Nic Dowd

Nicholas Dowd (born May 27, 1990) is an American and professional ice hockey player who is a forward for the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the Los Angeles Kings in the seventh round, 198th overall, of the 2009 NHL entry draft, and has also played for the Vancouver Canucks and Washington Capitals.

A native of Huntsville, Alabama, Dowd is the third NHL player (after Jared Ross and Aud Tuten) who is from the state of Alabama.

Playing career Amateur Dowd grew up in Huntsville, Alabama where he played junior hockey. Dowd moved to Wenatchee, Washington to play for the Wenatchee Wild in the North American Hockey League (NAHL). The following season he played for the Indiana Ice in Indianapolis, Indiana, before joining the St. Cloud State Huskies in the NCAA Men's Division I National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC). In his senior year, Dowd's outstanding play was rewarded with a selection to the inaugural 2013–14 All-NCHC First Team as well as being a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award. He finished his college career with 52 goals and 69 assists for 121 points in 155 games played.

Professional Los Angeles Kings On April 1, 2014, the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League (NHL) signed Dowd to an entry-level contract, assigning him to their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Manchester Monarchs. During the 2015–16 season, he made his NHL debut on March 22, 2016, and played 5 games before returning to the Ontario Reign. He recorded his first career NHL goal the following season on October 20, 2016, against the Dallas Stars.

Vancouver Canucks In the 2017–18 season, on December 7, 2017, the Los Angeles Kings traded Dowd to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for Jordan Subban. He remained on the Canucks roster to play out the season, posting 3 goals in 40 games. On April 11, 2019, he signed a three-year contract extension with the Capitals.

Dowd played on the Capitals fourth line with Garnet Hathaway and Carl Hagelin throughout the 2020-21 NHL season.

On November 14, 2021, Dowd signed a three-year, $3.9 million contract extension with the Capitals. He later signed a two-year, $6 million contract extension with the Capitals on April 16, 2025.

Vegas Golden Knights Midway through his eighth season with Washington, Dowd was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights on March 5, 2026, in exchange for Jesper Vikman, a second-round pick in 2029, and a third-round pick in 2027. Dowd debuted for Vegas two days later, playing just over 13 minutes in a 4–2 loss to the Minnesota Wild.

Personal life Dowd was born on May 27, 1990, in Huntsville, Alabama, U.S. to British-born parents Alan and Liz Dowd. He married his wife Paige Dowd (formerly Kraemer), whom he met while studying at St. Cloud State University, on August 11, 2017.

Career statistics Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 2007–08 Culver Military Academy USHS 45 15 31 46 38 — — — — — 2008–09 St. Louis Bandits NAHL 3 0 0 0 2 — — — — — 2008–09 Wenatchee Wild NAHL 43 16 33 49 71 13 8 14 22 34 2009–10 Indiana Ice USHL 46 16 23 39 48 9 2 4 6 2 2010–11 St. Cloud State WCHA 36 5 13 18 34 — — — — — 2011–12 St. Cloud State WCHA 39 11 13 24 36 — — — — — 2012–13 St. Cloud State WCHA 41 14 25 39 41 — — — — — 2013–14 St. Cloud StateNCHC 38 22 18 40 32 — — — — — 2013–14 Manchester Monarchs AHL 7 0 3 3 0 4 1 0 1 0 2014–15 Manchester Monarchs AHL 75 9 32 41 44 19 7 6 13 10 2015–16 Ontario Reign AHL 58 14 34 48 49 13 4 7 11 14 2015–16 Los Angeles Kings NHL 5 0 0 0 2 — — — — — 2016–17 Los Angeles Kings NHL 70 6 16 22 25 — — — — — 2017–18 Los Angeles Kings NHL 16 0 1 1 12 — — — — — 2017–18 Vancouver Canucks NHL 40 3 0 3 16 — — — — — 2018–19 Washington Capitals NHL 64 8 14 22 20 7 1 0 1 6 2019–20 Washington Capitals NHL 56 7 8 15 28 8 0 0 0 4 2020–21 Washington Capitals NHL 56 11 4 15 31 5 2 0 2 4 2021–22 Washington Capitals NHL 64 10 14 24 44 6 1 1 2 4 2022–23 Washington Capitals NHL 65 13 12 25 26 — — — — — 2023–24 Washington Capitals NHL 64 12 10 22 47 4 0 0 0 6 2024–25 Washington Capitals NHL 82 14 13 27 56 10 0 1 1 8 2025–26 Washington Capitals NHL 55 4 12 16 53 — — — — — 2025–26 Vegas Golden Knights NHL 20 1 4 5 20 22 3 1 4 8 NHL totals 657 89 108 197 380 62 7 3 10 40

Awards and achievements Award Year RefCollege WCHA All-Academic Team 2011–12, 2012–13 All-NCHC First Team 2013–14 AHCA West First-Team All-American 2013–14 Hobey Baker Award finalist 2013–14