No Surprise Here, Dougie Hamilton To Remain With The Boston Bruins

January 28, 2013; Raleigh, NC, USA; Boston Bruins defensemen Dougie Hamilton (27) looks on from the bench during the 2nd period against the Carolina Hurricanes at the PNC center. The Bruins defeated the Hurricanes 4-3. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports

I’ve been saying it since before his breakout game against the New York Rangers, you know when he recorded his first NHL point? And on the power play no less.

But now its official, Dougie Hamilton will remain with the Boston Bruins for the 2013 season and beyond. I don’t think anyone is surprised by the move as the kid has done nothing but impress since arriving on Causeway Street.

Now while the move shouldn’t surprise anyone, it was a still a decision the B’s had to make. From a financial standpoint you can see why the B’s brass had some thinking to do, it’s a short season and once Hamilton plays over the 5-game limit a year will be burned off his entry level deal. Was that a risk they wanted to take?

After seeing Dougie play however, I imagine that decision was a whole lot easier for Peter Chiarelli and company.

At just the young age of 19-years old, Hamilton has lived up to his top-10 draft pick hype, so far. He’s averaging about 18 minutes of ice time per game, a lot of ice time for a rookie defenseman in the NHL and Dougie hasn’t wasted the opportunity by racking up 4 assists in 5 games. While its still very early in this condensed season, those 4 points are good enough to have Hamilton tied for 2nd most points on the team.

Even more impressive than his numbers are the intangibles this kid is showing. He’s calm, poised, patient and plays like a veteran. His pass to David Krejci on Monday night for the game winning goal against the Hurricanes showcased just what he brings to the table as an offensive defenseman.

Hamilton got the puck high in the slot and could’ve just ripped off a slap shot like most d-men would’ve done. Instead he waited, took the time to take a look around and saw Krejci unchecked and open across the way, he then slid over a beauty of a pass that allowed Krejci to fire a one-timer into an empty net. Game, set and match.

With plays like that, its easy why B’s head coach Claude Julien had this to say about Dougie to ESPNBoston.com, “We really like his composure, and his vision of the game, and how he moves the puck. He’s been extremely good for us.”

The boy wonder is sticking around, however its important to realize that at just 19 years old he will be make his fair share of mistakes along the way. Dougie will have his ups and downs in his rookie season, but so far I’ve loved what I’ve seen and can’t wait to watch this kid’s continued development.

It’s been a longtime since the B’s have had an offensively gifted defenseman like Hamilton, a very long time.