Meet a new Canuck is a feature Markus Meyer (@Markus_Meyer27) and I will be running throughout the off-season as an introduction to the newest members of the Vancouver Canucks. Up next: Derek Dorsett

Derek Dorsett

Biography:

Dorsett played junior, unsurprisingly if you’ve been paying attention this off-season, in Medicine Hat under former Tigers and new Canucks head coach Willie Desjardins. His tendency towards the tougher side of the game was apparent even then, as evidenced by the fact that he led the WHL in penalty minutes with 279 in 2005-06 and would pick up another 200+ the next season.

However, he wasn’t all fisticuffs as a junior, as his 64 points in 61 games during the 2006-07 was second on the team and helped the Tigers to the WHL championship. Unfortunately, the Tigers would lose the Memorial Cup Final, at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver, to the Giants – yet another loose thread tying him to the Canucks.

He was drafted by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 7th round, 189th overall, at the 2006 NHL entry draft and would make the jump to Syracuse in the AHL for the 2007-08 season. While his penalty minutes went with him to the pros (he posted a whopping 289 as an AHL rookie), his scoring didn’t and he netted only 18 points in 64 regular season games along with just one lone assist in 12 post-season contests. Make no mistake about it though, Dorsett wasn’t drafted for his scoring ability, but rather for the “sandpaper” and “grit” that he can bring to an NHL lineup.

He got his chance in Columbus the following season, having a rather unremarkable rookie year in which he scored 4 goals and put up 150 penalty minutes in 52 contests (his first NHL goal coming against, another Vancouver connection, the Canucks and Roberto Luongo). Those numbers would be a good template for what Dorsett was able to accomplish as a Blue Jacket, as he scored at least 4 goals and 100 penalty minutes in each of his four full seasons with the club, and was on pace for the same in the lockout-shortened 2013 season. He even emerged as a leader in Columbus, sporting an “A” on his sweater by the end of this tenure. His best season statistically came in 2011-12, when he managed career highs in goals (12), points (20), and penalty minutes (235).

However, it was during that lockout shortened season that Dorsett found himself on the move for the first time, as part of the package heading to the New York Rangers in exchange for Marian Gaborik. Under Rangers coach Alain Vigneault, Dorsett found his role altered slightly in New York. After fighting 17 times in 2010-11 and 19 times in 2011-12, Dorsett notched only 10 fighting majors during the 2013-14 regular season, as he focused more on an agitating, defensive role and less on punching faces.

Though the points still weren’t there and Dorsett will never be accused of being a defensive dynamo either, this style of play helped him to become more of an asset to his team, and he played a role in helping the Rangers reach the Stanley Cup final last year (he played in all 23 post-season games, but only got 19 penalty minutes, as compared to 28 penalty minutes in 11 games the previous playoffs under coach John Tortorella).

It was a performance that made the new Canucks management sit up and take notice, so they traded a 3rd round pick to the Rangers in exchange for Dorsett prior to the draft this summer. The hope is that Dorsett can continue to play that aggravating style and be a solid edition to the bottom six, while not hurting his team too often by spending so much time in the box. He is certainly, at least, an upgrade over Tom Sestito in that regard.

Though a bit undersized for an enforcer role at just under 6’0″ and around 192 pounds, the 27-year-old can still hold his own against some of the better fighters in the game, including both Sestito and Kevin Bieksa, both of whom he fought last season.

“It’s a funny world that way,” Dorsett said in an interview with Canucks TV, “You’re enemies one day and you’re best friends the next season. Everyone’s professional and everyone knows what their jobs are. Everyone respects each other.”

[youtube id=”d47c-vnOdZA” width=”620″ height=”360″]

[youtube id=”Cp6FXVj2mfk” width=”620″ height=”360″]

Dorsett’s Role In Vancouver:

Ultimately, it’s going to come down to Sestito or Dorsett for the final roster spot on the wing and to take on the role of enforcer, so some comparison between the two is needed here.

Though known primarily as a fighter, Dorsett will be expected to show that he can provide more than that and play a consistent role on the team. Unlike most enforcers, he actually managed to play that role in New York last year, averaging 11:01 in ice time, a number that didn’t fall too dramatically (9:28) in the playoffs, showing that the coaching staff had the confidence in him to be out there when the games matter most.

Considering he started only 34.4% of his shifts in the offensive zone, finishing with a Corsi% north of 50 (50.55 to be exact) last year was impressive, even though his CorsiRel% (-3.84) is nothing to write home about. Compared to Sestito though, Dorsett was Patrice Bergeron.

First, let’s take a look at the basic numbers.

Derek Dorsett: 51 games, 4 goals, 4 assists, 8 points, -1, 128 pims, 11:01 ice time

Tom Sestito: 77 games, 5 goals, 4 assists, 9 points, -14, 213 pims, 6:27 ice time

Even a cursory glance, without delving too deep, should be enough to convince most people that Dorsett was more valuable to his team, or at least less of a detriment while he was on the ice. His points per game was higher than Sestito’s, and it’s worth noting that Sestito’s point totals were largely increased by the fact that he (for some crazy reason) was given top six minutes and power play time by Tortorella last season after the Canucks were ravaged with injuries.

For the most part though, it seems pretty apparent that, even on a team with a coach who adored tough hockey, Sestitio wasn’t of much use for anything more than skating a few shifts, punching a few faces, and calling it a night after he got stapled to the bench for the third period.

If we analyze a bit deeper, it gets even worse. Sestito started more of his shifts (42.5%) in the offense zone than Dorsett, yet his Corsi% (45.8) and CorsiRel% (-6.01) are considerably worse. All of that just quantifies what the eye test has already shown, namely that Sestito is a possession black hole when he’s on the ice, that he has virtually no defensive acumen, and that his offense was largely a factor of being put into advantageous situations, and nothing of his own volition.

Sure, Sestito might be scarier than Dorsett to opposing skaters because of his size, but does that even matter anymore in the NHL? Dorsett can more than hold his own in that regard anyways, and has proven to be more of an asset to his team in the past. Expect Dorsett to win the fourth line winger spot, and to play a greater role for the Canucks than Sestito could ever be trusted with.

Another factor that can’t be overlooked as he adjusts to life in Vancouver is the many connections to the team we’ve already touched on. Foremost of those is his relationship to Desjardins, one that Dorsett seems happy to rekindle.

“Its funny, the hockey world is a small world,” he said. “To be back with Willie is great. I think he deserves a chance here in the NHL. I know when he was in Medicine Hat he was a real good coach and I think he’s going to do a great job in Vancouver.

“I’m looking forward to working with him again.”

So, in the battle between he and Sestito, it seems that Dorsett has another advantage here because of the Medicine Hat connection. Additionally, he was a leader on the Tigers squad that featured a young Linden Vey making his WHL debut as a rookie back in 2006-07. Dorsett will get a chance to again mentor young Vey, who the Canucks acquired from Los Angeles over the summer and will likely be playing his first full NHL season this year with the Canucks.

While we’re not quite ready to call them the Vancouver Tigers just yet, all these connections running through Medicine Hat will surely breed familiarity at a time when it is most needed, and Dorsett will play a large role in that. Expect Dorsett to get into his fair share of fights this season, but also prove to be a solid upgrade to the fourth line.

Previous Meet A New Canuck Profiles:

And still to come, Luca Sbisa and the big one, Ryan Miller.

Thank you for reading. Please take a moment to follow me on Twitter –> @LWOSPuckHead

Support LWOS by following us on Twitter – @LastWordOnSport and@LWOSworld – and “liking” our Facebook page.

For the latest in sports injury news, check out our friends at Sports Injury Alert.

Have you tuned into Last Word On Sports Radio? LWOS is pleased to bring you 24/7 sports radio to your PC, laptop, tablet or smartphone. What are you waiting for? GO!

Interested in writing for us? Find out more by visiting our “Write for Us” page.

Main Photo: