Nicholas Dowd (born May 27, 1990) is an American professional ice hockey forward for the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the Los Angeles Kings in the 7th round (198th overall) of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

Nic Dowd
Nic Dowd 2020-02-02 (49479870117).jpg
Dowd with the Washington Capitals in 2020
Born (1990-05-27) May 27, 1990 (age 34)
Huntsville, Alabama, U.S.
Height 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight 196 lb (89 kg; 14 st 0 lb)
Position Center
Shoots Right
NHL team
Former teams
Washington Capitals
Los Angeles Kings
Vancouver Canucks
NHL draft 198th overall, 2009
Los Angeles Kings
Playing career 2014–present

A native of Huntsville, Alabama, Dowd is the third NHL player (after Jared Ross and Aud Tuten) who is from the state of Alabama.

Playing career

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Amateur

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Dowd grew up in Huntsville, Alabama where he played junior hockey.[1] Dowd moved to Wenatchee, Washington to play for the Wenatchee Wild in the North American Hockey League (NAHL). The following season he played for the Indiana Ice in Indianapolis, Indiana, before joining the St. Cloud State Huskies in the NCAA Men's Division I National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC). In his senior year, Dowd's outstanding play was rewarded with a selection to the inaugural 2013–14 All-NCHC First Team [2] as well as being a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award.[3] He finished his college career with 52 goals and 69 assists for 121 points in 155 games played.

Professional

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Los Angeles Kings

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On April 1, 2014, the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League (NHL) signed Dowd to an entry-level contract, assigning him to their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Manchester Monarchs.[4] During the 2015–16 season, he made his NHL debut on March 22, 2016, and played 5 games before returning to the Ontario Reign.[5][6] He recorded his first career NHL goal the following season on October 20, 2016, against the Dallas Stars.[7]

Vancouver Canucks

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In the 2017–18 season, on December 7, 2017, the Los Angeles Kings traded Dowd to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for Jordan Subban.[8] He remained on the Canucks roster to play out the season, posting 3 goals in 40 games.[9]

Washington Capitals

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As a free agent from the Canucks, Dowd agreed to a one-year, $650,000 contract with reigning Stanley Cup champions, the Washington Capitals, on July 1, 2018.[10] On April 11, 2019, he signed a three-year contract extension with the Capitals.[11]

Dowd played on the Capitals fourth line with Garnet Hathaway and Carl Hagelin throughout the 2020-21 NHL season.[12]

On November 14, 2021, Dowd signed a three-year, $3.9 million contract extension with the Capitals.[13]

Personal life

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Dowd was born on May 27, 1990, in Huntsville, Alabama, U.S.[9] to British-born parents Alan and Liz Dowd.[14] He married his wife Paige Dowd (formerly Kraemer), whom he met while studying at St. Cloud State University, on August 11, 2017.[15]

Career statistics

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2007–08 Culver Military Academy USHS 45 15 31 46 38
2008–09 St. Louis Bandits NAHL 3 0 0 0 2
2008–09 Wenatchee Wild NAHL 43 16 33 49 71 13 8 14 22 34
2009–10 Indiana Ice USHL 46 16 23 39 48 9 2 4 6 2
2010–11 St. Cloud State WCHA 36 5 13 18 34
2011–12 St. Cloud State WCHA 39 11 13 24 36
2012–13 St. Cloud State WCHA 41 14 25 39 41
2013–14 St. Cloud State NCHC 38 22 18 40 32
2013–14 Manchester Monarchs AHL 7 0 3 3 0 4 1 0 1 0
2014–15 Manchester Monarchs AHL 75 9 32 41 44 19 7 6 13 10
2015–16 Ontario Reign AHL 58 14 34 48 49 13 4 7 11 14
2015–16 Los Angeles Kings NHL 5 0 0 0 2
2016–17 Los Angeles Kings NHL 70 6 16 22 25
2017–18 Los Angeles Kings NHL 16 0 1 1 12
2017–18 Vancouver Canucks NHL 40 3 0 3 16
2018–19 Washington Capitals NHL 64 8 14 22 20 7 1 0 1 6
2019–20 Washington Capitals NHL 56 7 8 15 28 8 0 0 0 4
2020–21 Washington Capitals NHL 56 11 4 15 31 5 2 0 2 4
2021–22 Washington Capitals NHL 64 10 14 24 44 6 1 1 2 4
2022–23 Washington Capitals NHL 65 13 12 25 26
2023–24 Washington Capitals NHL 64 12 10 22 47 4 0 0 0 6
NHL totals 500 70 79 149 251 30 4 1 5 24
Medal record
Ice hockey
Representing   USA
World Junior A Challenge
  2009 Summerside

Awards and achievements

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Award Year Ref
College
WCHA All-Academic Team 2011–12, 2012–13
All-NCHC First Team 2013–14 [16]
AHCA West First-Team All-American 2013–14
Hobey Baker Award finalist 2013–14 [3]
AHL
Calder Cup winner 2015 [17]

References

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  1. ^ Teaford, Elliott (October 21, 2016). "Kings' Nic Dowd only 2nd Alabama native to score in NHL". El Segundo: Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved December 8, 2017.
  2. ^ "NCHC Quarterfinal Preview". CollegeHockeyNews.com. March 13, 2014. Retrieved March 13, 2014.
  3. ^ a b "Three Finalists Named for Hobey Baker Award". New York Times. April 3, 2014. Retrieved April 3, 2014.
  4. ^ "Los Angeles Kings Sign St. Cloud Senior Nic Dowd". SB Nation College Hockey.com. April 1, 2014. Retrieved April 1, 2014.
  5. ^ Querry, Cole (March 24, 2016). "Nic Dowd Makes NHL Debut with the Kings". The Hockey Writers. Archived from the original on May 30, 2016. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  6. ^ Bezyan, Suzanna (April 12, 2016). "Los Angeles Kings Assign Nic Dowd and Kevin Gravel to Ontario". LA Kings 101. Archived from the original on May 9, 2016. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  7. ^ "Alec Martinez scores OT winner as Kings slip past Stars". sportsnet.ca. October 20, 2016. Retrieved October 9, 2018.
  8. ^ "Canucks acquire Dowd from Kings". NHL.com. Vancouver, BC: Vancouver Canucks. December 8, 2017. Retrieved December 8, 2017.
  9. ^ a b "Nic Dowd". Elite Prospects. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
  10. ^ "Capitals sign Nic Dowd". Washington Capitals. July 1, 2018. Retrieved July 1, 2018.
  11. ^ "Capitals Re-sign Nic Dowd". NHL.com. April 11, 2019. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
  12. ^ Pell, Samantha (May 18, 2021). "The Capitals head to Boston with a tied series and a battered roster". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  13. ^ "Capitals re-sign centre Nic Dowd to three-year, $3.9M deal". Sportsnet. November 14, 2021. Retrieved November 14, 2021.
  14. ^ Borelli, Stephen (April 14, 2023). "How to raise an NHL player like Nic Dowd. Parenting a professional athlete takes finesse". USA Today. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
  15. ^ Rosen, Jon (October 18, 2016). "GILBERT, DOWD, WHO HAVE LOCAL TIES, WILL DEBUT TONIGHT". lakingsinsider.com. Retrieved January 22, 2018.
  16. ^ "Inaugural All-Conference Teams Revealed". National Collegiate Hockey Conference. April 16, 2014. Retrieved April 16, 2014.
  17. ^ "Manchester defeats Utica to win Calder Cup". National Hockey League. June 19, 2015. Retrieved June 19, 2015.
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Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Award created
NCHC Defensive Forward of the Year
2013–14
Succeeded by
Preceded by
Award created
NCHC Scholar-Athlete of the Year
2013–14
Succeeded by
Nick Mattson