Jake Dotchin

July 2019 – Dotchin has signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Blues.  Jokke Nevalainen

June 2019 – Dotchin did not get a qualifying offer from the Ducks which means he becomes an unrestricted free agent.  Jokke Nevalainen

October 2018 – Back in September, Dotchin was placed on unconditional waivers by the Lightning due to a “material breach of contract”. Apparently the team was unhappy with his conditioning. After Dotchin’s contract was terminated, the Ducks signed him to a one-year contract and sent him down to the AHL.  Jokke Nevalainen

February 2018 – In their quest for the 2018 Stanley Cup, the Lightning made a major transaction to acquire Ryan McDonagh and JT Miller from the New York Rangers. The acquisition of McDonagh will likely last only until the expiration of his contract, however, in the short term, this will certainly hurt Dotchin’s outlook. The sophomore, who has gradually becoming a more reliable depth option in multi-category leagues will likely see a significant drop in ice-time. This will also likely put Dotchin on a more even playing field with Slater Koekkoek as it’s unlikely he’ll be spending as much time paired up with Hedman. His weaknesses will come out in the wash, and we’ll get a clearer picture of what the youngster can do without one of the league’s elite defenders backing him up. Long term, the loss of Libor Hajek could allow Dotchin some breathing room to extend his bottom pairing ice-time. Luckily, the Lightning were able to retain Cal Foote who will be hot on the tails of Dotchin and Koekkoek alike. Brayden Olafson January 2018 – Sustained success at the NHL level has Dotchin engrained as a Lightning regular. His reliable defensive play have quietly been a major success for the team. His offensive output remains low, however, for peripheral statistics we likely haven’t seen the righty’s ceiling. The certainty of the Lightning blue line remains questionable past the 2018-19 season, which could present an excellent opportunity for Dotchin to expand his role into the go-to Lightning shut-down defenseman. Brayden Olafson October 2017 – The Lightning have successfully found the path to keeping 2016 stand-out Dotchin in the lineup without blocking the development of offseason acquisition Mikhail Sergachev. By regularly carrying a seven defenceman lineup early in the season, the Lightning have had tremendous success, and Dotchin has refused to give way on his progress from last season. Dotchin has been successful in holding teammate Slater Koekkoek, and veteran Andrej Sustr at bay, while also virtually cementing his place in the lineup alongside Victor Hedman at even strength. Brayden Olafson July 2017 – The Lightning inked Dochin for another two years on a one-way contract after a successful half-campaign alongside star defenseman Victor Hedman. Dochin was one of the fastest rising prospects in the Lightning system over the last calendar year, beating out several other competitive defensemen for a full-time roster gig with the big squad. After capturing attention at the NHL level, he returned to Syracuse for the Calder Cup playoffs where he played all but three games for which he was suspended. With the Lightning’s acquisition of Dan Girardi, however, Dotchin could see his NHL security diminish come fall training camp. Since he is now waiver-eligible the Lightning will hope to see an impact from the sophomore, even in a different type of roll so that he can fit into the 2017-18 lineup. Brayden Olafson June 2017 – You would be hard-pressed to find another player in the Lightning system who has had as significant of a climb in the depth chart over the course of this season as Jake Dotchin. The gritty right-shot leapfrogged several other Lightning defense prospects, and did not disappoint when given an opportunity. Dotchin’s ceiling remains lower than that of Slater Koekkoek, however, as his development seems to be outmatching the fellow Crunch blueliner, there is a good chance we will see more of Dotchin this coming season. The Lightning will, however, perform their due-diligence during the off-season and potentially find a more ripened top-4 defender to fill their gap. Brayden Olafson March 2017 – In 20 games with the Lightning, Dochin has earned a tremendous amount of trust from coach, John Cooper. Jake has been given the opportunity to pair up with Lightning star-defenseman, Victor Hedman. An early chemistry between the two has been beneficial to Dochin who hasn’t failed to carry his own weight at the worst of times. His recent play has almost certainly upgraded his fantasy value, especially in multi-category leagues. His immediate confidence has saved him from making typical rookie mistakes early on and making good on his opportunity in the NHL. Brayden Olafson September 2016 – Jake Dotchin is a physical defenseman that plays the body well, in transition and in his own zone. When it comes to playing the puck, passing or carrying it, Dotchin lacks the skills the average defenseman may have. Lacks vision and offensive awareness. Skating has improved significantly, but still behind. Fantasy value would be limited to the deepest of leagues with hits, blocks and penalty minute categories. Max Marko