WORLDS: Dubois still going strong for Canada, in pursuit of a medal

When the Blue Jackets were eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Pierre-Luc Dubois had already played 88 games.
That was the most the 19-year old rookie had ever played in a season by a wide margin, after he'd already set a franchise rookie record by playing in all 82 regular-season games. Dubois was ready for the offseason, even talking about taking a few weeks off, but he had one exception.
That exception came to fruition when officials from Hockey Canada offered an invitation to represent his country at the 2018 IIHF Men's World Championship in Denmark.
"I already had it in my mind that if they asked, I was going to come," said Dubois, who's from Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts, Quebec. "I'm really honored and happy to be here. There are so many good players and even just being around to practice with and against them, it makes you better. It's a really big challenge to play with them, but it's a lot of fun too."

It isn't the first time Dubois has pulled the country's maple leaf over his head. He also represented Canada at the U18 and U20 world championships in 2015 and 2017, winning bronze in the U18 tournament and silver in the U20 competition last year.
That preceded his rookie season with the Blue Jackets, in which he steadily gained confidence in the NHL and prominence in the Columbus lineup.
After scoring in his first NHL game, a 5-0 win against the New York Islanders in the season opener, Dubois didn't have a point the next 11 games. In November, his offensive production began to pick up, notching three goals and three assists in 13 games, but a switch from playing the wing to center in December sent his numbers skyrocketing.
He finished the season by breaking Rick Nash's previous rookie record for goals, scoring 20, and topped defenseman Zach Werenski's rookie record for points by adding 28 assists for 48 points. Adding two more goals and four points in six playoff games, Dubois became one of the top point producers for Columbus by season's end, brings that swagger with him to Denmark for the world championship.
"I thought he hit the ground running and he's a guy who knows how to use his big body and can make plays," said Calgary Flames coach Bill Peters, who's running the bench for Canada. "He's a guy that can play in all situations, is responsible defensively and if we need to move him into the middle, he's an option. We don't have him on any special teams, but we know that he's capable of more than we've given him and we've got that in our back pocket if we need it. He's been a real good addition to our team."
Averaging just under 12 minutes a game, Dubois has made the most of his ice time, with three goals, three assists and six points heading into Canada's semifinal game against Switzerland on Saturday. Those numbers are even more impressive when you consider he started the tournament playing left wing.
"I've played right wing before in midgets and juniors, but it's not the same [on the left] at all," Dubois said. "It's completely different, but we have so many center men on this team - I think we have six playing on the wing - so if I want the ice time, I've got to change my game a bit. There are so many good players here that whatever the coach thinks I should be doing is what I'm going to do. I just have to play my best in whatever role they ask me to fill."
Peters asked him to fill the center role on the third line in Canada's quarterfinal victory Thursday against Russia, a 5-44 win in overtime, and Dubois responded by scoring a hard-working goal for a short-lived 5-4 lead in the third period. Dubois was back at center of that line in a semifinal game against Switzerland on Saturday, but he welcomed the previous challenge of playing the left side as a left-handed shot.
"I never think it's a bad thing to learn a new position," Dubois said. "I'm a left-hand shot so I like playing right wing because when you're going down on the rush, you can see the ice more and feel more comfortable. Breakouts feel more comfortable too, but learning another position and another side of the ice, it just adds to your experience and depth and versatility, and that's never a bad thing."
He has also embraced the challenge of a larger ice surface and facing teams that are playing for a world championship like the Stanley Cup is on the line.
"You have more time and space to do things, but that's almost like a trap because you think you have that time and space and then all of a sudden, you don't," Dubois said. "It's a bit different from what we're used to in the NHL, and the other teams are good. Reeally good. They may not all have a high skill level, but they all play really hard and make things tough on you. You can't take any shifts off."
Dubois is also learning from his teammates on this national team, including things like how to win more face-offs.
"I'm still so young and there's a lot I can learn from these guys," he said. "Like Ryan O'Reilly, he's beating me 80% of the time in face-offs in practice, so if I can learn something from him there and add it to my game, it would help a lot."
As far as the offseason goes, face-offs, skating and puck protection will be at the top of his to-do list.
"There are things I think I'm good at, but I want to keep getting better at them, so I can be the best I can possibly be and just keep pushing myself," Dubois said. "There's more to learn and I have more to give."
Meanwhile, there's still a little hockey left in this season. The semifinal against Switzerland was Dubois' 96th game since the NHL season began in October, but Dubois and his current teammates are ready to make a push for some hardware.
"I thought I had a good season and really learned a lot," Dubois said. "It ended sooner than I wanted it to, but that's why I really wanted to come here and keep playing as long as I could. But I'm not just here to play or to have the experience. Every time you come to one of these tournaments, our only goal is to go home with a gold medal and that's what we're going to try to do."