Islanders Prospect William Dufour to Participate in NHLPA Rookie Showcase
On Sept. 5, Dufour and 34 other prospects will hit the ice at MedStar Capitals Iceplex in Arlington, Virginia, for the NHLPA Upper Deck Rookie Showcase. Here's a look back at his first pro season.
From winning QMJHL MVP with the St. John Sea Dogs after a 56-goal, 60-assist campaign to winning the Memorial Cup and MVP of the tournament after seven goals and an assist in four games to a gold medal with Canada at the World Juniors, New York Islanders prospect William Dufour was as hot as any prospect could be entering the 2022-23 season.
The Islanders' 2020 fifth-round pick had an NHL-caliber shot, with Oliver Wahlstrom sharing that Dufour's "got a cannon" back during training camp.
That cannon of a shot and a wicked release with the wrister allowed for success in his first season with the AHL's Bridgeport Islanders
In 69 games, Dufour potted 21 goals and 27 assists.
After first-year NHLer Simon Holmstrom struggled in a game against the Washington Capitals on Jan. 16, Dufour earned his first NHL call-up and skated alongside Mathew Barzal against the Boston Bruins a few days later.
Unfortunately for Dufour, he was set up for failure.
Against the juggernaut Bruins, Dufour looked overwhelmed early, making a few mistakes that ended up in the back of the Islanders net, leading to a benching for the final 29 minutes of the game.
Dufour was sent back to Bridgeport following the game but learned a valuable lesson about what it takes to be an NHLer.
"In the NHL, you need to just work every day," Dufour said. "For example, in juniors, some days I was not playing well like I was playing horribly. And I could leave the game with three or four points.
"In the NHL, if you take a day off, the other team gonna make you pay for that whether it's a bad check or bad turnover."
Although there may have been negativity surrounding Dufour's debut, Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello made sure Dufour only saw the opportunity as a positive.
"Lou told me there were no negatives. It's just a learning experience," Dufour said.
"I mean, for sure, you want to stay there, but to be back [in Bridgeport], I just want to keep grinding and just maybe get called back this year, next year or whatever."
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Dufour finished the season in Bridgeport, and I asked recently appointed Bridgeport head coach Rick Kowalsky what he had seen from Dufour.
"He had a good year. He's got areas that he needs to improve, but there's a lot of potential," Kowalsky said. "He's big, he can shoot, he can score. He's very good on the power play. He has to work on his quickness, his intensity, and his heaviness on the puck at times.
"And again, I mean, here's another guy that I think we're all really excited to see in camp and the growth he's made over the summer, and hopefully, he gives himself an opportunity to stick. And if he doesn't, he should certainly be a top player for us in Bridgeport,"
On the latest episode of Hockey Night in New York, former Bridgeport Islander Chris Terry had this to say about Dufour.
"He's a pure goal scorer," Terry said. "I think he has the ability to kind of score from anywhere in the zone because of that shot he has. And I think the progression he made in his first year...it can be hard to come from junior and be a high-point guy. The AHL is not an easy league, and I think the strides he took from Game 1 until the end was tremendous."
On Sept. 5, Dufour and 34 other NHL prospects will hit the ice at MedStar Capitals Iceplex in Arlington, Virginia, for the NHLPA Upper Deck Rookie Showcase.
Here is the complete list of participants:
Leo Carlsson (Anaheim Ducks), Pavel Mintyukov (Anaheim Ducks), Logan Cooley (Arizona Coyotes), Conor Geekie (Arizona Coyotes), Matthew Savoie (Buffalo Sabres), Matthew Coronato (Calgary Flames), Dustin Wolf (Calgary Flames), Connor Bedard (Chicago Blackhawks), Kevin Korchinski (Chicago Blackhawks), Adam Fantilli (Columbus Blue Jackets), Denton Mateychuk (Columbus Blue Jackets), Stanislav Svozil (Columbus Blue Jackets), Logan Stankoven (Dallas Stars), Sebastian Cossa (Detroit Red Wings), Marco Kasper (Detroit Red Wings), Xavier Bourgault (Edmonton Oilers), Brock Faber (Minnesota Wild), Jesper Wallstedt (Minnesota Wild), Owen Beck (Montreal Canadiens), Sean Farrell (Montreal Canadiens), Filip Mesar (Montreal Canadiens), Luke Evangelista (Nashville Predators), William Dufour (New York Islanders), Will Cuylle (New York Rangers), Brennan Othmann (New York Rangers), Tyler Boucher (Ottawa Senators), Ridly Greig (Ottawa Senators), Tyson Foerster (Philadelphia Flyers), Ozzy Weisblatt (San Jose Sharks), Ryker Evans (Seattle Kraken), Tye Kartye (Seattle Kraken), Zachary Bolduc (St. Louis Blues), Zach Dean (St. Louis Blues), Matthew Knies (Toronto Maple Leafs), Vincent Iorio (Washington Capitals).
No official date has been released for the Islanders' version of "Rookie Camp," but it is expected to begin around Sept. 11, with training camp starting a week later.
There may not be an opening on the NHL roster for any prospects. But if Dufour can come into camp and showcase a stronger skating ability and awareness, he could be one of the first players called up if and when injuries arise.
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