashville Predators President of Hockey Operations/General Manager David Poile announced Friday that the club has assigned 2014 second-round selection Jack Dougherty to Milwaukee (AHL).
Dougherty, 19 (5/25/96), recently completed his first season of junior hockey with the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks, where he ranked second among WHL rookie defensemen in points (11g-41a-52pts), seventh among all rookies in points, tied for 13th among all league defensemen, and tied for 16th among all skaters in power-play assists (21). The 6-foot-1, 194-pound blueliner joined the Winterhawks after spending the 2014-15 season at the University of Wisconsin, and the 2013-14 season with the U.S. National Team Development Program. A native of St. Paul, Minnesota, Dougherty helped the United States win its fifth gold medal in a six-year span at the Under-18 World Championship in 2014, and led Team USA to a silver medal at the 2013 Ivan Hlinka Tournament.
Nashville’s third choice, 51st overall (second round), in the 2014 Entry Draft, Dougherty played two seasons of Minnesota High School hockey with St. Thomas Academy in 2012-13 and 2013-14 and helped the Cadets capture their third consecutive Class A state title in 2013. Dougherty is on Twitter @jackdougherty2.
The Nashville Predators conclude the 2015-16 regular season tomorrow, Saturday, April 9, when they take on the Dallas Stars at 7 p.m. at the American Airlines Center (TV: FOX Sports Tennessee; Radio: 102.5 The Game). Tickets to Round One of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs are on sale now and available at Ticketmaster.com. Nashville’s opponent, as well as the date and time of each game in the series, will be announced at a later date. Fans are encouraged to visit NashvillePredators.com, or follow the team on Twitter (@PredsNHL) for the latest information on the playoffs.