Columbus Blue Jackets Sign Doyle Somerby

The Columbus Blue Jackets continued to improve their prospect pool and their depth on the blue line with the signing of Doyle Somerby.

Besides having a funny name that our own William Espy said sounds like a lawyer’s name, Somerby is a very big defenseman that will be a pain for any forward to get by. At 6’5″, Somerby is one of the largest players in the entire CBJ organization.

Due to his size, Doyle Somerby is a very physical player. One of his coaches at Boston University, Steve Greeley, remarked to The Daily Free Press that “below the dots, he’s always pushing … He plays physical, he plays hard and he’s a kid that’s really tough to play against.”

After originally being drafted by the New York Islanders in 2012, Somerby went to college and became a leader for Boston University. As a captain in his senior year, Somerby and BU were knocked out just prior to the Frozen Four by eventual runner up Minnesota-Duluth in a heartbreaking 3-2 overtime loss.

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Since he went through his four years of college, Somerby got to test the market this year and he ended up going with the Columbus Blue Jackets in a two-year entry contract.

The downside of the big blue liner is that his offensive ability is lacking or even just not there at all. In his four years at BU (151 games), he tallied 27 points. That won’t fly in the NHL, where even stay-at-home guys are expected to be able to make some plays from time to time.

As expected, Somerby will play almost exclusively with the Cleveland Monsters. It will be interesting to see how he and the team fare as the defensive prowess and leadership of Somerby blend with the current Monsters roster.