Building Blue: Jackson Dorrington Continues Growing his Game While Playing Heavy Minutes in Third NCAA Season

With an elevated leadership role, more ice time, and higher expectations for himself, Vancouver Canucks defence prospect Jackson Dorrington is continuing to develop his game as he plays in his third NCAA season with the Northeastern Huskies.

Dorrington is a 6’2”, 192-pound defenceman who leans into his in-zone strengths to make up the type of defenceman that he is. He likes to be a player who controls the crease and has the physicality to back it up.

He is currently 23rd in the NCAA for average ice time per game. Dorrington is averaging 23:33 through 14 games and has only taken two penalties this season despite his heavy style of play.

In his third season with the Huskies, Dorrington feels more confident in himself with the puck on his stick. He also expects more out of his game as he continues to grow as a defenceman. Dorrington is in constant communication with Canucks’ development coach Mike Komisarek and the two have developed a friendship along with their development coach-player relationship.

“It's unreal to have him in my corner,” said Dorrington of Komisarek. “He's got so much experience and he's a down-to-earth person. He cares about me so much. I can't say enough good things about him; our relationship has grown over the past few years. We are working through video, and I see him after games. All that has helped so much, and it's awesome to have someone with so much experience helping me out.”

Lately, Komisarek and Dorrington have been working on his gap control in his own zone. Understanding that gap awareness is going to be required at every level has helped Dorrington become invested in improving and with the help of Komisarek, the young defenceman is already seeing the work pay off.

Dorrington has a heavy focus on strength and conditioning and that shows with how physical he is while also being 23rd in average ice time from NCAA players. In the gym, his teammates call him a beast and he continues to get stronger every offseason while looking to maintain that through the course of a regular season.

“I definitely feel stronger this season compared to my first two,” said Dorrington. “Every year, I just keep trying to add mass and strength. I've been trying to bully some guys in front of the net this season. And in the corners, I’m just trying to make sure I win all my battles. Because that's what I got to do to be successful.”

Dorrington also believes that the NCAA game is slowing down a bit for him now that he is in his third NCAA season. As a junior, he's seen the majority of plays other teams throw at him and knows where he needs to be able to shut them down when he's on the ice.

Knowing the game and understanding where he needs to be positionally helps allow Dorrington to make the right assessment in quick-decision moments. His focus as a defensive defenceman is to limit scoring chances against and the 20-year-old says that it is a great feeling knowing exactly what his role is and being able to go out and execute it every game.

“I’m in the exact spot I want to be in,” said Dorrington. “I want to be relied on in all situations. I’m happy with my role and it keeps pushing my game. I just need to keep making the most of my minutes.”

Dorrington is one of the top penalty killers for Northeastern and he continues to be physical around the net and control the crease for his goaltenders.

As the year goes along, Dorrington is focused on consistency. He’s been able to play his game so far this season and just wants to be able to build on what he’s already doing. With the help of Mike Komisarek and his coaching staff at Northeastern, Dorrington is improving by the week and has seen a steady uptick in his minutes through his progression.

Dorrington is looking forward to a quick trip home to see family during the Christmas break and he, along with his Northeastern teammates are excited for the Beanpot tournament in February.