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Would the Kings Consider Playing Nic Dowd at 2C?

August 1, 2016, 1:58 PM ET [18 Comments]
Jason Lewis
Los Angeles Kings Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT



One of the more exciting prospects coming up through the system right now is centerman Nic Dowd.

For Ontario last season, Dowd was the catalyst in many regards. His work on the offensive, defensive, and special teams side of things was irreplaceable to coach Mike Stothers and the Reign. Believe it or not, despite his older age at 26, this was only Dowd's second pro season. Most players in their second pro AHL season, fellow Reign forward Justin Auger for example, are 22 or 23. With Dowd's collegiate path and his somewhat late start, he sits at 26. Old by man prospect standards.

Nevertheless, the age should not downplay the importance or ability that the young center has. Last season if there was a big penalty kill, he was out there. If there was a big defensive zone draw? He was out there too. If it was late in the game and the team was trailing looking for a goal or leading looking to protect? Yup, it was Nic Dowd taking the draw. The level of trust and ability exemplified by the Reign alternate captain was evident all throughout his 2015-16 season.

He got his shot late in the year to play in the NHL, but with the Kings pressing for the playoffs his chance and his ice time was limited. Despite that he did some very very good things in his brief five game stint that gave people a lot of hope for what is in store for him as a Kings player. After an outstanding year in the AHL, it is possible that the hardworking center may have a spot penciled in for opening night on the Kings roster. A lot can change before the season begins, but that seems to be the feeling. Where, however, could he line up? Does he have the ability to be a 2C? Or will he end up being a more defensive minded 3 or 4?

It is hard not to make the comparison to Nick Shore, the standout center for the Monarchs in 2013-14 and his shortened 2014-15 campaign. He scored at an unreal pace in 2014-15, potting 20 goals in 48 games, and overall Shore scored at just about .75 points per game in the AHL. Dowd currently sits at a .66 points per game in the AHL in his two seasons. We have all come to know about the struggles of Shore gathering offense in the NHL. It has been one part of his game that has yet to translate. While the defensive play, faceoff ability, and general thinking of the game have come through, the push for offense has been limited. Even though Shore is a pretty good distributor of the puck in his own right, playing consistently on lines with Jordan Nolan, Kyle Clifford, Trevor Lewis, Dwight King, and Dustin Brown will do little to help your assist totals. Be that as it may, Shore has done himself no favors with an absurdly low shooting percentage, coupled with a massive discrepency in his expected goals and the actual output.

Watching Nic Dowd, however, in his small sample in the NHL...there were signs of life offensively. There were signs of a much more aggressive and uptempo confidence on the puck then what we have seen from Shore. While the comparisons in defensive plays, reading, and potential two-way ability are similar, Dowd simply looked more dominant and dictating in the offensive zone. Dowd is a natural playmaker, but did start shooting the puck much more last season with the Reign. Thus we saw a spike in goal totals from 9 in 75 games, to 14 in 58 games. Overall, his confidence and ability in carrying and feeding the puck is what sets him apart from Shore. You could compare them statistically and say Shore had the better production in the AHL, ergo he will be the better NHL producer, but game wise Dowd has some important things going for him that sets him apart.

Let's talk offensively. Dowd is a very quick player. Much quicker than many give him credit for. How he uses that speed and quickness bodes very well for his NHL future. Off the puck he is incredibly shifty and active. That alone creates space not just for himself but for his teammates as well.

Here is a good example of that during the opening seconds of a Reign/Condors game in February. Dowd is No. 26 in this play for those unfamiliar.



Notice how his quick pursuit creates a turnover on the wall. From there he buzzes around the front of the net, drawing his defender away from the front. That play eventually creates an opportunity for Michael Mersch to walk out from behind the net and attempt a good scoring opportunity right at the end of the GIF. Dowd's activity and movement in front created that hole for his winger.

He also uses his speed to create opportunities with the puck. Check out the NHL examples:



He is quick on the puck, and then takes advantage of the small disarray in the Minnesota zone based on the turnover/puck recovery. This kind of play fits very well into the Kings system of heavy forechecking, along with a player to aid in puck recovery and distribution. It works the same way in the AHL, where Dowd flourished as this type of player on his lines. His lines usually included bruising players like Mersch and Auger. Big bruising players that can create space for him to go to work. That sort of chaos and focus on the forechecker and front net play is great for a player like Dowd, who likes to make plays, or at least try to.



The GIF above gets us to our next positive point on Dowd: He is a great passer and he has the vision to go along with it.



Much respect to Nick Shore, but we have seen few flashes of offensive creativity like that in the NHL. While these plays can sometimes get Dowd into trouble, like the glaring behind the back pass to the slot in Calgary that we all remember, you want players to make mistakes trying to make plays. Dowd is a confident puck carrier and distributor, and he attempts and completes some very difficult passes.



This kind of play translates defensively and transitionally as well, which is a big key for King centermen. Here you can start to draw more close comparisons to Shore. The two exhibit excellent abilities to read plays coming out of their zone, and make passes that clear the zone well. Again, Dowd has a bit more flare for difficult attempts, but he does some key things that the Kings look for in a center. He stays low in his zone, he helps out defenders, and he simply makes plays to get pucks out. Here is a great example of Dowd taking the potential hit, dealing with the impending pressure, yet still making a nice clean outlet to spring the Kings in transition.



Simple, yet efficient plays.

This was a very common theme down in the AHL as well. Dowd was generally the catalyst to offensive transition coming out of his own zone. It was either off the half wall to the center, or from the center out of the zone. Dowd was outstanding at knowing his surroundings, and hitting his men.

In an earlier piece this past year with Dowd we talked about his development. , I asked him how important the breakout was for the Kings. Here was the response:

Q: How much does the organization emphasis structure and breakouts on days like today (Development day) or at development camps?

A: You see it down here, we try to play the exact same game as they do so when guys moves up or move down the transition is smooth. The breakout is huge. You only have an opportunity to have the puck on your stick for X amount of seconds and you have to make a play, and then the next guy has to make a play, and then the next guy, and that’s how you score goals and transition from defense to offense. It’s huge. Ya know teams are so good these days at clogging up the middle and having guys over the top of our centermen and wingers and having D pinched down, you have to know your assignments and you have to know what the other team’s tendencies are. I’d say the breakout is one of the biggest things in our organization to get up the ice.


The Kings have molded him well, and he stepped up in a big way last year for the Reign.

He recently signed a two-year deal with Los Angeles, and these are two very very big years for him.

You see what good things he does, now the question remains: Where could he end up on the Kings roster in those two years?

It is hard to project, especially when you consider the incubation process and protection of young players the Kings often exhibit. Especially under Darryl Sutter. It would be hard to imagine Dowd playing anything above a 4th line center role to start out next season, given how experience and "Paying your dues" plays out. There will definitely be a fight however amongst those who are still in the nascent stages of their careers. Shore, Andreoff, and Dowd all will have rightful claims to a 3/4C job given their skill sets and progressions over the past two seasons. Dowd and Shore display the ability to be, at worst, very good defensive minded centers who are lower risk, and can give you penalty kill minutes. Andreoff, while he does not have the same defensive stalwartism as his counterparts, improved much over the latter portion of the year and has that nasty agitating style the Kings seem to like from bottom line forwards. They will all get their chance in some regard.

However, the Kings do have a more adventurous option if Dowd's offensive abilities translate well. That option would be to play him at 2C, allowing Jeff Carter to switch to wing. The massive caveat is that Dowd continues to show ability in "Making plays" with more minutes and perhaps more stressful competition. However, the upside is that in a 2C role he would have more quality linemates in Tyler Toffoli, Tanner Pearson, or even Jeff Carter, to feed the puck to.This would take advantage of his naturally creative style of playmaking. Carter uncharacteristically struggled last year in faceoffs to boot, and Dowd was very strong almost all season with Ontario. He hovered around 55% for most of the season (Thanks to Sheng Peng of JFTC on keeping those stats!). Would it be crazy to think the Kings stick Dowd with Carter and Toffoli? With Dowd and Carter swapping faceoff duty? It is certainly not the craziest thing. That lineup also lessens the damage the Milan Lucic hole creates. While it's not likely ideal, a top 6 of

Pearson - Kopitar - Gaborik
Carter/Dowd - Dowd/Carter - Toffoli

Does not look bad at all. IF, and only if, Nic Dowd continues to have a positive upward trajectory in his play. Last season the Kings dabbled with Carter on Kopitar's wing while Vincent Lecavalier filled in at 2C. It is not a foreign concept to have Carter play at wing. This also allows the Kings to explore and give better full time opportunities to Shore and Andreoff. Shore is in a sort of make or break year, as is Andreoff. They need as much playing time as possible to make a case that they can stick and are long term fixtures.

The downside is that if Dowd does in fact play well, and Shore and Andreoff struggle, you have some severely limited options moving down your lineup past the Kings top 6. Depth would be an issue and a hole could open up at 3C.

Fortunately for the Kings they have a lot of versatility in the lineup. Both Trevor Lewis and Michael Latta have played center for extended periods of their career. The aforementioned Jeff Carter can also switch from center to wing and vice versa. Call them insurance policies on Andreoff, Shore, and Dowd if you will.

With that in mind, it seems as though the Kings have lined themselves up in a position to give someone like Nic Dowd a big opportunity in a top 6 role. He is one of the few Kings prospects that is NHL ready that stands out in terms of having the skill to play in said capacity. His puck skills are great, his vision is exceptional, and he has a sort of confidence to him that you like to see from a top-six player. Does that all translate? We will find out in 2016-17.

Given the moves the Kings have made, the make-up of the roster, and perhaps the "New" mentality the Kings have talked about, we very well could see a surprising experiment that has the Kings former 7th round draft choice in 2009 playing top six minutes in 2016.


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