{"id":259922,"date":"2025-09-27T23:37:17","date_gmt":"2025-09-27T23:37:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/259922\/"},"modified":"2025-09-27T23:37:17","modified_gmt":"2025-09-27T23:37:17","slug":"docker-may-prove-a-steal-for-red-wings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/259922\/","title":{"rendered":"Docker may prove a steal for Red Wings"},"content":{"rendered":"

When NHL scouts look at the offseason moves made by the Detroit<\/a> Red Wings, there\u2019s one addition that causes raised eyebrows among the hockey bird dogs. And it\u2019s not the player you might think.<\/p>\n

James van Riemsdyk, John Gibson<\/a>, and Travis Hamonic<\/a> are all experienced NHLers. However, it\u2019s defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker<\/a> that the scouts are most enamored with among the group of Red Wings newcomers.<\/p>\n

Hamonic, who played alongside Bernard-Docker last season with the Ottawa Senators, isn\u2019t surprised at all to hear such talk about his teammate.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s got some sneaky skill,\u201d Hamonic said. \u201cHe plays hard. He\u2019s not the biggest guy, but he\u2019s very competitive.<\/p>\n

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Jacob Bernard-Docker puts a shot on net and Dylan Larkin finds the rebound.<\/p>\n

3-2 Red Wings. pic.twitter.com\/u2Fa1Sg7hU<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 The Sabre Report (@TheSabreReport) September 26, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cHe moves well, and he\u2019s just kind of someone that can make solid plays when he\u2019s feeling confident. He\u2019s in the rush and he\u2019s making plays, and he\u2019s a good player.\u201d<\/p>\n

In his brief preseason action for the Wings, Bernard-Docker has shown these attributes. Against Buffalo, his other former team, he was dishing out punishing hits. Bernard-Docker utilized his skating skill to loop around the offensive zone with the puck, awaiting an opening. Finally throwing a shot at the net, it bounced off traffic to captain Dylan Larkin<\/a>, who stuffed it in for a goal.<\/p>\n

Red Wings McLellan is a Bernard-Docker Fan<\/p>\n

Red Wings coach Todd McLellan is another with the team who is very familiar with the work of the 6-foot-1, 198-pound Bernard-Docker. His son Tyson was Bernard-Docker\u2019s college opponent when the latter was at North Dakota.<\/p>\n

\u201cI got to see him play a lot, whether it was on video, on TV, or live,\u201d McLellan said.<\/p>\n

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NHL GameScore Impact Card for Detroit Red Wings on 2025-09-25: pic.twitter.com\/Mc7EOLodgg<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 HockeyStatCards (@hockeystatcards) September 26, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The Senators selected Bernard-Docker with the 26th overall selection of the 2018 NHL entry draft. He was never able to establish himself as a regular presence on the Ottawa blueline.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes you just got to find your opportunity and find your stride and kind of get going,\u201d Hamonic said.<\/p>\n

Late last season, Ottawa traded Bernard-Docker to the Buffalo Sabres. The Sabres opted not to tender him a qualifying offer, making Bernard-Docker a UFA.<\/p>\n

Might Bernard-Docker Be A Late Bloomer?<\/p>\n

If he does blossom into an NHL regular in Detroit, Bernard-Docker, 25, wouldn\u2019t be the first NHLer to find his footing later in his career. The Wings had their own example of his on the club\u2019s 2007-08 Stanley Cup winner. Dan Cleary, after stops in Chicago and Arizona, was a 20-goal scorer for the Wings.<\/p>\n

In 2003, Detroit was virtually singlehandedly eliminated from the playoffs by Anaheim goalie JS Giguere. He\u2019d failed previous trials with Hartford and Calgary. With the Ducks, Giguere was a Conn Smythe Trophy and Stanley Cup winner.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes it\u2019s hard to crack the roster with your first team,\u201d McLellan said. \u201cYou learn lessons along the way. And there\u2019s a lot of players that blossom as they move on. They\u2019ve learned the lessons. They know what they can get away with and what they can\u2019t.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe knows who he is now as a player, and we\u2019re hoping to capitalize on that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hamonic is among those who believe that the Red Wings might catch lightning in a bottle with Bernard-Docker.<\/p>\n

\u201cDetroit is going to see a really good young player that I think has a bright future in front of him,\u201d Hamonic said.<\/p>\n

McLellan has spoken to the same scouts and gathered similar intel about Bernard-Docker.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of people that I\u2019ve talked to around the hockey world also say really good things about him,\u201d McLellan said. \u201cWe\u2019ve seen them so far.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s keep them going and see where this all ends up.\u201d<\/p>\n

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