Jacob Charles Dowell (born March 4, 1985) is an American former professional ice hockey center who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Chicago Blackhawks, Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild.
Dowell grew up in Eau Claire, Wisconsin and played for Memorial High School in Eau Claire for two seasons, totaling 90 points. In both seasons, Dowell helped lead the Old Abes to sectional championships and state tournament berths.
Dowell left Memorial High School to be a part of the USA Hockey U-18 Developmental Program in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the year 2001. Later, Dowell returned to Wisconsin to play college hockey for the Wisconsin Badgers where he won a National Championship. Dowell was selected in the fifth round of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft by the Chicago Blackhawks.
Dowell signed an entry-level contract with Chicago in July 2007. On November 23, 2007, Dowell scored a short-handed goal in his first NHL game, a 2âÂÂ1 win over the Calgary Flames. Dowell broke his foot the next game against the Edmonton Oilers, but recovered from the injury after missing 12 games to play 17 more games in the 2007âÂÂ08 season.
Dowell was only called up to play in one contest in the 2008âÂÂ09 season. He was on the Blackhawks active roster as a black ace against Vancouver and Detroit in the playoffs, but he did not play.
During the 2009âÂÂ10 season, Dowell played three games for the Hawks with a goal and an assist for two points along with 78 games for the Rockford IceHogs in the AHL with seven goals and 16 assists for 23 points. After the Blackhawks defeated the Philadelphia Flyers in six games in the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals, Dowell received a ring from the Blackhawks but his name was not included on the Cup due to not playing any playoff games and only playing three games in the regular season and none in the playoffs.
Dowell finished the 2010âÂÂ11 season, his first full season at the NHL level with six goals, 15 assists and 21 points in 79 games played regularly playing on the third and fourth lines and occasional time on the teams penalty killing units. The defending Stanley Cup champion Blackhawks narrowly qualified for the playoffs as the eighth and final seed in the Western Conference and Dowell made his Stanley Cup playoff debut on April 13, 2011, in game 1 of the first round against the Presidents' Trophy-winning Vancouver Canucks where the Blackhawks lost with a score of 2âÂÂ0. The Blackhawks would eventually fall to the Canucks in seven games and Dowell finished the playoffs with no points in two games. After the Blackhawks elimination from the playoffs, Dowell revealed he had been playing with a left ankle fracture that was likely suffered on February 1, 2011, in a 7âÂÂ4 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets as a result of blocking a slap shot from Blue Jackets defenseman Anton StrÃÂ¥lman.
On July 1, 2011, the Dallas Stars announced that the club had agreed to terms with center Dowell on a one-year contract worth $800,000. On February 21, 2012, in a 3âÂÂ0 win over the Montreal Canadiens, Dowell suffered a broken finger, resulting in him missing the next seven games. He finished the 2011âÂÂ12 season, Dowell played in 52 games contributing with two goals and five assists for seven points.
On July 4, 2012, Dowell signed a two-year free agent contract with the Minnesota Wild. Over the duration of his contract with the Wild, Dowell amassed just three games (two games in the lockout-shortened 2012âÂÂ13 season and one game in the 2013âÂÂ14 season, whilst primarily playing with AHL affiliates, the Houston Aeros and the Iowa Wild.
On July 28, 2014, Dowell signed a one-year free agent contract with the Hamilton Bulldogs of the American Hockey League.
On August 31, 2015, Dowell signed a professional tryout contract in returning to attend the Rockford IceHogs training camp for the 2015âÂÂ16 season. After five games with the IceHogs on October 22, 2015, Dowell was signed to an AHL contract to continue in Rockford for the remainder of the season.
After captaining the IceHogs in the 2016âÂÂ17 season, and posting 15 points in 66 games, Dowell as a free agent opted to sign his first contact abroad in agreeing to a one-year deal with Austrian club, EHC Black Wings Linz of the EBEL, on May 12, 2017.
Dowell and his family have worked to raise awareness and find a cure for Huntington's disease, a disease which has afflicted his brother and his father, whom he lost to the disease in February 2014 and August 2018, respectively. The Dowells host fundraisers to battle the disease. Dowell himself has tested negative for Huntington's in December 2015. For his work to cure Huntington's while still committing to playing hockey, Dowell was awarded the Fred T. Hunt Memorial Award during the 2013âÂÂ14 season.
Dowell is married to his wife, Carly, together they have one daughter and one son.