My main takeaway from Dubé’s play here is that he very well may be one of the better defensive defenders in this entire draft class. His in-zone defending was highly impressive, displaying an airtight gap that allowed him to stick with even the shiftiest of attackers, closing them out along the boards and killing cycle plays as a consequence. He showed very strong anticipatory habits as well, reading the play effectively in order to cut plays off along the boards, win back possession and make quick passes up the ice to facilitate breakouts. He made a plethora of smart reads in the neutral zone that allowed him to jump passing lanes or step up on puck-carriers at the defensive line that helped thwart plenty of zone entries.

I came away quite impressed with Dubé after watching him closely at this event. He’s a very refined and effective defender whose size, skating and instincts allow him to make a positive impact in all three zones. He’s not overly creative in the offensive zone, but he was aggressive in the way he activated, often working his way into space down low or commanding the puck up top and keeping his head up to assess shooting lanes or spot downhill passing options. Some of his best moments came while defending the rush using his high-end backwards skating and lateral pushes to gap up nicely on puck-carriers, force them to the outside and finish them off along the boards. He made a series of strong plays in the neutral zone as well, utilizing his reach to close in and swipe pucks off the sticks of attackers to kill rush plays and initiate the counterattack. Dubé’s ability to box out opposing forecheckers made him highly useful on regroups and retrievals by getting first to pucks and spotting open outlet options coming out of his turns. He was also highly effective in board battles along the perimeter in the defensive zone, often winning inside positioning and coming out with the puck to initiate the breakout.

What really stood out to me in Dubé’s game was just how efficient he was in his own zone. He was tough and determined in puck battles along the boards, showcasing the ability to use his physicality to thwart plays deep in the defensive zone by separating opponents from the puck and regaining possession for his team. I found he was also quick and efficient with his puck movement which led to a handful of clean exits out of the d-zone as well as smart plays at the offensive blue line, even contributing an assist on the late game powerplay goal.