Utah Hockey Club Curtis Douglas The deal is a two-year, two-way contract extension. Details of the contract were not disclosed.
Douglas was originally selected by the Dallas Stars in the fourth round of the 2018 NHL Draft. Following his draft year, he played two seasons in the OHL and spent the 2020-21 pandemic season with Austria's Linz Steel Wings of the Alps Hockey League. This was Douglas' first experience in professional hockey, but he made it work, recording 12 points in 16 games before joining the AHL later that year.
Douglas was originally drafted by the Dallas Stars in the fourth round of the 2018 NHL Draft. After his draft year, he played two seasons in the OHL but ultimately finished his junior career without signing with Dallas. In response, Douglas moved to the Austrian Alps Hockey League for the 2020-21 pandemic season. This was his first professional hockey experience, but he did well, recording 12 points in 16 games while negotiating an amateur tryout contract with the Belleville Senators of the AHL. He joined Belleville later that year, eventually recording four points, eight penalty minutes, and a +6 in his first 11 AHL games.
This performance was enough for Douglas to sign with the Toronto Marlies the following season, where he recorded a career-high 13 goals and 34 points in 67 games, along with 86 penalty minutes. However, his scoring stalled the following year when he was traded to the Tucson Roadrunners mid-season. Douglas was now even more of a threat in Tucson, accumulating an astounding 267 penalty minutes in 107 games with the club, averaging 2.5 penalty minutes per game.
Douglas seems a long way from the NHL lineup after scoring 21 points this season, but his outstanding size and grit have proven worth investing in. With a new contract in place, he'll be returning to Tucson next season, hoping to find the scoring edge that's eluded him the past two years.
