Playing for Kings would be 'dream come true' for No. 3 draft prospect

Defenseman Drew Doughty, the third-rated prospect in next month's entry draft, hopes you will use your pick -- the second overall -- to claim him.

"I'm really hoping that I play" for L.A., Doughty said today during a visit to Joe Louis Arena to watch the Red Wings' and Penguins' game-day skates.

"They were actually my favorite team growing up and I looked up to Wayne Gretzky as a little kid. Playing there would be a dream come true."

Doughty, a 6-foot, 213-pound defenseman, had 13 goals, 50 points and 68 penalty minutes with Guelph of the Ontario Hockey League this season. A speedy skater capable of end-to-end rushes, he was voted the top defenseman on Canada's gold medal-winning team at the last world junior tournament.

He said he has met Lombardi and other members of the Kings' scouting staff several times, "and it's looking really good."

Doughty, a native of London, Canada, was No. 2 in the midseason prospect rankings but was passed in the final rankings by Zach Bogosian, a 6-foot-2, 200-pound defenseman who played for Peterborough of the OHL last season. Bogosian, a native of Massena, N.Y., had 11 goals, 61 points and 72 penalty minutes.

Both players shoot right-handed, a valuable commodity among defensemen. Both are also considered potential leaders on defense, with Bogosian said to have a bit more of an edge than Doughty.

The top-ranked player in what appears to be a fairly deep draft is center Steve Stamkos of the Sarnia Sting, who scored 58 goals and 105 points in 61 games last season and is projected to be a franchise player. Tampa Bay has the first pick and is expected to keep it.

The prospects ranked fourth, fifth and sixth among North American skaters are also defensemen: Tyler Myers, a 6-foot-7 Texan who plays for Kelowna, bruiser Luke Schenn, also of Kelowna, and 6-foot-4, 210-pound Alex Pietrangelo of Niagara Falls.

"Safe to say we will be taking a defenseman," Lombardi said from Toronto, where he was meeting with several of the top-ranked players.

The Ducks, with a pick they acquired from Edmonton, will select 12th. The draft will take place June 20-21 in Ottawa.

Before playing junior hockey, Bogosian attended prep school at Cushing Academy and got special tutoring from a classmate's father. That's noteworthy because the classmate was Ryan Bourque, and the tutor was hockey hall of famer Ray Bourque.