Jake Dowell Signs Deal With Hamilton Bulldogs

Former Iowa Wild center and Eau Claire, Wisconsin native Jake Dowell has moved on from the Wild to sign a one-year deal with the Hamilton Bulldogs of the American Hockey League. The team is the AHL affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens.

Dowell has played in parts of seven NHL seasons and played a total of three games for the Minnesota Wild in the 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons, scoring no points on four shots.

Last season Dowell played 57 games for the Iowa Wild, totaling seven goals, 12 assists, and 56 penalty minutes. He’s totaled 157 career NHL games between Minnesota, Dallas, and Chicago. He was drafted by Chicago in the fifth round (140th overall) of the 2004 NHL entry draft.

Dowell also played four season with the University of Wisconsin Badgers and was a part of their 2006 national championship team that boasted a roster featuring Adam Burish, Joe Pavelski, Brian Elliott, and former Wild defenseman Tom Gilbert. (Ryan Suter played with Dowell there as well, but left after the 2003-04 season.)

Dowell was also a part of the 2004 US team that won the world under-20 championship, a team that featured Suter and Zach Parise, who was awarded tournament MVP.

Prior to the start of this past season, Dowell was featured in an ESPN E:60 feature about his struggle with the “genetic curse” of Huntington’s Disease that his father had and brother has. It’s a powerful and sad episode, but well worth the time. Watch that episode below.