Dufour scores in KHL debut

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

William Dufour has made a strong first impression in the KHL.

The former Saint John Sea Dogs forward scored on his first shot in his first game on Friday, a contest that saw Dufour's Lada Togliatti fall 4-3 to Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod.

On Sunday, Dufour scored the lone goal in Lada Togliatti's 6-1 loss to SKA Saint Petersburg.

The 23-year-old signed in the KHL after spending much of the past three seasons in the AHL. He spent the second half of last season with the Colorado Eagles where he recorded a goal and three assists in 12 games.

Dufour is currently teammates with former Sea Dogs forward Josh Lawrence, who is also playing his first season in the KHL. The Fredericton native has been held pointless in three games so far.

This is Lawrence's third season overseas. He split last season in Switzerland and Finland after playing the entire 2023-24 campaign in Switzerland.

Also currently playing in the KHL are former Sea Dogs Stanislav Galiev (Dinamo Minsk) and Ostap Safin (Admiral Vladivostok).

Not signed to a KHL deal at the moment – as far as I can tell – is original Sea Dog Alex Grant, who has spent the past seven seasons in the league.

It's worth noting as well that the Shanghai Dragons, who are coached by Gerard Gallant and Mike Kelly, are off to a 2-0-1 start.