IIHF World Championship: “I'm not worried about the future,” says Pierre-Luc Dubois.

When he received his invitation to participate in the World Hockey Championships, Pierre-Luc Dubois did not require a moment's thought before making his decision. The thirteen-hour flight from Los Angeles to Prague was no obstacle for him. There is no time difference of nine hours.

Why hesitate when going as far away from California as possible after eliminating the Kings is the best idea for him, after the extremely disappointing season he just had?

“That's one of the reasons I wanted to come,” the Quebec big forward admits unashamedly. “I didn't have the season I wanted to have in Los Angeles. Being able to come here is an opportunity to turn the page on my season, play with good players, play big minutes and rebuild my confidence. If I'm actually done playing hockey, there will be Plenty of time to go before the next camp arrives.

After two excellent seasons in Winnipeg when he was 23 and 24, expectations were high when he arrived in Los Angeles last summer. Without talking about the fiasco, let's say he didn't answer the call with just sixteen goals and forty points. And these stats make him look even worse because he just signed a lucrative eight-year deal for $68 million. .

“I'm not trying to blame anyone,” DuBois admits. “When you get traded, things can go one way or another. You can continue what you were doing with your old team otherwise you'll end up in a completely different role. I've had a hard time adjusting to that. It's up to me to grow and learn from this. But I'm not nervous, yet My first season in Winnipeg, I'm sure the fans weren't happy and I wasn't happy either. I'm not nervous about the future, and I wouldn't change the player I am. The third pick in the 2016 auction continues. I'm confident in myself and I know I can do better. that. “

Gold medal in his eyes

Dubois is a regular at these spring meetings since this is his fourth World Series appearance. A last-minute arrival, just like teammate John Tavares, the Kings forward has the chance to play an important role within the national team. After three matches, he scored two goals and had the same number of assists. He has always found a way to do well in this competition, as evidenced by his 31 points in thirty games at the World Series.

“It allows us to finish the season well. Because you don't want to, if you're here, it's because you didn't win. Having the opportunity to come here allows you to discover new coaches, play with new teammates and also allows you to learn new things,” he explains. The man who was named to the tournament's 2022 All-Star team.

But Dubois is still waiting to climb to the top of the podium. “I remember my first World Championship, when I was 19, and Ryan O'Reilly said to me: 'You'll come as long as you win the gold.' »I haven't won yet, I lost twice in the final. »

Maybe this year will finally be the right year. But Dubois and his teammates will have to be more convincing than we saw in the first three matches of the quarter-finals against Great Britain, Denmark and Austria.