William Dufour (born January 28, 2002) is a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger for the Colorado Eagles of the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected in the fifth round, 152nd overall, by the New York Islanders in the 2020 NHL entry draft. Dufour played four seasons of major junior hockey in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) with the Chicoutimi Saguenéens, Drummondville Voltigeurs and Saint John Sea Dogs, winning the Memorial Cup with the latter in 2022.
Playing career
Dufour was drafted by the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) with the sixth overall pick of the 2018 QMJHL entry draft.[1][2] On January 6, 2019, he was traded to the Chicoutimi Saguenéens.[3] His stint with the Saguenéens lasted until December 15, 2019, when he was traded to the Drummondville Voltigeurs.[4] In June 2021, Dufour was traded to the Saint John Sea Dogs.[5]
Dufour was selected in the fifth round, 152nd overall, of the 2020 NHL entry draft by the New York Islanders.[6][7] On April 21, 2022, Dufour signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the team.[8] In his National Hockey League (NHL) debut on January 18, 2023, Dufour recorded one hit and logged 6:48 minutes of ice time as the Islanders lost 4–1 against the Boston Bruins.[9][10]
During the 2024–25 season, approaching the NHL trade deadline, Dufour was traded by the Islanders along with Brock Nelson to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for Calum Ritchie, Oliver Kylington and conditional first and third-round selections on March 6, 2025.[11]
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2017–18 | Séminaire St-François Blizzard | QMAAA | 36 | 17 | 19 | 36 | 16 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 10 | ||
| 2018–19 | Rouyn-Noranda Huskies | QMJHL | 29 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | Chicoutimi Saguenéens | QMJHL | 26 | 4 | 9 | 13 | 12 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 2019–20 | Chicoutimi Saguenéens | QMJHL | 31 | 10 | 12 | 22 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | Drummondville Voltigeurs | QMJHL | 28 | 18 | 15 | 33 | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Drummondville Voltigeurs | QMJHL | 23 | 17 | 12 | 29 | 32 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Saint John Sea Dogs | QMJHL | 66 | 56 | 60 | 116 | 40 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | ||
| 2022–23 | Bridgeport Islanders | AHL | 69 | 21 | 27 | 48 | 51 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | New York Islanders | NHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2023–24 | Bridgeport Islanders | AHL | 55 | 15 | 10 | 25 | 35 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2024–25 | Bridgeport Islanders | AHL | 45 | 8 | 10 | 18 | 49 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Canada Red | U17 | 4th | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
| 2022 | Canada | WJC | 
|
7 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 2 | |
| Junior totals | 13 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 4 | ||||
Awards and honours
| Award | Year | Ref |
|---|---|---|
| QMJHL | ||
| First All-Star Team | 2022 | [12] |
| Michel Brière Memorial Trophy | 2022 | [13] |
| CHL | ||
| Memorial Cup champion | 2022 | [14] |
| Memorial Cup All-Star Team | 2022 | [15] |
| Ed Chynoweth Trophy | 2022 | [16] |
| Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy | 2022 | [14] |
References
- ^ "Trois choses à retenir à propos du repêchage 2018 de la LHJMQ". Ici Radio-Canada (in Canadian French). June 5, 2018. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
- ^ "2018 QMJHL Entry Draft". CHL.ca. Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
- ^ "Les Saguenéens font l'acquisition de l'attaquant de 16 ans William Dufour". CHL.ca (in Canadian French). Chicoutimi Saguenéens. January 6, 2019. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
- ^ Habashi, Jonathan (December 15, 2019). "Dufour et Lapenna débarquent, Pelletier s'en va". L'Express de Drummondville (in Canadian French). Retrieved January 22, 2023.
- ^ "Sea Dogs Acquire NHL Prospect William Dufour in One of Three Pre-Draft Deals". CHL.ca. Saint John Sea Dogs. June 23, 2021. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
- ^ Knoll, Andrew (October 8, 2020). "N.H.L. Draft: Rangers Go Big, While Devils and Islanders Look for Scorers". The New York Times. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
- ^ Habashi, Jonathan (October 7, 2020). "Dufour avec les Islanders: "Un feeling incroyable"". L'Express de Drummondville (in Canadian French). Retrieved January 22, 2023.
- ^ "Islanders Sign Dufour". New York Islanders. April 21, 2022. Retrieved January 22, 2023 – via NHL.com.
- ^ "McAvoy, Forbort score in 2nd, Bruins beat Islanders 4-1". ESPN.com. January 18, 2023. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
- ^ Tidcombe, Matt (January 19, 2023). "CHL to NHL: 2022 Memorial Cup MVP Dufour debuts with Isles". CHL.ca. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
- ^ "Avalanche acquire Nelson, Dufour from New York". Colorado Avalanche. March 6, 2025. Retrieved March 6, 2025.
- ^ Brien, David (June 17, 2022). "QMJHL concludes 2022 Golden Puck Awards by unveiling First All-Star Team". CHL.ca. Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
- ^ Vankoughnett, Scott (June 15, 2022). "Saint John's William Dufour wins the 2022 Michel-Brière Trophy". CHL.ca. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
- ^ a b Wright, Cory (June 29, 2022). "Dufour wins Memorial Cup, named Tournament MVP". New York Islanders. Retrieved January 24, 2023 – via NHL.com.
- ^ Brien, David (June 30, 2022). "2022 Memorial Cup All-Star Team". CHL.ca. Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
- ^ Wilkins, Cory (June 29, 2022). "Sea Dogs hoist Memorial Cup for second time in club history". CHL.ca. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
- William Dufour profile and statistics at TheAHL.com