2023-07-24 21:44:41
The Maritime Junior A Hockey League (MLH) will have to find a new president. Troy Dumville recently postponed his decision to accept a full-time position as a scout with the Winnipeg Jets.
Dumville will only have chaired the LHM for a single season, he who was hired in June 2022.
“I really enjoyed my year, says Dumville, but I really mightn’t refuse the offer from the Jets. My decision is also a family one. With my daughter starting her studies at the University of Maine, I needed better medical benefits.”
That said, Dumville believes the LHM would benefit from finding a better administrator than he was.
“I liked my experience, but I also realized that I was more of an arena guy. I like to watch games to watch talent. The league needs someone who will put their energy into the league offices, not the arenas. With what is happening in British Columbia (BCHL), the LHM needs a real administrator with experience,” he says.
Nevertheless, Dumville has had time to work on certain files that make him proud. The arrival of a team in Bouctouche, among other places, is more than positive for the MHL.
“Having a club in the West-Kent area is a big addition for the MHL. This organization had a lot of difficulty attracting spectators to South Shore,” he said.
Dumville does not budge besides, the LHM is a strongly underestimated circuit. He believes that some parents of players would benefit from reviewing their position.
“We have several great franchises in the MHL, starting with Edmundston and Summerside, points out Dumville. We also have a healthy league. In fact, players from all over the country come to play here and they love it. Unfortunately, there are parents in the Maritimes who believe that our league is not as good as elsewhere, that the teams do not have good programs and that our coaches are not as good. The same phenomenon is seen in our U18 leagues.
“However, when you leave the Maritimes, you realize quite quickly that it is quite the opposite. We not only have a good league, but also good programs and excellent coaches. Parents who had a bad interpretation of our hockey in the Maritimes saw that it was not better in the United States or elsewhere, ”supports the hockey man.
Speaking of interpretation, Dumville was working on a project that is still close to his heart and that he wishes to see brought to fruition.
“I wanted to create a showcase for young Atlantic hockey players aged 15 to 17 to explain to them what the MHL is and for our league to become an additional option for each of them. I had even thought of inviting the NCAA to come and explain to young people what to do in order not to lose their eligibility for American college hockey. The showcase might also make young people realize that there are more options than they think. For example, a youngster like Bradly Nadeau, who was not ready at 16 to try the adventure of major junior in Rimouski, made the right decision to go and play with his brother Josh in the BCHL. But it’s also good to know that each young person develops differently,” says Dumville.
“I want to stay in the league’s entourage and work with the next president. I’m not far, I live in Moncton,” he notes.
Troy Dumville is also very proud to say that the MHL has become the first league to make so much room for women in the past year.
“Last season, we had two assistant coaches (Brittany Poitras in Grand Falls and Briden Coen in Pictou), in addition to Eve LeBlanc who is a scout for the Campbellton Tigers and who also worked a few games as an assistant coach with her father (Charles LeBlanc) last season. Not to mention that the league also has four scouts, two in Newfoundland and Labrador, one in Halifax and another in New Brunswick. We are proud of this female presence,” insists Dumville.
Already at work with the Jets
Although this will be his first full-time job in the NHL, Troy Dumville already has extensive experience as a scout.
He was first a regional scout for the NHL from 2012 to 2019, then he was also part-time with the Columbus Blue Jackets until recently.
Among the players that Dumville will be keeping an eye on in the coming months are several from the Maritimes. Among them, Acadian Justin Gendron of the Victoriaville Tigres, defenseman Spencer Gill and forward Quinn Kennedy of the Rimouski Oceanic, and center Gabe Smith of the Moncton Wildcats.
“I hope to convince them to draft a little more in the QMJHL. The Jets haven’t selected a QMJHL player since 2017.”
“I am excited to start this new job. I am already preparing for my season. I expect to see over 200 games. My work will mainly consist of watching games of the QMJHL, but I will also go to see some games in the OHL in order to be able to better compare the talent from here with the talent from Ontario”, mentions Troy Dumville.
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