Control What You Can: Dufour Navigates Three Trades in Two Seasons

For Manchester Monarchs forward Kevin Dufour, most of the start to his professional career has been out of his control.

Dufour joined the ECHL with the South Carolina Stingrays at the end of the 2016-17 season after he wrapped up his collegiate career with Bowling Green State University. He then was invited to the Montreal Canadiens’ training camp and signed with the Brampton Beast for the start of the 2017-18 season. But between then and now, the 26-year-old from Quebec City has been traded three times in two seasons, playing on five different teams.

“All I can control is my stick,” Dufour said.

Dufour came to the Monarchs in a trade with the Indy Fuel for defenseman Eric Schurhamer and forward Zeb Knutson on February 22, 2019. He played in 46 games for the Fuel this season, but at the time of the trade, wasn’t playing as much as he hoped, even though he was performing well each night.

“You can’t blame yourself or see the negative in being traded,” Dufour said. “(Monarchs head coach) Doug [Christiansen] was looking for a good skater and a guy who could bring some offense. Indy needed a defenseman. I don’t think I was traded because I was playing bad. They each just needed what the other team had.”

Dufour had spoken with Fuel Head Coach Bernie John prior to shipping out to Manchester, who told him he was impressed with his performance for the Fuel this season and the trade was nothing personal. This was his third trade since joining the league, and Dufour noted the hardest part each time was packing his stuff up on short notice. Luckily for Dufour, the teams he has joined through the trades the last two seasons have extended a welcoming arm right away to make the adjustment easier.

“You have to see the positive in the situation and the guys really welcomed me when I got to Manchester,” Dufour said. “It’s a good group and they made it easier on me with the transition.”

Trades can be viewed as a simple business transaction, getting what you need for what you are willing to give up. But Christiansen aimed to make sure all trades during the season helped both parties involved and that the players who were traded would continue to have success with their new teams.

“My rookie year [in the ECHL,] I was traded multiple times and that experience has helped me as a coach because it’s made me realize how much of an impact you can have on a player’s life,” Christiansen said. “When we’re making a trade, we’re trying to help the player as well. We approach our transactions from a holistic point of view. We’re not only thinking how we are helping our team or figuring out how a player fits in, but making sure when players are leaving, they go to a spot that can help them out as well.”

At the time of the trade in mid-February, Christiansen and his coaching staff were looking to add more speed to their forward unit and someone who could generate chances around the puck every night. Dufour’s track record showed he was a fast forward who could produce. With the Fuel, Dufour racked up 34 points on 19 goals and 15 assists. During the 2017-18 season with the Brampton Beast and Wichita Thunder, he accumulated 40 points in 69 combined games between the teams.

“We watched a lot of video on him and had a pretty good idea of his explosiveness prior to the trade,” Christiansen said. “We were looking for a player that could help our overall team’s speed while at the same time being a threat offensively.”

“They told me when I got here, ‘use your speed and you’ll be fine,’” Dufour said.

Dufour has certainly shown his speed and quickness to the puck since being traded to Manchester, a continuation of his strong performance with the Fuel. In eight games with the Monarchs, he’s accumulated five goals and two assists. Christiansen sees his speed as his biggest asset that will help the team generate momentum heading into the home stretch of the regular season.

“There aren’t many players in the league that are faster than him,” Christiansen said. “He’s able to get to pucks that other players can’t and he’s got a good, quick release. I think sometimes he catches goalies off guard with how quick he can close in on a puck and get it off his stick.”

Dufour saw the February trade as an opportunity for a chance to compete for the Kelly Cup. The Monarchs are battling for playoff contention with Maine, Adirondack and Worcester, all within points of each other for the final two playoff spots in the North Division. The second-year player feels the Monarchs have what it takes to make the playoffs, and is excited to be a part of a team with a winning culture.

 “It’s nice to have good stats, but nobody remembers that,” Dufour said “They remember what you did in the playoffs. I’m at the point in my career that I want to win. It’s a winning organization here. “From what I knew, Manchester always made the playoffs and had that winning mentality,” Dufour said. “That’s the way the organization is wired. Everyone takes it seriously here.”

Although he’s hoping to help make a deep playoff run with the team, Dufour sees his time in Manchester as potential to round out his game. He knows he can generate chances on the ice each night, whether scoring goals or setting up plays, but hopes to add depth to other layers of his game.

“Everywhere I played, I always produced offensively,” Dufour said.  “Even in college I had some good years. But I want to become a better player and adjust my defensive game.”

Trades can offer fresh starts and opportunities, but they have their share of challenges as well. As Christiansen explained, a player’s life can be thrown in an upheaval upon the news of a trade. It doesn’t just mean that player has to find his footing in a new system, but also how to navigate a new city. He pointed out that new players have to not only figure out things like where the grocery store is, but also where they are supposed to be on the penalty kill. It’s a juggling act to adapt to your new surroundings and find your place on the roster.

For Dufour, his upheaval meant telling his fiancé he was packing up again to a new city. But with every challenge comes a new opportunity for the forward who sees his trade to New Hampshire as a positive to hopefully seeing his parents more often.

“When you get traded, it can be hard,” Dufour said. “I have a fiancé and she has a job. It doesn’t just affect me, but she’s really supportive. It’s sometimes easier for single guys to just pack their bags and go. That’s definitely one of the downsides is when you have a family involved. But I’m also really fortunate because coming here, it’s only six hours from my hometown. Hopefully I’ll see my parents a little more.

“I’m an only child and my parents have always supported me,” Dufour said. “They’ve already made so many sacrifices for me to play professionally, and even in college. Last year I didn’t see them at all. This year they came to one game in Indy.  It’s a lot of planning and getting time off from work, but now it’s only six hours away. I know my dad’s coming for sure.”

Since his start in the league at the end of the 2016-17 season with the South Carolina Stingrays, he has played in five different states with five different teams. He’s played in four divisions between the two conferences. Dufour has made the most of playing for several teams, and has learned a lot from playing against almost all of the ECHL’s teams. He’s used that to his advantage in adjusting to his new team, and knows how the competition stacks up among divisions and between conferences.

“Honestly, this division is fast,” Dufour said of the North Division. “I played in Brampton too and have noticed the speed. The North Division moves the puck quick. I would say the Central and Mountain Divisions are tough, but this one is the fastest.”

While the regular season has a few weeks left, crucial points are up for grabs in the division. Christiansen sees Dufour, along with other newly acquired players, to be valuable assets to the Monarchs lineup as the team makes a playoff push.

“We didn’t bring Dufour in to be our savior,” Christiansen said. “We brought him in to be a player that can helpus and use his speed. He’s had good production and has stepped into his position on the team. We’ve got a lot of players who can step up on any given night and give us a fighting shot.”