From the Kings…

LOS ANGELES – Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty will represent Canada at the 2009 IIHF World Championship tournament, the Kings today announced in conjunction with Hockey Canada. The World Championship tournament is scheduled for April 24 – May 10 in Switzerland.

Doughty, 19, will be making his first appearance at the World Championships. The 6-1, 203-pound native of London, Ontario, last skated with Team Canada at the 2008 World Junior Championships, bringing home a gold medal while also earning Top Defenseman of the tournament honors while recording four assists in seven games. He was just the fifth Canadian defenseman to win the award and the first to win the award before being drafted into the NHL. Doughty also skated with Team Canada at the 2007 World Under-18 Championships and the 2006 World Under-17 Championships.

For the Kings this past season, Doughty played in 81 games and led the Kings in time-on-ice with an average of 23:49 per game. He logged at least 20 minutes of ice time in 76 of his 81 games and his time-on-ice average led all rookies in the NHL. Doughty also tied for first among rookie NHL blue-liners in assists (21) and points (27) while also tying for second in goals (six) and blocked shots (114). In addition, Doughty’s six goals tied for the team lead among Kings’ defensemen and his 21 assists and 27 points both ranked second among team blue-liners.

For his efforts, Doughty was named Both the Kings’ Outstanding Defenseman and Best Newcomer (Mark Bavis Memorial Award) this past Saturday. Doughty, who participated in the YoungStars event as part of the 2009 NHL All-Star Weekend in Montreal last January, was originally selected by the Kings in the first-round (2nd overall) of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.