St. Lina’s Mark Dubeau was recently traded from the Bonnyville Pontiacs to the Kindersley Klippers of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, and the 19-year-old said he is openly embracing his role as a Klipper.
“It’s been a couple of weeks now since the trade, and everything has been going great,” said Dubeau. “I definitely want to continue here with the Klippers. It’s been great so far, great coaching staff, great team. We have something special here and hopefully we can keep going and possibly make it to RBC Cup or something like that, that would be unreal.”
The Klippers shipped defenceman Troy Gedny off to the Bonnyville Pontiacs in exchange for Dubeau, and the six-foot-five, 202-pound center said that while it was a difficult transition, the players and staff in Kindersley helped make it as easy as possible.
“Of course it’s a shock. You never really expect it to happen,” Dubeau said of being informed of the trade. “Right off the bat it doesn’t really settle in, until you go meet the guys in the dressing room after and say your goodbyes. It’s hard, it’s tough, but coming here, the guys and the coaches here made it easier, which is nice.”
Dubeau said that prior to entering the SJHL, he had heard rumours about the league being a “rough and tough” one, but since suiting up as a Klipper, he said he has learned they were just that, rumours.
“There is a lot of skill out here too. It’s very similar to the AJHL, which is awesome,” he said. “There’s some very good competition out here, so far our team has been doing pretty good so hopefully we can keep that going and keep putting up the wins.”
Dubeau has posted three goals and an assist through nine games as a Klipper, and he said the coaching staff has allowed him a good deal of creative freedom on the ice.
“Our coaching staff out here, there’s a lot more freedom to let you make your own read on the play,” he said. “There’s not so much in systems or having to be in the exact same spot all the time. There’s a little more room to roam around a bit and make the plays that you think are best.”
Dubeau added that it is exciting to play on a team with a wealth of scoring depth like they have in Kindersley, and he has high expectations for the team moving forward.
“Out here in Kindersley we have four solid lines of guys who can play power play and penalty kill. I’ve been fortunate enough to be put out quite a bit because I’ve been pretty good on face-offs so far this year, and I’ve had a chance on the power play and penalty kill because of that, and I’ve managed to snake in a few goals, and it’s always nice to help out your team,” said Dubeau. “We’ve got a good thing going here, and hopefully we can keep it going.”
