TORONTO — Dougie Hamilton has been enamored with the scoring side of hockey for as long as he can remember, maybe even before likeminded defensemen were making a comeback in the National Hockey League.



Alex Ovechkin was probably his favorite player growing up. He remembers admiring Mats Sundin and hanging posters of Eric Staal on the walls of his childhood bedroom in Toronto. To this day, the No. 19 on his back is a tribute to Shane Doan (and a nod of respect to Steve Yzerman while he’s at it).



How he talks about his idols is heartwarming and relatable in a way conversations with professional athletes usually aren’t.



“I wanted to be Shane Doan,” he’ll say. “I wanted to be Ovie. Still do.”



Ovechkin inspired him to the extent that he actually switched to forward for about a season and a half in his early teens.



As it often does, puberty came out of nowhere for Hamilton. All of a sudden...