Getting To Know Captain Frontenac

The first thing that jumps out at you about Kingston Frontenacs’ captain Taylor Doherty is quite obvious.

‘Dorts’, as his teammates call him, is one of the tallest players in the Ontario Hockey League, good for 6’8 without skates. After been drafted 57^th Overall in 2009, Doherty has continued on his upward journey towards the National Hockey League stage with poise and patience.

With the success of other tall lanky defensemen, Tyler Myers and Zdeno Chara, many teams have begun a pattern of taking chances on others of the same ilk, Doherty included. However, in Taylor’s case, he’s already begun the climb before leaving junior, as he has bulked up from just over 210 in his draft year, to a large 230 lbs.

Like all players drafted, there is always room to improve. The knock on Doherty was simple; he was considered a one dimensional blue liner with some skating issues. In his draft year, his footwork was suspect, and he had yet to show any offensive flair. A season later and the towering rear guard is sitting sixth in OHL defenseman scoring.

When asked about being drafted to the San Jose Sharks organization, a team still considered among the top in the NHL, Taylor said, “It’s a great honor to be a part of the Sharks organization. Being signed with them now, for almost a year, has been great for me and a huge confidence booster.”

Taylor specifically mentioned Bryan Marchment, a scout and head of player development for the Sharks, for his constant communication. 

“They [Sharks] continue to stress working on foot speed and just little things that will hopefully make me a pro next year,” Doherty said. 

He also cites former Shark, Rob Blake, and current Flyers Defenseman, Chris Pronger, as the players he molds his game after.

With big defensemen in high demand in today’s NHL, Doherty has continued his rise through the Sharks depth chart as he waits for his opportunity to make a splash. Still likely a few years away in his development, Doherty will be given every opportunity with the big club.

When asked about his goals for the future, Taylor was honest, but humble.

“Just to have the best season possible and develop one more year,” he said.  “That will, hopefully, make me able to play for the Sharks next year.”

For OpenIceHockey.com, I’m Brian Huddle