The Bruins used the ninth overall pick of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft on Friday night to select towering defenseman Dougie Hamilton.
Hamilton may not be ready to leap right into the NHL fray, but he gives the Bruins the kind of impact offensive defenseman they lack in their system. He also will upgrade the club's grade-point average, as he was named the Ontario Hockey League's Top Academic High School Student.
His academic pursuits actually scared off a few teams, but the Bruins value his intelligence and poise.
They also like the fact that Hamilton brings some size at 6-foot-4, though he still needs to fill out his 187-pound frame. He also adds some offensive upside, having just posted a 12-46-58 line in 67 games with Niagara of the OHL. He supplies a bit of grit as well, with 77 penalty minutes.
Hamilton was ranked fourth among North American skaters by the NHL Central Scouting, which raved about him in its prospect profile on NHL.com.
"He moves the puck well and makes good outlet passes, he does make good decisions with the puck, moves it very well out of his zone," NHL Central Scouting's Chris Edwards said. "He's a big guy, he'll take the body. … He uses his size well. He can muscle people off the puck."
Hamilton comes from an athletic background. Both of his parents were Olympians, with his father, Doug, a rower for Canada in 1984 and 1988, winning a bronze medal in 1984, and his mother, Lynn, competing in basketball for Canada in 1984. Hamilton's brother Freddie was taken by San Jose with the 129th overall pick last year.
