William Dufour

William Dufour
Born (2002-01-28) January 28, 2002
Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
Height 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight 215 lb (98 kg; 15 st 5 lb)
Position Right wing
Shoots Right
team
Former teams		 Free agent
New York Islanders
Lada Togliatti
NHL draft 152nd overall, 2020
New York Islanders
Playing career 2022–present

William Dufour (born January 28, 2002) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is a left winger. He most recently played for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League (AHL). 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] Dufour was assigned directly to AHL affiliate, the Colorado Eagles, for the remainder of the season, posting one goal and four points through 12 regular season games.

As a pending restricted free agent, Dufour was not tendered a qualifying offer by the Avalanche, releasing him to free agency. On July 9, 2025, Dufour opted to pursue a career abroad, agreeing to a one-year contract with Russian club, Lada Togliatti of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), for the 2025–26 season.[12] Dufour made just seven appearances in the KHL with Togliatti before opting to terminate his contract and return to North America on October 23. After a brief stint in the Ligue Nord-Américaine de Hockey (LNAH), Dufour returned to the AHL in signing a try-out contract with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, the primary affiliate to the Pittsburgh Penguins on November 10, 2025.[13] Dufour posted one goal in six appearances with the Penguins before he was released from his tryout on December 31.[14]

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 — — — — —
2024–25 Colorado Eagles AHL 12 1 3 4 8 1 0 0 0 2
2025–26 Lada Togliatti KHL 7 2 1 3 0 — — — — —
2025–26 Québec National LNAH 3 2 2 4 2 — — — — —
2025–26 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins AHL 6 1 0 1 0 — — — — —
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 [15]
Michel Brière Memorial Trophy 2022 [16]
CHL
Memorial Cup champion 2022 [17]
Memorial Cup All-Star Team 2022 [18]
Ed Chynoweth Trophy 2022 [19]
Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy 2022 [17]

References

  1. ^ "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.
  2. ^ "2018 QMJHL Entry Draft". CHL.ca. Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
  3. ^ "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.
  4. ^ Habashi, Jonathan (December 15, 2019). "Dufour et Lapenna débarquent, Pelletier s'en va". L'Express de Drummondville (in Canadian French). Retrieved January 22, 2023.
  5. ^ "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.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ Habashi, Jonathan (October 7, 2020). "Dufour avec les Islanders: "Un feeling incroyable"". L'Express de Drummondville (in Canadian French). Retrieved January 22, 2023.
  8. ^ "Islanders Sign Dufour". New York Islanders. April 21, 2022. Retrieved January 22, 2023 – via NHL.com.
  9. ^ "McAvoy, Forbort score in 2nd, Bruins beat Islanders 4-1". ESPN.com. January 18, 2023. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
  10. ^ Tidcombe, Matt (January 19, 2023). "CHL to NHL: 2022 Memorial Cup MVP Dufour debuts with Isles". CHL.ca. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
  11. ^ "Avalanche acquire Nelson, Dufour from New York". Colorado Avalanche. March 6, 2025. Retrieved March 6, 2025.
  12. ^ "Канадский форвард Дюфур подписал однолетний контракт с «Ладой»" (in Russian). Match TV. July 9, 2025.
  13. ^ "Penguins sign William Dufour to PTO". Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. November 10, 2025. Retrieved November 10, 2025.
  14. ^ "Penguins announce roster transactions". Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. December 31, 2025. Retrieved December 31, 2025.
  15. ^ 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.
  16. ^ Vankoughnett, Scott (June 15, 2022). "Saint John's William Dufour wins the 2022 Michel-Brière Trophy". CHL.ca. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  17. ^ a b Wright, Cory (June 29, 2022). "Dufour wins Memorial Cup, named Tournament MVP". New York Islanders. Retrieved January 24, 2023 – via NHL.com.
  18. ^ Brien, David (June 30, 2022). "2022 Memorial Cup All-Star Team". CHL.ca. Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
  19. ^ Wilkins, Cory (June 29, 2022). "Sea Dogs hoist Memorial Cup for second time in club history". CHL.ca. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.