Dowling did not take the fastest path to the NHL but made an impact once he arrived.

An undrafted free agent, the forward was in his sixth American Hockey League season when he made his NHL debut for the Dallas Stars on Oct. 25, 2016. He had an assist in a 3-2 win against the Winnipeg Jets.

Dowling played nine games with Dallas in 2016-17 and 11 games in 2018-19 before scoring his first NHL goal Nov. 13, 2019, the game-winner in a 3-1 victory at the Calgary Flames in his hometown. He scored again the next day in a 4-2 win at the Vancouver Canucks. He finished with six points (three goals, three assists) in 29 regular-season games and did not have a point in two playoff appearances -- Games 5 and 6 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Prior to playing in the NHL, Dowling made his mark in the AHL. He had 14 points (four goals, 10 assists) in 14 playoff games to help Texas win the Calder Cup in 2014. He was named captain Nov. 14, 2018, and led Texas with 40 assists in 62 games in 2018-19.

Dowling also was a productive scorer at the junior level in the Western Hockey League, finishing with 242 points (81 goals, 161 assists) in 280 games for Swift Current from 2006-07 to 2010-11.

NOTES & TRANSACTIONS

• Signed as a free agent by Dallas, March 26, 2014.