ARLINGTON, Va. | “I am a choice of 5e Turnaround in the NHL. I don’t know if there’s anyone here who’s drafted higher than me. I never gave up.”
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Three years ago, William Dufour didn’t appear on the radar of Bettman’s brightest talent. The New York Islanders selected him with the 152nd overall pick in the 2020 auction. A late selection that could become a masterpiece.
Dufour received an invitation this week to attend the NHLPA’s Top Rookies Showcase for card company Upper Deck in Arlington, Virginia, home of the Washington Capitals’ training facility. There were 34 hopefuls.
According to a quick search, there were 21 1st round picks, 8 2nd round picks, 1 3rd round pick, 1 4th round pick, 1 5th round pick, 1 7th round pick .round and a player who was never drafted.
Dustin Wolf, a goaltender for the Calgary Flames, met his fate in the 7th round in 2019 and Tye Kartye, a winger for the Seattle Kraken, never experienced the joy of hearing his name called in a draft.
A mother’s courage
A few months before his draft in 2020, Dufour didn’t just have a feel for hockey. A pandemic shook the entire earth, but on a personal level, the right-winger was worried about his mother, Karine Côté.
In April 2020, Ms. Côté was diagnosed with stage one breast cancer.
“Yes, it was mentally difficult,” he recalled. I had just turned 18. We were at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, so I stayed home with my mom. She was sad. It broke my heart to see her like that. But she never gave up. She remained strong and courageous. She inspired me. She won her fight.”
Karine Cote
Ms. Côté, who works in accounting for a construction company in the Quebec region, had already told her story to The Athletic’s New Yorker colleague Kevin Kurz during the Islanders camp in September 2022.
“What we still see a lot with cancer are the deaths and the side effects,” she recalled in a telephone interview with the Journal. We talk less about the beautiful stories, the battles. This is why I talk about it a lot. I want to sensitize women to take the necessary exams.”
“I hope I inspired William. Today I enjoy life even more. But I remain realistic. I have already had cancer and continue to have a higher risk of developing another cancer. Even though I have nothing left, I still worry. I’ve always told William that he needs to know how to adapt quickly. As a junior, he often changed teams and cities. But he found ways to restore his place.
The Big Breakout
The sixth overall pick in the 2018 QMJHL Draft by the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, Dufour often packed his bags before making the jump to the pros. He wore the jersey for four teams: the Huskies, the Saguenéens, the Voltigeurs and the Sea Dogs.
In his eyes, this lack of stability harmed him.
“With all the trades in my past, at 16 and 17 years old, there were teams wondering about my character and asking if I was a problem player,” Dufour explained. But the real reason was that I was the young player the other team wanted. I was involved in deals for Noah Dobson and Dawson Mercer.”
“To get a big share in the QMJHL, you have to give a good young person. That was the biggest factor. There were also recruiters who doubted my speed. Last year I proved that I belong in the American League [de hockey].”
He proved this with a 48-point season (21 goals, 27 assists) in 69 games for the Bridgeport Islanders and his first call-up to the NHL, where he played one game for the Islanders.
The big toe in the NHL
In 2022, in his only season with the Saint-Jean Sea Dogs of the QMJHL, William Dufour finally emerged from the shadows with a record of 116 points (56 goals, 60 assists) in 66 games.
“That year I won Most Valuable Player at the Memorial Cup,” he recalled proudly. At the World Juniors I wasn’t even invited to compete on the Canadian team. I got a call after Justin Sourdif got out. I had to act as the 14th striker. I started the tournament on the fourth row but played on the front row wing with Mason McTavish and Joshua Roy in the semi-finals and finals. I never gave up. »
“I was in really good shape for Islanders camp last fall. I had just won the two biggest junior tournaments in the world with a gold medal and a Memorial Cup.”
With Barzal and Bailey
Dufour, a 1.90 meter tall, 100 kilogram colossus, made a happy transition to the pros last season. The Islanders rewarded him for his first good season by recalling him for a game against the Boston Bruins. It was January 18, 2023 on Long Island.
Jean-François Chaumont – Journal de Montreal
“It was incredible,” he replied. I didn’t know what to expect. But the Islanders told me I was there to play. And they wanted me on the front row wing with Barzal and Bailey. On the other hand, it was the big Bruins trio of Bergeron, Marchand and Pastrnak. I had a good first period. But in the second half I made a change and played less. There was nothing negative. It was banking experience. I want to relive that feeling of the NHL, it’s a very different world than the AHL.”
A world that he shared with those close to him, including his mother Karine.
“At the end, Will said to me, ‘Mom, I played one game in the NHL,'” Ms. Côté said. It felt unreal. When he performed his trick for a newbie, I knew it would become the truth. But he has been working towards his dream and this is just the beginning for him.”