On Wednesday October 14th, the Wheeling Nailers announced the signing of Canadian forward Kevin Dufour. The two sides agreed to terms on a standard player contract for the upcoming season. Dufour has a history with the Nailers as he was a point per game player when playing against Wheeling.
Through his four-year career as a pro, Dufour has suited up with five teams; the Brampton Beast, Manchester Monarchs, South Carolina Stingrays, Indy Fuel and Wichita Thunder. This of course being the case before heading overseas to join the Dundee Stars.
In a statement from Mark French on Wednesday, head coach of the Wheeling Nailers, he said of the team’s latest signing, “Kevin is a proven offensive player in our league. He brings speed, skill, and a dynamic element to our team.”
Throughout his ECHL career, Dufour has scored 46 goals along with 42 assists, amassing 88 points. He’s done so through 136 games. His best year was in 2018-19 where he scored 24 goals along with 17 assists. That made for 41 points in 58 games between Indy and Manchester.
During Dufour’s tenure in the league, he was very successful against Wheeling, having scored nine goals and three assists in 12 games. Addressing why he signed with the Nailers upon signing his contract on Wednesday morning, he said, “Wheeling is a great organization and Mark French has lots of good experience as a coach. I like to generate a lot of offense with my speed, but I also take pride in my defensive game as well. Pittsburgh was my favorite team growing up, so I am very excited to play in the organization.
Dufour joins forwards Cody Bradley, Tyler Drevitch, Brad Drobot and Andrew Gaus. This also includes Luke Lynch and Will Smith to make up a solid core offensively for the Nailers. In other news, defensemen Jeremy Beaudry has decided to play overseas as he signed a contract with Amiens of Ligue Magnus (France).
I’m not sure if he decided to join them for the season’s entirety or just to get a paycheque until the Nailers begin play December 11th. With that in mind, Wheeling’s defence is made up of Chad Duchesne, Marc-Olivier Duquette, Shane Kuzmeski and Dylan MacPherson. This also includes Kyle McKenzie while the team has reportedly signed Nick Minerva.