By Chris Faber
The commitment to being an NCAA athlete does not stop when the school year ends.
In fact, the school year is continuing into the summer for Jackson Dorrington.
The sixth-round pick of the Vancouver Canucks in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft is staying at Northeastern in the summer to get ahead of his studies before his junior year.
Dorrington is not alone, however. Almost all of his teammates stuck around campus for the summer and have been able to have access to ice and the weight room. It’s the extra time in the gym that helps give the 6’2”, 192-pound, left-shot defenceman his confidence on the ice.
“I want to be harder to play against and I want to be more of an A-hole on the ice. I want to bring more offence when I can, but nothing is changing. I want to keep enhancing my strengths,” Dorrington said.
— 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀 Faber 🔥 (@ChrisFaber39) January 25, 2024Here's a handful of plays where @Canucks prospect Jackson Dorrington shows off his physicality.
I threw in a pair of goals at the end as well. pic.twitter.com/lWWx18tIsZ
“Playing physical and being hard to play against stems from trying to be a beast in the gym. When you know that you are one of the strongest guys on the ice, that’s a big deal, at least confidence-wise. You don’t score goals in the weight room, but it is such a big piece for bringing myself confidence out on the ice.”
The 20-year-old defenceman played top-four minutes in 33 games this past season with the Huskies and saw an uptick in his offensive production – going from zero goals in his freshman season to six in his sophom*ore year.
Dorrington believes his improvement in puck-moving created more lanes for his forwards to get quick zone exits. Still a work in progress in the attacking end of the ice, Dorrington did take strides offensively this year and knows now that there is a time and place where his shot can be effective.
— Northeastern Men’s Hockey (@GoNUmhockey) March 2, 2024Mission Dorrington 🚀
📺 @ESPNPlus | https://t.co/iGpC3pc1O1 pic.twitter.com/xKoCMDgUCO
“In my first year, I would just try to find other small wins, because my bread and butter is defending hard and breaking pucks out. That is the type of player I am going to be at the next level. But scoring those goals is a lot of fun and knowing that you could be the difference offensively in the game is just awesome.”
— Northeastern Men’s Hockey (@GoNUmhockey) January 31, 2024✌️ goals in ✌️ games for Dorrington
📺 ESPNU / TSN | https://t.co/yQEZ2TkqGJ pic.twitter.com/Vqw1X9F5Zd
Dorrington gives credit to a pair of coaches on the Huskies’ staff who are always willing to spend time with him to work on skill development.
Assistant Coach Jason Guerriero and Director of Hockey Operations Michael Jamieson are always available for the players to put in extra work and Dorrington said that those two each put in about six hours on the ice on any given day.
“Those two are definitely invested in our development and they bring the best attitude to the rink every day,” said Dorrington of Guerriero and Jamieson. “We’re always on at 8 am working on skills and skating.”
Aside from his summer studies, workouts and time on the ice, Dorrington has picked up some part-time work on campus and is spending a lot of time enjoying the summer with his teammates. Dorrington is playing a bit of golf but claims his game needs work.
As the summer rolls along, Dorrington will continue to skate with his teammates at Warrior Ice Arena, where the Boston Bruins practice. He is focused on getting ahead in school to be able to spend more time locked in for his junior season.
As an upperclassman, Dorrington has elevated expectations for himself and his team. The goal continues to be a National Championship for the Huskies while Dorrington wants to move into more of a leadership role with his club.
The big defenceman is certainly excited about what is to come next season and will continue to work his tail off in the gym so that he can play with the confidence that helps his game flourish at the NCAA level.
