Justin Dowling

Did You Know?

• Dowling was born in Cochrane, Alberta, Canada to parents Glen and Sherry.
• He grew up alongside his brother Jaeden.
• He attended Bow Valley High School.

Playing career

Justin Dowling went undrafted and played his junior hockey in the WHL for the Swift Current Broncos. He was the team’s captain during the 2010–11 season, putting up 20 goals and 67 points in 63 games. After the Broncos missed the playoffs, he turned pro by signing an amateur try-out with the AHL’s Abbotsford Heat on March 25, 2011. The following season, he started in the ECHL with the Idaho Steelheads before the AHL’s Texas Stars signed him to a standard contract midway through the year. In his first full season with Texas, he performed well enough to earn a two-year deal with the Dallas Stars on March 26, 2014. He became a key offensive piece for Texas, posting 50 and then 46 points over the life of that contract. On May 31, 2016, he signed a one-year, two-way extension with Dallas. He began the 2016–17 season in the AHL but, after a hot start in his first five games, got his first NHL call-up on October 25, 2016. That night, he made his NHL debut and recorded an assist in a 3–2 win over the Winnipeg Jets. After two games, he was sent back to Texas on October 29, 2016. On May 8, 2017, he signed another two-year, two-way deal with Dallas. He scored his first NHL goal on November 13, 2019, in a 3–1 victory against the Calgary Flames. After nine seasons in the Dallas organization, he became a free agent and signed a two-year, $1.5 million contract with the Vancouver Canucks on July 28, 2021. He left Vancouver as a free agent and signed a two-year, two-way contract with the New Jersey Devils on July 1, 2023. In his Devils debut on January 25, 2024, a 3–2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes, he scored a goal. After two seasons with New Jersey, he was out of contract and agreed to a two-year deal with the New York Rangers on July 7, 2025.