Release from 08.07.2024

Jack Dougherty strengthens Caps defence

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The spusu Vienna Capitals announced the signing of defenceman Jack Dougherty, who won the U18 World Championship with the USA in 2014 and was selected by the Nashville Predators in the second round of the NHL draft a few months later. Following a long AHL career, the American came to Europe for the first time in 2023. The 28-year-old spent last season with DEL club Nuremberg.

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Jack Dougherty attended St Thomas Academy in his home state as a teenager. Dougherty already played with his current Caps team-mates Peter Krieger and Seamus Donohue on his high school ice hockey team. In the 2013/14 season, the right winger was part of the USA Hockey National Team Development Programme. Dougherty earned a spot on the U18 national team, which won the U18 World Championship in Finland in the spring of 2014. In the final against the Czech Republic, the now Caps defenceman scored the opening goal for the USA after just 33 seconds. At the end of June of the same year, Dougherty was selected by the Nashville Predators in the second round of the NHL draft. In July 2015, the defenceman signed his entry-level contract with the Predators. The American spent most of the 2015/16 season in the Western Hockey League with the Portland Winterhawks, and also made three appearances in the American Hockey League for the Milwaukee Admirals.

Long AHL career and move to Germany
From the 2016/17 season onwards, Dougherty played exclusively in the AHL for the Admirals. The defenceman played a total of 144 AHL games with 26 points (3 goals + 23 assists) for the Nashville Predators' farm team. Before the 2018/19 season, the Buffalo Sabres secured the services of the US-American in a trade. From then on, Dougherty played for the Rochester Americans, for whom the defenceman played 56 AHL games. After the end of his entry-level contract, Dougherty signed an AHL contract with the Belleville Senators. The American appeared in 88 AHL games for the Ottawa Senators' affiliate team in the 2019/20 and 2020/21 seasons, recording 20 points (4 goals + 16 assists). In the course of his third season in a Senators jersey, Dougherty also played with his now Caps team-mate Tyler Parks. The US defenceman moved to the Orlando Solar Bears in the ECHL for the 2022/23 season. After just 19 games with seven points (1 goal + 6 assists), the Senators came knocking again, for whom Dougherty would play another 15 games. In February 2023, Dougherty moved to Europe for the first time. For the final phase of the season, the defender joined DEL side Cologne Sharks. The US-American played a total of five games for the eight-time German champions. Dougherty also spent last season in the DEL with the Nuremberg Ice Tigers. The 28-year-old made 30 appearances.

"I'm very happy about my move to the spusu Vienna Capitals. The Capitals are a great organisation. Last year, my fiancée and I visited Austria over Christmas and decided to come back here. Being able to live here from now on is fantastic. On the ice, I'm someone who can spread the puck all over the rink and contribute everywhere. As a defenceman, I'm obviously focused on keeping the puck out of our own goal and being very reliable in the defensive zone," says Caps defenceman Jack Dougherty.

Photo: Thomas Hahn