Jordan Dumais is an exciting player, but can he make the CBJ?

Jordan Dumais was born just outside of Montreal on the island of Ille Bizard, Que. But don't let a 5-foot-9 and 174-pound frame fool you.

“I have a chip on my shoulder," he has said in the past. "That’s just who I am."

As for how he got a Quebec-sized chip, there seem to be a few different reasons.

Obviously, his size is one of them. The other has to do with scouting reports regarding his skating. Dumais, who took the criticisms personally. And then he turned what was a negative into what might now be a positive.

Having spent last summer in the gym and on the ice performing power-skating drills in hopes of getting quicker, any skating issues he had are not as pronounced as they once were. But as he works his way up to the professional level, it still could hold him back if he doesn’t continue to address it.

In January 2022, Jordan was left out of the CHL prospects game. From that point until the end of the season, he went on a tear, averaging three points per game and ending the year with 39 goals and 109 points. In the playoffs, he had six points in five games.

There was something else that happened to Dumais this season, which only seemed to drive him more. It was being left off the Team Canada roster for the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championships. Not only was he left off the team, but the tournament was being played in the same arena, The Scotiabank Centre, that his junior team, The Halifax Mooseheads play in.

Dumais didn’t seem happy about it. So what did he do? He went on another tear, this time setting records along the way, ending the season with 54 goals and 140 points — just three points behind Connor Bedard as the second-leading scorer in the entire Canadian Hockey League.

But why was he left off Team Canada? The answer seems to be for a few reasons. The first is that Dumais is a pure winger and does not play center at all. On this year’s edition of Team Canada, the right-wingers could play either wing or center, giving more flexibility to the team.

Dumais finished this past season by breaking the record for franchise points with 140, with the old record being 137. This was a 23-year-old record. He also won the QMJHL MVP. He played in 15 playoff games and had 21 points. Dumais missed some playoff games due to injury.

Dumais has played two full seasons and had a 40-game season in 20-21. In three seasons, he accumulated 278 points in 172 games. The current Halifax record for career points is 303 by Brandon Benedict. If Dumais doesn’t make the Blue Jackets roster and is sent back to junior, he should absolutely crush that record.

Which brings me to my next question: will Dumais make the Blue Jackets this season? I’ve said many times over the past season that he would. This is just a prediction, with no inside knowledge. Dumais is a very good offensive player, great at forcing turnovers, and has very good instincts and stick work, but there’s that pesky skating issue.

But is going back to his junior team good for Jordan? Some people I’ve talked to have said that going back to junior would do him no good. I doubt he gets any taller and putting on too much weight could be bad for him as well. His making the Jackets could help with all the little things. Being around NHL trainers, nutritionists, coaches, and not to mention similarly sized players such as Johnny Gaudreau and Justin Danforth, who are also both 5-foot-9, could help him tremendously.

The other thing to keep in mind is that he cannot play in the American Hockey League, due to the CHL-NHL agreement for teenaged-players. Dumais doesn’t turn 20 until April 2024. So, it's the Blue Jackets or Junior for the talented winger.

The debate about whether Dumais will make the team out of camp will rage on until it happens or it doesn’t. I’ve said jokingly that GM Jarmo Kekalainen needs to pull Gaudreau aside and advise him that Dumais is to be his shadow. Teach him how a mid-round, smaller player can become successful in the NHL.

Dumais has superstar written all over him, and I cannot wait to see it happen.