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Prospect Report: Jaret Anderson-Dolan
Day eight of 10 prospects in 10 days is Jaret Anderson-Dolan, the Kings’ second round, 41st over draft pick of the 2017 NHL draft.
Anderson-Dolan, or JAD for the sake of simplifying his long name, is a center who is simply a leader on an off the ice. After being drafted 14th overall by the WHL’s Spokane Chiefs in 2014, JAD emerged as a mainstay in their lineup during the 2015-2016 season. He had a solid, but not amazing, rookie season posting 26 points (14+12=26) in 65 games played.
JAD first proved his true potential in the 2016-2017 season, also his draft year. He was named the alternate captain of the Chiefs and his production reflected his role on the team. He scored 76 points (39+37=76) in 72 games played. Team Canada took notice of his leadership and playing abilities and named him the captain of their under 18 team that played in the 2017 IIHF U-18 World Juniors tournament. JAD went scoreless in 5 games played and Canada was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.
Although he did not play well in the World Juniors Tournament, his performance with Spokane earned him high rankings going into the NHL draft. At only 17, JAD was one of the youngest players at the draft; yet, he was consistently ranked to be chosen in the first round. However, he slipped to the second round and the Los Angeles Kings selected him with their second round pick, 41st overall.
In the 2017-2018 season, JAD demonstrated that his offensive leap in the prior season was not simply a fluke. He posted 91 points (40+51=91) in 70 games played. He lead his team to the playoffs, where he scored 9 points (2+7=9) in 7 games played. His ability was noted when he was named to the WHL’s First All-Star Team due to his great season. After this campaign, JAD became viewed as one of the Kings most promising prospects. He was still 18, but he demonstrated the poise and leadership of someone who was much older.
JAD began his career with the Kings much sooner than expected. The Kings sustained several injuries during training camp prior to the 2018-2019 season and, because of his exceptional training camp, JAD earned the opportunity to play 5 games for the team, scoring his first career point, an assist. While he played well and did not look lost amongst seasoned NHL players, the Kings virtually self-imploded and it was not advantageous to use a year of a promising prospect’s contract on a team that simply could not win. JAD was sent back to Spokane where he was named their captain. However, a wrist injury drastically shortened his season.
Despite missing about half of the season due to his stint with the Kings and his injury, JAD still managed to post strong offensive numbers. He scored 43 points (20+23=43) in only 32 games played. He was also able to represent Canada at the IIHF World Juniors Tournament, serving as their alternate captain. He scored one goal in 5 games before Canada was eliminated.
The 2019-2020 season was JAD’s first full professional season. He began the season with the Kings’ AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign, before earning a brief recall to the Kings. With the Kings, he played 4 games, going scoreless. However, he had a very successful rookie campaign with the Reign, posting 28 points (8+20=28) in 53 games played. While this may appear as a poor season offensively when compared to his statistics with the Chiefs, it is important to understand exactly how different the AHL is from major juniors; major juniors is a significantly more offensive league as the players are younger, smaller, and less defensively inclined.
JAD will be searching for an opening night roster spot with the Kings next season and it is likely that he will receive it; he is a hard worker that has already proved that he can compete at the NHL level. Young, unestablished Kings centers need to look out for JAD because he might be taking their job next season. If he does not make the roster out of training camp, he will likely split time between the Kings and the Reign before becoming a Kings regular in the 2020-2021 season and beyond.
Ignoring his statistics, JAD is a good person and a team player. He has faced unfair discrimination due to his parents. He is the son of two moms and, because of this, he has slipped in not one, but two drafts. He was consistently ranked in the top 5 prospects for his WHL draft, where he slipped to 14 and he slipped from the first to the second round in his NHL draft. Despite this, he has reacted with nothing but poise and maturity. He is very young, yet he continues to prove that he is a leader on and off the ice. Just look at the way he talks about his life in the first interview he gave after he was drafted. He was only 17.
His billet parents best articulate his dedication to the game. He was consistently focused on eating well, sleeping properly, school, and training off the ice. He is going to be a leader and, potentially, the next captain for the Los Angeles Kings. He was already an excellent mentor to younger players in Spokane and this is likely to continue when he plays for an increasingly younger Los Angeles Kings team.
JAD’s two-way ability, combined with his pass first mentality will compliment other Kings prospects, including Arthur Kaliyev, well in the future. However, one of his biggest strengths is his versatility; he can play virtually any situation depending on need. He will likely begin his career on the third or fourth line, eventually working his way up to a top 6 spot on a competitive Kings team.
JAD is a strong skater who has a scoring touch and leadership capability. He is simply an all-around excellent prospect with few weak spots. Personally, he is my favorite Kings prospect and I look forward to seeing what he can do at the NHL level in the near future.