William Dufour is currently at home. Rest, relax and wait. It's a rare moment during a whirlwind.
On Wednesday night, Dufour saw the Puck slip into an empty net and saw the Memorial Cup (a trophy awarded to the Canadian Junior Hockey Champion) and tournament around the ice in St. John, New Brunswick. I danced with MVP. Soon he will fly from Quebec to New York to join the Islanders and join a development camp. There is little chance that he will get the attention.
"We had a big year, a big year, a long year," Dufour told the post on Sunday's phone. "We were in St. John, then everyone came home. I'm in Quebec now. It's great to be here with my family and spend that moment. Must have fun. ”
2 The islanders' fifth round pick before summer, Dufour, led the Quebec Major Junior League with a goal (56) and finished second with points (116). After the season, I got on the radar. ) And the 7th of the assist (60). Even though he is the oldest 20-year-old allowed in junior hockey, he frowns. Dufour signed a three-year entry deal with Islanders in April, after which he scored seven goals to win the MVP's honor in the Tournament-style Memorial Cup.
The highlight is a natural hat-trick with a 6:36 span. did. In the last round-robin game, he pulled St. John Seadog back from a three-goal deficit and closed the berth in the final. After that performance, Dufour is very on the map.
"His elite part is his shot," Sea Dogs interim coach Gardiner McDagal told the post. "He can get to the spot, he has a great release. For a big guy, I think his first three steps are really fast."
When MacDougall coached Gordie Dwyer on May 22, he started playing Dufour in the center as well as the wings and showed a clip of Austin Matthews to help develop the game on all three. .. zone.
"I thought he was really good in the defensive zone," McDagal said. "He can stop and recover quickly. Some people have to keep moving. They keep speeding up. He can play low and create loose packs, You can get off to a really fast start. ”
“ Play with a lot of emotion, ”sent a text message to Edmonton Oil Kings coach Brad Lauer, who played Dufour in the tournament. .. "A big guy who loves to shoot pucks. For big guys, he's doing a really good job getting to the position to shoot pucks."
Dufour will be at AHL Bridgeport next season. Whether it starts with or on Long Island is an open question and proves how much his inventory has increased.
"Sure, I'm going camping with a purpose," Dufour said. "Everyone goes there to ensure the team. I'll do everything I can to get the spot and get results in September."
Lauer says playing at the NHL right next year is a "big step to take", but he's Dufour. I hope to do so in time. For islanders with a slightly barren system, Dufour could now be one of the best outlooks for the organization.
Dufour has not been contacted by new head coach Lane Lambert, but the organization is in frequent contact at various levels, from area scouts to general manager Lou Lamoriello. The Center and French Canadian Jean Gabriel Pago sent the text after the Memorial Cup victory. The
season began on October 1st, and Dufour will take about two weeks to relax. Breaks are a matter of course.
His performance drew a lot of attention to him, but Dufour tried to avoid it. He left Twitter and Instagram during the Memorial Cup and called social media a distraction. He hasn't opened Twitter yet.
"To end your junior career that way, that's what I don't think I'm in real life right now," Dufour said. "It's just crazy."
Now, what's next?
