Dufour named to Team Canada

Vincent Ethier/CHL

Memorial Cup legend William Dufour has been named to Team Canada's roster for this summer's World Junior Hockey Championship.

Dufour, 20, was not included on Canada's roster for this past winter's event, which was cancelled a few days in due to a COVID-19 outbreak. After an excellent season and an impressive Memorial Cup performance, the Saint John Sea Dogs forward will help fill some of the holes left by players who are focusing on NHL camps this summer.

Players that were on the Dec. roster but won't be in Edmonton this August: Kaiden Guhle (MTL), Owen Power (BUF), Xavier Bourgault (EDM), Mavrik Bourque (DAL), Dylan Guenther (ARI), Jake Neighbours (STL), Cole Perfetti (WPG), Justin Sourdif (FLA) and Shane Wright (SEA). https://t.co/AgUNk4E8vq

— Chris Peters (@chrismpeters) August 1, 2022

Dufour was one of six players from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League to make the team. The others are former Sea Dogs forward Joshua Roy (Sherbrooke), Riley Kidney (Bathurst), Nathan Gaucher (Quebec), Elliot Desnoyers (Halifax) and Lukas Cormier (Charlottetown).

In 66 regular season games with the Sea Dogs this pat season, Dufour recorded 56 goals and 116 points. He added two goals and two assists in Saint John's five-game first-round series loss to the Rimouski Oceanic.

The New York Islanders prospect flourished under Gardiner MacDougall at the Memorial Cup, posting seven goals and eight points in four games, earning tournament MVP honours. That included a legendary four-goal performance in Saint John's final round-robin game against the rival Shawinigan Cataractes.

Mason McTavish (Hamilton) and Sebastian Cossa (Edmonton), who played against Dufour at the Memorial Cup, will now all be teammates with Team Canada.

According to a Hockey Canada release, the squad "will gather in Calgary for a training camp at the Seven Chiefs Sportsplex on the Tsuut’ina Nation, Aug. 2-7, before travelling to Edmonton." Canada's first tournament game will be on Aug. 10 against Latvia.