Los Angeles Kings' Drew Doughty: The Next (defensive) Sidney Crosby?

Pacific Divison's Rising Star

I don't really follow any other NHL teams aside from the Bruins, but after hearing about Drew Doughty on the Los Angeles Kings and the fact that he was only nineteen years old, I started watching highlight clips on, respectively, NHL.com and ESPN.com. To say the least, I am impressed.

Though my hockey experience starts with pick-up games of roller hockey back in elementary school and peaks at leading the Bruins to multiple Stanley Cups on the Xbox, the talent that Doughty possesses really blew me away. Fresh out of the Ontario Hockey League, Doughty was second-pick drafted by the Kings in 2008, and played a total of 81 games during the 2008-2009 season. He was named to the NHL All-Rookie Team last season, but an award like that doesn't surprise.

"Growing up it was my dream to make the NHL, but you never think it's going to come true," Doughty told NHL.com staff writer Adam Kimelman. "You want it to happen but you know how tough it is. Making it happen at such a young age -- I was 18 for half the year last year. It's been pretty unbelievable."

Unbelievable is almost right. As a walk-on, barely legal defenseman, he has tallied 6 goals and 21 assists, totaling 27 points in his first NHL season and the bragging rights of No.1 rookie defenseman, ending the season with a rating of minus-17. Right after the season ended, Doughty was selected to play at Canada's Olympic Evaluation Camp and was predictably, the youngest one there.

"Being 19 years old and getting an invite to that is pretty breathtaking," Doughty informed Kimelman.

Now, at the ripe age of nineteen, Doughty leads the Kings in total ice time, but is only ranked fourth in the NHL as top defenseman, tied with New York Rangers defenseman Michael Del Zotto, where he sits at a plus-7.