Islanders Prospect William Dufour Opens Up About Overcoming Mental Hurdle

William Dufour struggled to handle the lows last season and worked hard this summer to get mentally right.

EAST MEADOW, NY -- When William Dufour came to New York Islanders rookie camp a year ago, he stood out for all the right reasons. 

Fresh off a 21-goal, 27-assist rookie pro season with the Bridgeport Islanders of the American Hockey League, there were reasons to be optimistic about the Islander's 2020 fifth-round pick. 

Dufour's performance at rookie camp and then during training camp raised those expectations immensely. 

Not only did he improve his skating — more so his quick pivots than his sprint speed — but we saw exponential growth. 

Dufour was shooting with confidence. He seemed to put on even more muscle and looked more ready than he was when he came to camp fresh off dominating in the QMJHL in 2021-22. 

Then came his sophomore Bridgeport season.

The 6'3, 210-pound right winger played in only 55 of the team's 72 games, scoring 15 goals with 10 assists, missing time for personal reasons.

He opened up to The Hockey News about why he missed time. 

"There were some ups and downs, and I think I was not there mentally. I wasn’t ready for that up and down," Dufour told THN. "Hockey season’s a roller coaster. You’re going to have some ups, and you’re going to have some downs. I think I had more downs than ups last year, and I just needed to learn how to react to the downs.

"I was just thinking, thinking, thinking, and when you think and play hockey, it doesn’t help, so that’s what I need to improve from last year."

The mental side was a significant focus for Dufour as he prepared for 2024-25. 

"Bouncing back is something I focused on this summer," Dufour said. "I did my workout and got better in other areas, but mentally, I’m at another level, and I think that’s the biggest difference between last year and this year.”

Mental health has become a focal point in sports, but many players still don't open up.

Not only did Dufour face this rather important challenge head-on, but he also realized that he couldn't face it alone.  

"I was talking with some people, with my agent, and I saw some people," Dufour said. "The hard part about mental health is there's nothing you can physically do to work on it. But, I did what I could, just talking with some people, which helped me a lot."

Bridgeport lost a handful of players this summer, many deciding to continue their careers overseas.

That includes 2023-24 leading scorer Ruslan Iskhakov, which means Dufour and other youngsters must do their best to fill the holes, especially offensively. 

Dufour is ready to prove to second-year Bridgeport head coach Rick Kowalsky that he can be an offensive leader. 

"I had him my first year," Dufour said, as Kowalsky served as an assistant coach with Bridgeport before being elevated to head coach ahead of the 2023-24 season. "He's a nice guy and a really good coach. He had a lot of confidence in me, giving me a lot of chances last year.”

Dufour is pretty excited to show what he can do in front of Islanders head coach and fellow French Canadian Patrick Roy, someone he's known for quite some time playing juniors in the QMJHL. 

“I’ve known Pat since juniors. I’ve played against him a lot," Dufour said. "I saw him a couple of times this summer on the golf course. Having a French behind the bench is nice. It’s easier to understand; sometimes, it’s easier to show what I can do in French [with a laugh].

“I didn’t see him play, but everyone knows he’s one of the best or the best goalie of all time, so it will be sick to share the ice with him at training camp and just learn from him.” 

Dufour is a long shot to make the Islanders 2024-25 roster, but making a good "first" impression could lead to opportunities down the road.

The most important thing is that Dufour is feeling good mentally; because of that, he can play his game, the game that got him drafted, and the scoring the organization longs for.