Projection: Top Line Forward
Projectable Skills: Hockey IQ, Shot accuracy, Agility
Development Opportunities: Strength, Choose to be a little less unselfish

The well-rounded, agile, undersized forward has continued to produce at the top tier of every level he’s been part of. Mirco most often beats you by controlling possession along the boards, playing give and go hockey with linemates, gathering secondary chances, and finishing off plays in tight. He doesn’t naturally draw the eye all the time but you shouldn’t lose sight of him at all. His positioning, spacing, angling, defensive backchecking, and explosion through his edges make him consistently effective. There is versatility there as well since he can control the PP from the half wall, play the bumper position down low, or even take faceoffs if needed. The more you follow him around the ice, the more you see him outperform and out smart the opposition consistently. He’s probably the best player in the draft at closing gaps and separating people from the puck in small areas. His ability to disrupt pucks and cause turnovers is really special. As a smaller player, he doesn’t sit back and casually drift outward either. He attacks so often that it wins out positively in the long run. If you build your team around smart, controlled, give and go hockey, then Mirco Dufour is a dream addition to any lineup. Others might pass on him due to size but I think his translatability is so high that the smile on the face of the team who drafts him will be picture worthy.

The well-rounded, agile, undersized forward has continued to produce at the top tier of every level he’s been part of. Mirco most often beats you by controlling possession along the boards, playing give and go hockey with linemates, gathering secondary chances, and finishing off plays in tight. He doesn’t naturally draw the eye all the time but you shouldn’t lose sight of him at all. His positioning, spacing, angling, defensive backchecking, and explosion through his edges make him consistently effective. There is versatility there as well since he can control the PP from the halfwall, play the bumper position down low, or even take faceoffs if needed. The more you follow him around the ice, the more you see him outperform and out smart the opposition consistently.

While Matthew Hilderman is the grind and possession retriever, Brock England is the shoot-first, powerful stride linemate, Mirco is the efficient control and calculator. While I think Mirco’s skating stride is going to naturally get more powerful from the length and depth of each push, he’s not a guy who dictates the pace in all aspects. He’s got a little bit of guys like Mathew Ward and Andrew Cristall in his game whereas when he’s playing with a natural playdriver on his line, it only amplifies his dangerous scoring instincts because he can slip into secondary positions on the forecheck, capitalize on being deceptive and unpredictable with the timing of his shots, and spin in and out of coverage along the wing. When you watch him closely, you can see he isn’t afraid of driving the slot, not falling into predictable offensive patterns, and finishing off plays in tight areas with his high-end puck control. He’s one of those players you can’t forget about because he makes you pay very quickly. While I don’t think he would be one of the first names mentioned as far as top players at the tournament, he still had 12 points in 6 games. That's how he gets you.

One of the most dangerous scorers in prime scoring situations this season has been Mirco Dufour. On a talented Edge roster, Mirco does not have to worry about end to end rushes, being muscled off every puck, or shooting from distance against opponents who have purely zoned in on him. He’s had ample opportunity to shoot from the wing on a strong cycle, to showcase his puck control off breakaways and 2on1s, and make intelligent passes once zone play has established. His puck control and IQ make him a consistently dangerous scoring threat.

While Matthew Hilderman is the grind and possession retriever, Brock England is the shoot-first, powerful stride linemate, Mirco is the efficient control and calculator. While I think Mirco’s skating stride is going to naturally get more powerful from the length and depth of each push, he’s not a guy who dictates the pace in all aspects. He’s got a little bit of guys like Mathew Ward and Andrew Cristall in his game whereas when he’s playing with a natural playdriver on his line, it only amplifies his dangerous scoring instincts because he can slip into secondary positions on the forecheck, capitalize on being deceptive and unpredictable with the timing of his shots, and spin in and out of coverage along the wing. When you watch him closely, you can see he isn’t afraid of driving the slot, not falling into predictable offensive patterns, and finishing off plays in tight areas with his high-end puck control. He’s one of those players you can’t forget about because he makes you pay very quickly. While I don’t think he would be one of the first names mentioned as far as top players at the tournament, he still had 12 points in 6 games. That's how he gets you.

Everything is speed and quick reaction time for Mirco. Whether that was one foot stops, seeing pressure coming, or tipping pucks net front, Mirco adjusted quickly and continued to put himself in the thick of most of his shifts. I loved his vision throughout the tournament as he looked for delayed plays to find the trailer or make little backpasses to teammates after drawing pressure. He builds speed well with longer strides despite his size which can certainly help as he’s building momentum and starting the rush. In the finals, he had to really dip low and flex to get a particular one timer shot off and I loved that flexibility. I think what I took away from the weekend’s viewing is that Mirco is smart, adaptable, and racks up points simply by his ability to be involved and make small moments count.