Released from Canada’s national junior team a year ago, Jordan Dumais used that experience to conquer the QMJHL and wear a Maple Leaf in Sweden.
Jordan Dumais remembers how he felt when he learned he wouldn’t be eligible to represent Canada at the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship.
“It was tough. I was very disappointed,” Dumais recalled.
Dumais, then an 18-year-old star forward for the Halifax Mooseheads, was one of 28 players invited to the national junior team selection camp in Moncton, giving him the chance to play in front of familiar fans in Halifax.
Dumais enters camp as the leading scorer in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) with 54 points in 25 games, and is the second-leading scorer in the entire Canadian Hockey League (CHL) behind Connor Bedard. was recorded.
“I knew I was a young guy. I knew my chances of making it were tough, but I thought I played pretty well in camp,” he said of camp with the U SPORTS All-Star team. said Dumais, who had a goal and an assist in one of the games.
That wasn’t enough, and Dumais was one of five forwards sent home at the end of camp.
“I went to camp and did what I was supposed to do, but it didn’t go the way I wanted,” Dumais said.
Fast forward a year, and things were going the Montreal native’s way. He was invited back to selection camp, but instead of returning home he ended up donning the Maple Leafs as a member of the Canadian national junior team in Sweden.
“I came into this year with a little bit more experience, played my game, and this year went my way,” Dumais said. “When you’re a kid, that’s your dream. Honestly, just wearing the Canada logo every game is incredible.”
pour oil on the flame
Dumais was underperforming in the QMJHL long before he was released by Team Canada, but he took it to a whole new level when he returned to the Mooseheads after camp and had a historic season.
He scored in his first eight games after his return, but was not on the scoresheet in just six of 40 games. He had seven points (4-3-7) against Moncton on February 19 and six points (2-4-6) against Charlottetown on March 22.
In just 40 games after returning from camp, Dumais scored 86 points (he had 31 points in March alone) and finished the season with 140 points (54-86-140), leading the Mooseheads in single-season scoring. broke the record. 137.
He earned some major honors in the postseason, winning the Jean Beliveau Trophy as QMJHL leading scorer and the Michel Briere Trophy as QMJHL MVP. He was also named to his first All-Star team in both the QMJHL and CHL.
Mooseheads and Team Canada teammate Jake Furlong said he’s noticed a change in Dumais since he returned from camp.
“I think he was a little more motivated and tried a little harder, especially after Christmas. He not only wanted to prove people wrong, but he wanted to prove the people who believed in him right. ,” said Furlong, who was teammates with Dumais for four seasons in Halifax. “He didn’t change on the ice, his demeanor didn’t change much, but on the ice he worked really hard and I think it showed in the second half.”
Furlong also believes the fact that the world juniors were held in Halifax only added fuel to the fire.
“I think that probably influenced it. I mean, being from there and being with the Mooseheads and seeing the fans showing up every night, the World Juniors was on a whole other level and he was a Mooseheads fan. “I think I wanted them to feel proud,” he says.
Dumais admits that the only reason he wasn’t selected to represent Canada was because he wanted to take his game to another level.
“Obviously I wasn’t happy about not winning last year, but I used that as motivation to come back this year.”
silence the critics
Standing just 5 feet 9 inches tall, Dumais was drafted in the third round (96th overall) by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2022 NHL Draft, but some have questioned whether he can play with his size and height. had to deal with. level throughout his hockey career.
“I think it was [doubted] my whole life. So, at the moment, I’m playing my game, always with a little bit of a chip on my shoulder. I don’t think about it much, but it’s always there. ”
During the offseason, Dumais spent a significant amount of time improving various areas of his game, including becoming a better skater and spending time in the gym.
“I always try to work on my game as much as I can. I am aware of my shortcomings. I am smaller than others, but I don’t think about it too much. During the summer, I’m always working on those things and trying to improve and get better.”
Mooseheads head coach Jim Midgley said it was clear from the beginning of the year that Dumais wanted to make Canada’s national junior team, and the 19-year-old is a highly competitive and motivated player. He added that he wants to win every match and become the best. time.
“Every practice we do in practice, he wants to be the best. He wants to win, he wants to be the fastest, he wants to be the best. Although he has a high fighting level , I think that’s what makes Jordan special. He’s not a very big guy, but for a small guy, he’s got a lot of fight.”
That hard work and burning desire to be the best paid off for Dumais, who entered selection camp with 47 points (16 wins, 31-47) in just 21 games with the Mooseheads. Despite playing 13 fewer games than Cataford and not playing for the Mooseheads since Dec. 8, he is five points behind QMJHL leading scorer Matthew Cataford.
Next week, the focus will be on Team Canada and the World Juniors with Mooseheads teammates Furlong and Mathis Rousseau. Mr. Dumais says he will cherish it for the rest of his life.
“We have a great group of players here. There’s a really good atmosphere in the room, in the hotel, everywhere, so it was a lot of fun,” he says. “It’s a dream come true.”
