News:Dougie Hamilton picked up an assist in 14:23 worth of ice time in Thursday's overtime loss to the Rangers.
Analysis:Dougie Hamilton now has three assists in the first four games of the team's series against the Rangers, but with Dennis Seidenberg and Wade Redden nearing a return, the Bruins will have a tough call to make with regards to their blue line composition, with Hamilton, Torey Krug and Matt Bartkowski having filled in well thus far. Hamilton wasn't pleased with the way he played Chris Kreider on Thursday's game-winning goal, but overall the youngster's postseason play has been solid. The same can be said of Bartkowski's play, while Krug has emerged as a sparkplug on the team's back line.
News:Dougie Hamilton saw 10:49 worth of ice time in Sunday's 2-1 loss to the Leafs.
Analysis: Whether or not Dougie Hamilton plays in Monday's Game 7 against the Leafs presumably hinges on the status of Andrew Ference, who was forced to sit out Sunday's Game 6 with an undisclosed injury.
News: Based on warmups, Dougie Hamilton is in line to suit up Sunday against the Leafs.
Analysis: Though Wade Redden is back in action for the B's, it looks like the Bruins will turn to Dougie Hamilton (rather than Matt Bartkowski) on Sunday, with Andrew Ference out with an injury.
News:Dougie Hamilton won't suit up Monday against the Leafs.
Analysis:Dougie Hamilton is squeezed out by the return of Andrew Ference from his one-game suspension, as the B's opt for experience over youth in Monday's Game 3 against Toronto.
News:Dougie Hamilton saw 13:32 worth of ice time in Saturday's loss to the Leafs.
Analysis:Dougie Hamilton, who was inserted into the lineup Saturday with Andrew Ference serving a one-game suspension, saw his first game action since April 23. With Ference due back for Monday's Game 3, the promising Hamilton will likely return to the press box, but he remains but an injury away from suiting up for the Bruins again.
News:Dougie Hamilton worked on a defensive pairing with Wade Redden at practice Friday, the Boston Globe reports.
Analysis: With Andrew Ference suspended for Saturday's Game 2 against the Leafs, look for the promising Dougie Hamilton (a healthy scratch Wednesday) to make his playoff debut for the Bruins in that contest.
News:Dougie Hamilton is in line to be a healthy scratch for the Bruins' playoff opener Wednesday against the Leafs, the Boston Globe reports.
Analysis: While Dougie Hamilton's long-term future is bright, it looks like (in the short term) the Bruins will opt to dress the more experienced Wade Redden and Adam McQuaid out of the gate. That said, don't be surprised to see Hamilton get some playoff action in as the postseason progresses, either in the event of an injury, or if the team decides to look for a little added mobility on the blue line, which Hamilton can certainly provide.
News:Dougie Hamilton was a healthy scratch Thursday (against the Lightning) for the fourth time in the Bruins' last seven games, the Boston Globe reports.
Analysis: The 19-year-old blueliner has more than held his own in his first NHL season, recording five goals and 11 assists in 42 games to date. In recognition of his effort, Dougie Hamilton was given the Bruins' Seventh Player Award on Thursday, presented to the player who went above and beyond the call of duty for the team and exceeded the expectations of fans during the 2012-13 season. Assuming no injuries in the meantime, Hamilton could serve as the B's No. 7 defenseman for the start of the playoffs, a situation that hampers his short-term upside in postseason pools. In the long term though, Hamilton is brimming with potential. He's a smooth skater, who displays poise and skill with the puck, and once he adds some more bulk to his 6-5 frame and gains more pro experience, the defensive end of his game should round out further.
News:Dougie Hamilton scored a goal in Sunday's 3-0 win over the Panthers.
Analysis:Dougie Hamilton, who saw 19:45 worth of ice time Sunday after being a healthy scratch Saturday, now has five goals this season, good for second among Boston blueliners behind Zdeno Chara, who has seven tallies.
News:Dougie Hamilton will suit up for Sunday's game against the Panthers.
Analysis: With Adam McQuaid day-to-day, Dougie Hamilton -- a healthy scratch Saturday -- will return to the B's lineup Sunday. Based on line rushes, he'll begin the contest paired with Zdeno Chara.
News:Dougie Hamilton was scratched for Saturday's game against the Penguins, NHL.com reports.
Analysis: With Dougie Hamilton and Wade Redden scratched Saturday, Adam McQuaid and Matt Bartkowski cycled back into the Bruins' blue line mix. Assuming no undisclosed injury, Hamilton was rested Saturday and seems likely to return the the team's lineup Sunday against the Panthers.
News:Dougie Hamilton will sit out Saturday's game against the Hurricanes and return to the lineup Monday against Ottawa, the Boston Globe's Fluto Shinzawa reports.
Analysis: The Bruins want Dougie Hamilton to get some extra rest before the playoffs begin, so he will sit for the second game in a row, with coach Claude Julien confirming Saturday that "rest is the only reason (Hamilton) has been sitting out. It's certainly not because of his play."
News:Dougie Hamilton was a healthy scratch Thursday against the Islanders in order for him to get a breather, the Boston Globe reports. "We had thought about giving him some rest earlier," coach Claude Julien said. "But he's been playing so well that it's been hard to take him out of the lineup. He's played since August. He played in that Canada-Russia Cup. He's played for his junior team. He played in the World Junior Championship. We're getting near the end of our schedule, and I think it's important for him to get some rest."
Analysis: With the return of fellow blueliner Adam McQuaid to the lineup, Dougie Hamilton took in Thursday's game from the press box, but the talented rookie (who has notched 15 points in 39 games to date) is in line to be back in business Saturday against the Hurricanes.
News:Dougie Hamilton is a healthy scratch Thursday against the Islanders.
Analysis: Adam McQuaid returns to the B's lineup, with Dougie Hamilton sitting for the first time this season, after suiting up for all 39 of the team's games, recording four goals and 15 points in the process.
News:Dougie Hamilton won't suit up Thursday against the Islanders, according to Fluto Shinzawa of the Boston Globe.
Analysis: It's unclear if there's an injury in play here, or if the Bruins are giving the rookie blueliner a breather, but Dougie Hamilton is out and Adam McQuaid is in for Thursday's game.
News:Dougie Hamilton's 12 points (in 20 games) are second among rookie blueliners to Edmonton's Justin Schultz.
Analysis:Dougie Hamilton now has points in four straight games and goals in the last two. His minus-3 rating is nothing to write home about and indicative that his defensive game is a work in progress, but the young blueliner continues to show overall poise and is already a fantasy contributor. That's not likely to change either, as long as he continues to see power-play duty for the B's.
News:Dougie Hamilton assisted on two goals in Thursday's win over the Lightning.
Analysis: He's got four points in the last three games, but stunningly skated only 10 minutes on Thursday, an oddity that doesn't seem to be attributed to an injury for the young blueliner, who's averaging more than 18 minutes a game.
News:Dougie Hamilton potted the first goal of his NHL career on Friday in Boston's loss to Buffalo. He also added an assist in the loss.
Analysis:Dougie Hamilton has a respectable six points over 12 games this season while adapting to the NHL game following his jump from junior. He's long on talent and an outstanding keeper league prospect. Hamilton is seeing close to three minutes of power-play time per game as well.
News:Dougie Hamilton had four shots on goal and assisted on David Krejci's game-winning goal late in the third period of Boston's 5-3 win over Carolina on Monday. He has points (four assists) in three straight games.
Analysis: The Bruins are loving the kid's poise on the blue line and are confident using him in late-game situations. It was announced on Monday that Dougie Hamilton will stick with the parent club all season.
News: GM Peter Chiarelli told Dougie Hamilton on Monday that he will be staying with the Bruins after he plays his fifth NHL game Monday night, the Boston Globe reports.
Analysis: Start enjoying that dirty water, Dougie, because you're staying with the big boys. The service time will start counting on Dougie Hamilton's entry-level contract, but he's already proven he belongs with three points so far and there's probably a limit to what else he could learn with another year of juniors. Plus, the Bruins have a strong corps of veteran blueliners, so what better place for him to keeping working his way up the learning curve.
News:Dougie Hamilton snagged two assists in Friday's win over the Islanders, giving him three assists in the last two games.
Analysis: The towering youngster is turning heads in The Hub, showing skills that will make Bruins fans pleased for years to come. Dougie Hamilton has a unique skill set that has drawn comparisons to former NHL defender Rob Blake. He's shown poise and strong hockey sense in the season's first week and is slowly creeping onto the scoresheet. As a bonus to owners, he's seeing close to four minutes of power-play time per game in the early going.
News:Dougie Hamilton posted his first NHL point, an assist on Brad Marchand's second-period goal in Boston's overtime loss to the Rangers on Wednesday. He finished with the one assist along with four shots on goal, a blocked shot and was minus-1 in 18:55.
Analysis: The young blueliner is earning the confidence of head coach Claude Julien, who had the 18-year-old Dougie Hamilton on the ice for the closing seconds of regulation.
News: There's little doubt that Dougie Hamilton will remain with the Bruins all season, the Boston Globe reports. "In my mind ... right now, he's a player," coach Claude Julien said after Monday's 2-1 shootout win over the Jets. "To me, he's on our team. ... He's a player I'm relying on."
Analysis: With the ice-time-eating Dennis Seidenberg sidelined Monday, Dougie Hamilton saw 23:27 worth of ice time, second only to Zdeno Chara. Though Hamilton has yet to record his first NHL point, he has fit into the team's lineup seamlessly, while racking up five shots and six hits through his first two contests as a pro. Already gold in keeper leagues, Hamilton has the upside to help fantasy owners as a rookie, particularly if the Bruins decide to use him on their power play going forward.
News: In his NHL regular season debut, Dougie Hamilton recorded two shots and three hits in 13:40 worth of ice time in the Bruins' 3-1 win over Rangers on Saturday.
Analysis: Though Dougie Hamilton saw some power play time, the Bruins eased him in, as he saw less ice time than any of the team's other five blueliners. Overall, it was a solid, but not spectacular debut for the promising, but still developing Hamilton, who has five more games to make his case for the Bruins to keep him around all season. It's widely assumed that they will, since Hamilton has nothing to prove at the junior level.
News:Dougie Hamilton was described by the Boston Herald as a little jittery in Tuesday's scrimmage against AHL Providence. "I thought Dougie was OK," coach Claude Julien said after the scrimmage. "He looked a little nervous. He's more poised with the puck than he was tonight, and we kind of expected that. It's his first game and guys put a lot of pressure on themselves. The biggest thing for us will be to calm him down. What I saw tonight was not what I saw in practices this week and it's not what I saw in his games in junior."
Analysis:Dougie Hamilton, who had several turnovers in the contest, is a blue-chip prospect, but he is bound to experience growing pains in his first year as a pro. He's gold in keeper leagues, with his short-term fantasy value largely tied to how much power play duty he sees with the team out of the gate.
News: GM Peter Chiarelli said that he expects Dougie Hamilton to make the Bruins and stay on the team's roster the entire season, the Boston Globe reports.
Analysis:Dougie Hamilton can appear in six games before the 2013 season counts against his entry-level contract, but it would be a major surprise if he doesn't stick around. The 19-year-old's initial fantasy utility will hinge on how much, if any, power play time he sees out of the gate. Given that the unit was not particularly dynamic for the B's last season, it's not hard to imagine the talented Hamilton getting a chance to work on special teams straight away. Hamilton still needs to grow into his 6-foot-5 frame, but his nice size/skills combo evokes memories of a young Rob Blake. Either way, he's a top shelf prospect who is already gold in keeper formats.
