COLUMBUS – Everything was going as expected in the 2016 NHL Draft. The Toronto Maple Leafs chose Auston Matthews, The Winnipeg Jets selected Patrik Laine just like clockwork. When Ville Siren, Blue Jackets Head Amateur Scout, took the podium, everybody expected a certain name to come out of his mouth; Jesse Puljujarvi. Instead with one name the air was sucked out of Blue Jackets Nation with an audible gasp; Pierre-Luc Dubois. The eighteen-year old got a big birthday present when he was selected in the first round by the Blue Jackets. The question now is who is Pierre-Luc Dubois?
A 6’2” 205lb. forward from Sainte Agathe des Monts, Quebec, Dubois played his junior hockey for the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles. Dubois racked up 42 goals, 57 assists, and 99 points in the 2015-2016 season. Statistically, Dubois was ranked 5th in scoring, sixth in assists and third in points. The big eye opener was the fact that Dubois has 112 penalty minutes. This means he can make plays, score, and hit; The perfect recipe for a power forward.
TSN’s Craig Burton had a few encouraging things to say about Dubois:
Pierre-Luc Dubois of the QMJHL’s Cape Breton Screaming Eagles is a player who has pushed himself into the conversation with Laine and Puljujarvi, jumping from tenth spot on the January list to fourth here. He has elite skill, with power and intelligence. Dubois has the ability to play a multi-faceted game balancing all of the essential elements, and is equally adept finishing a play or setting one up. There is so much in his game that reminds me of Dallas Stars captain Jamie Benn, including the versatility to play centre. All of these elements put him in the discussion with the Finnish players.
What an honor to be mentioned in the same statement and to be compared positively with a player like Stars Captain, Jamie Benn. Benn, a power forward himself raked up 41-48-89 in the 2015-2016 season. It more than put him in discussion with Patrik Laine and Jesse Puljujarvi, he got the Jacket’s third pick. Why Jacket’s GM Jarmo Kekalainen chose Dubois instead of Puljujarvi is a mystery. Maybe it was the fact that Puljujarvi recently had surgery on his knee. The world has yet to know.
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