LOS ANGELES – The National Hockey League this morning announced that Kings defenseman Drew Doughty has been named a finalist for the 2009-10 Norris Trophy, which is awarded “to the defense player who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-round ability in the position.”

Members of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association submitted ballots for the Norris Trophy at the conclusion of the regular season, with the top three vote-getters designated as finalists (Washington’s Mike Green and Chicago’s Duncan Keith are the other two finalists). The winner will be announced on Wednesday, June 23, during the 2010 NHL Awards that will be broadcast live from the Pearl Concert Theater inside the Palms Hotel Las Vegas on VERSUS in the United States and on CBC in Canada.

Doughty is also the second King to be named a Norris Trophy Finalist. Rob Blake won the award in 1998 and was named a finalist in 2000.

The 20-year-old Doughty is the second-youngest player ever to be selected as a Norris Trophy Finalist. Bobby Orr was the youngest when he was a finalist at the age of 19 in 1967. Orr was also the youngest player to ever win the Norris Trophy when he received the award in 1968 as a 20-year-old.

Doughty, a 6-0, 211-pound native of London, Ontario, is in his second NHL season and during this regular season was a league leader in several categories among defensemen:

• Third in points (59)
• Tied for second in goals (16)
• Tied for fifth in assists (43)
• Tied for second in power-play goals (9)
• Second in power play points (31)
• Tied for fifth in power-play assists (22)
• First in game-winning goals (five)

Doughty was one of three Kings to play in all 82 regular season games (along with Dustin Brown and Anze Kopitar) and he led the club in ice time per game (24:58) while being selected as the Kings’ Outstanding Defenseman for the second straight year.

Through four games of the Kings’ first-round playoff series against the Vancouver Canucks, Doughty is tied for the team lead (with Jack Johnson) with six points (2-4=6), which also ties him for the lead among all NHL playoff defensemen.

Doughty also played on the biggest International stage this season as he helped Team Canada capture a gold medal at the Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver. He had two points (both assists) in six games for Team Canada and was a plus-6, which was tied for second on the team and tied for fourth overall in the tournament.

Last season, his rookie year, Doughty had 27 points (6-21=27) in 81 games for the Kings and was named to the NHL’s All-Rookie Team as he became the fourth Kings defenseman to receive the honor. Doughty was also fifth in Calder Trophy voting as the NHL’s best rookie, and during the 2008-09 campaign Doughty led all NHL rookies in ice time per game (23:49) and he led NHL rookie defensemen with 27 points and 21 assists.

The Kings-Canucks series (tied 2-2) continues tonight at GM Place at 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast on FS West, KLAC AM 570 and CBC. Game 6 will be back at STAPLES Center on Sunday beginning at 6 p.m.