Bruins Top 25 Under 25: #1 Dougie Hamilton

Dougie Hamilton

Defenseman / Boston Bruins

Height: 6' 4"
Weight: 216
Born: June 7, 1993
2012-2013 Numbers: Boston Bruins 42 GP, 5G, 11A, 16P. Playoffs: 7 GP, 0G, 3A, 3P.

Can you believe it? Dougie Hamilton is Boston's last great hope from the Phil Kessel trade. We all know what happened to Tyler Seguin, and while Jared Knight may be a better than average prospect, Dougie has the best chance of becoming an impact player on the Boston Bruins roster.

Hamilton's rookie year was perfectly fine, but he never did resemble the Bobby Orr 2.0 he was unfairly hyped to be heading into 2013. 16 points in 42 games is a respectable total for a rookie defenseman, and was only one point fewer than the man whose job he inherited, Joe Corvo out in Carolina. Plus, look how pumped he was to score against Montreal...

While many fans and media figures were forgiving of Hamilton's rookie slip-ups, those nerves will have fully subsided by October, and he'll be judged in a harsher light this coming season. The plan to pair the 20-year old defenseman with Zdeno Chara was only occasionally acted upon in last year's lockout-shortened campaign, and as Boston looks for Hamilton to mature as a player, I anticipate we'll be seeing more of the #33 - #27 pairing in 2013-2014.

Here's a look at his overall numbers:

Ignoring his atrocious World Juniors performance, 2013 was all-in-all a pretty good year for Dougie. He got to play for a historic NHL franchise, score some goals, win some games, and take in a gutsy Stanley Cup run from the press box. Yet somehow I don't think that last part has been sitting well with him...

"I think you're doing what's best for the team, and if that's what we need to win, then I was fine with that," Hamilton commented at an informal skate last week. "Obviously you want to be playing and on the ice. Of course, you spend the summer working your hardest so that you're playing and not sitting out."

Our Rankings:

There you have it, unanimously voted the best prospect under 25 in the Bruins system by the SCoC staff.  No pressure, Dougie.