Do It All Duval
r Been there, done that…well, sort of.
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r Rockets’ 20-year-old forward, Ian Duval, has played for four teams over his 5 years in the WHL. He’s been on good teams and bad ones. And, he played 34 playoff games over 2 seasons with the Calgary Hitmen.
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r But, one thing he doesn’t have is a WHL Championship.
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r Acquired at the trade deadline from
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r “Obviously, I’m very excited to be here,” he said recently. “It’s awesome getting a chance to close out my WHL career in
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r “Hopefully, we’ll have a long playoff run this spring.”
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r So far, Duval has been as valuable as any of the Rockets other, key acquisitions – Mikael Backlund, Ryley Grantham and Mark Guggenberger. In 15 games, he’s scored 6 goals and added 9 assists while playing mostly on a dangerous line with Backlund and Cody Almond.
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r “I think I’ve played well since I got here,” he says. “There’s always a period of adjustment, but that’s over now. I’m playing with some great players and that really helps.”
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r The appeal of Duval’s game is two-fold – speed and vision. He’s a tremendous skater who’s equally fast with or without the puck. Roaring down the wing in full flight, he can quickly back off a concerned defender creating open ice and passing lanes.
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r “I try to use my speed as much as possible,” he says. “Whenever I get a chance, I try to drive the d-man wide and create openings for my line mates. It also helps me get to loose pucks.”
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r “My speed is a pretty good asset for me and I have to use it to be effective. If I don’t, there’s no point having it in the first place.”
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r As his play would suggest, Duval has had no problem assimilating amoung his new team mates. After all, changing addresses is old hat for him.
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r “I’ve been on 4 teams in my career so coming into a new group is something I’ve gotten used to doing,” he says. “And, this time has been a lot easier to make the transition because I’m older.”
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r His experience has taught him that closeness off ice, translates to success on it.
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r “We’re a team and you can’t have difference cliques,” he explains. “Everyone has to be close and get along.”
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r “Teams that win championships are usually the tightest group of individuals.”
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r Just the same, the skill of players like Ian Duval is essential in making a lofty title quest a reality.
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