Arnaud Durandeau

Canadian ice hockey player (born 1999)

Ice hockey player
Arnaud Durandeau
Born (1999-01-14) January 14, 1999 (age 25)
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 194 lb (88 kg; 13 st 12 lb)
Position Left wing
Shoots Left
NHL team (P)
Cur. team
Former teams		 Montreal Canadiens
Laval Rocket (AHL)
New York Islanders
NHL Draft 165th overall, 2017
New York Islanders
Playing career 2019–present

Arnaud Durandeau (born January 14, 1999) is a Canadian professional ice hockey winger for the Laval Rocket of the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected in the sixth round, 165th overall, by the New York Islanders in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft.

Early life

Durandeau was born on January 14, 1999, in Montreal to parents Fabienne and Marc.[1] He grew up alongside three siblings; Eva, Alix, and Adrien.[2]

Playing career

Growing up in Quebec, Durandeau played pewee hockey for the Lakeshore Panthers M15 AA team from 2011 to 2013.[1] During the 2011–12 season, Durandeau helped the Panthers maintain a perfect 21–0 record to begin the season.[3] At the end of the season, Durandeau played on the Lac St. Louis Lions under-13 team at the Équipe Québec annual Hockey Tournament, where they finished 13th overall. Durandeau was tied for second on the team with two goals.[4] Durandeau returned to the Panthers for the 2012–13 season, where he scored 19 goals and 17 assists for 36 points over 28 games. This would be his last season with the Panthers as he was promoted to the Lac St-Louis Lions Bantam AAA team the following year.[1]

Durandeau began the 2014–15 season with the Lac St-Louis Lions in the Quebec AAA Midget Hockey League. He started his rookie season strong, tallying nine goals and 4 assists over his first eight games. As a result, Durandeau was named the league's September Rookie of the Month.[5] Durandeau finished the season with 25 goals and 26 assists for 51 points while playing on a line with Joe Veleno.[6] He also helped the Lions qualify for the QMAAA playoffs where he tallied 19 points en-route to the Finals.[7] His effort with the Panthers was recognized by Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) scouts and he was ranked 8th among eligible skaters for the 2015 QMJHL Draft.[7][8] He was eventually drafted seventh overall by the Halifax Mooseheads,[9] making him the highest draft pick for the Mooseheads since Jonathan Drouin in 2011.[6]

Junior

Following the QMJHL draft, Durandeau was one of eight rookies who joined the Mooseheads for the 2015–16 season.[10] While playing for the Mooseheads, Durandeau and his high-school aged teammates were enrolled at Prince Andrew High School (now called Woodlawn High School).[11] Durandeau scored his first career QMJHL goal on September 19 against the Saint John Sea Dogs to help lead the Mooseheads to an eventual 5–1 win.[12] He continued to pick up points throughout September and October and accumulated three goals and two assists for five points through his first 18 games. In November, Durandeau was a last-minute selection for team Canada Black to compete at the 2015 World U-17 Hockey Challenge.[13] In January 2016, Durandeau was the only Moosehead recognized as a QMJHL Scholastic Player of the Month.[11] Durandeau finished his rookie season with 12 goals and 17 assists for 29 points over 63 games.[1]

Durandeau returned to the Moosehead for the 2016–17 season. In October 2016, Durandeau was the only Moosehead recognized as a QMJHL Scholastic Player of the Month.[14] By mid-February Durandeau had tallied 12 goals and 21 assists for 33 points and was honoured by the QMJHL for being a player who "exemplifies the importance of academic achievement."[15] During the season, Durandeau was considered a 'C' list prospect and was expected to be drafted in the later rounds of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft.[16] He ended his sophomore season with a career-high 41 points through 64 games[17] and was ranked 177th amongst all eligible skaters.[18] Durandeau was eventually selected by the New York Islanders in the sixth round, 165th overall, of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft.[19]

Durandeau participated in the Islanders training camp ahead of the 2017–18 season but was returned to the Mooseheads to complete his third major junior season.[17] He had been the youngest player on the Islander's 57-man training camp roster. Upon rejoining the Mooseheads, Durandeau maintained a four-game point streak to start the season.[20] By the end of the month, Durandeau ranked third on the team with five goals and nine assists for 14 points through 15 games.[21] As a result of his play, he was selected to represent the QMJHL in the 2017 CHL Canada/Russia Series.[22]

Durandeau returned to the Moosehead for the 2018–19 season, his final season with the Mooseheads. On February 11, Durandeau recorded two goals and two assists for four points in a 6–1 win over the Acadie–Bathurst Titan. This moved him into 14th place on the Moosehead's all-time scoring list and sixth place for the franchise's longest ironman streak.[23] In March, Durandeau was named a nominee for the Marcel Robert Trophy as the QMJHL’s Scholastic Player of the Year.[24] Durandeau played a significant role in the Moosehead's 2019 President's Cup playoffs run. Durandeau tallied an assist in Game 6 to force a Game 7 against the Quebec Remparts in the first round of the President Cup.[25] As the Mooseheads eliminated the Remparts, Durandeau finished the first round tied for second on the team with six points.[26] During the third round, Durandeau scored the game-winning goal in the second overtime period to lift the Mooseheads to their first win of the Semi-Finals against the Drummondville Voltigeurs.[27] He later scored his seventh postseason goal in Game 6 to help the Mooseheads win the series and qualify for the President Cup Finals.[28]

Professional

Following his four-year major junior career in the QMJHL, Durandeau was signed by the Islanders to a three-year, entry-level contract on May 31, 2019.[29] In his first professional season, Durandeau split the 2019–20 season with the Islanders affiliates, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the American Hockey League (AHL) and the Worcester Railers of the ECHL.

Before the 2022–23 season, Durandeau was signed to a two-year, two-way contract extension by the Islanders.[30] He was recalled from the AHL and made his NHL debut with the Islanders on February 20, 2023, against the Pittsburgh Penguins.[31][32]

Durandeau was traded to the New Jersey Devils on November 26, 2023, in exchange for Tyce Thompson.[33] On March 11, 2024, he was traded for a second time during the 2023–24 season to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for Nathan Légaré.[34]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2014–15 Lac St-Louis Lions QMAAA 42 25 26 51 28 16 8 11 19 12
2015–16 Halifax Mooseheads QMJHL 63 12 17 29 20 — — — — —
2016–17 Halifax Mooseheads QMJHL 64 15 26 41 70 6 2 3 5 6
2017–18 Halifax Mooseheads QMJHL 67 20 33 53 56 9 5 7 12 10
2018–19 Halifax Mooseheads QMJHL 68 38 35 73 46 23 10 10 20 26
2019–20 Bridgeport Sound Tigers AHL 21 5 3 8 12 — — — — —
2019–20 Worcester Railers ECHL 15 5 3 8 4 — — — — —
2020–21 Bridgeport Sound Tigers AHL 14 4 4 8 4 — — — — —
2021–22 Bridgeport Islanders AHL 64 15 22 37 30 6 1 1 2 4
2022–23 Bridgeport Islanders AHL 68 24 31 55 35 — — — — —
2022–23 New York Islanders NHL 4 0 0 0 2 — — — — —
2023–24 Bridgeport Islanders AHL 12 1 3 4 23 — — — — —
2023–24 Utica Comets AHL 26 3 11 14 8 — — — — —
NHL totals 4 0 0 0 2 — — — — —

International

Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2015 Canada Black U17 8th 5 2 2 4 2
Junior totals 5 2 2 4 2

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Arnaud Durandeau". Elite Prospects. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  2. ^ "Eva Durandeau". Brown University. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  3. ^ François, Lemieux (January 20, 2012). "Peewee AA Panthers remain undefeated". Métro. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  4. ^ "Lac St. Louis Lions under-13 team finishes tied for 13th at annual Hockey Quebec tourney". Montreal Gazette. May 30, 2012. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  5. ^ "Arnaud Durandeau recrue « La Coop »" (in French). Réseau des sports. October 1, 2014. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  6. ^ a b MacIntosh, Scott (June 12, 2015). "Word on the Herd". Canadian Hockey League. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  7. ^ a b "QMJHL CENTRAL SCOUTING TOP 30 RANKINGS". Canadian Hockey League. May 11, 2015. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  8. ^ "Le CSR publie la liste finale pour la séance de sélection 2015 de la LHJMQ" (in French). RDS. May 6, 2015. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  9. ^ Briggins, Jonathan (June 10, 2015). "QMJHL Draft: Sea Dogs will count on Veleno". Sportsnet. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  10. ^ MacIntosh, Scott (August 26, 2015). "Mooseheads official roster announced". Canadian Hockey League. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  11. ^ a b "Scholastic Players of the Month for January 2016". Canadian Hockey League. February 9, 2016. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  12. ^ "Fortier a Force as Moosheads Down Sea Dogs". Our Sports Central. September 19, 2015. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  13. ^ "MOOSE ROOKIES ON THE WORLD STAGE IN B.C." Canadian Hockey League. November 2, 2015. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  14. ^ Cadovius, Steven (November 2, 2016). "Scholastic Players of the Month for October 2016". Canadian Hockey League. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  15. ^ "QMJHL honours its top student athletes". Canadian Hockey League. February 21, 2017. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  16. ^ Sweetland, Josh (November 16, 2016). "168 CHL Players on November 'Players to Watch' List for 2017 NHL Draft". Canadian Hockey League. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  17. ^ a b Wright, Cory (September 22, 2017). "Isles Day-To-Day: Three Loaned To Junior". National Hockey League. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  18. ^ Damiani, Frédéric (April 11, 2017). "29 QMJHL Players in Final 2017 NHL Central Scouting Draft Rankings". Canadian Hockey League. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  19. ^ Wright, Cory (February 20, 2023). "7 Facts: Arnaud Durandeau". NHL.com. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  20. ^ Keogh, Kelly (October 3, 2017). "Islanders Prospect Report". National Hockey League. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  21. ^ Hanson, Dan (October 31, 2017). "Islanders Prospect Report". National Hockey League. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  22. ^ Morreale, Mike G. (October 19, 2017). "QMJHL roster set for 2017 Canada Russia Series". National Hockey League. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  23. ^ "Durandeau dominating in win over Bathurst". Canadian Hockey League. February 11, 2019. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  24. ^ "2019 Marcel-Robert Trophy nominees revealed". Canadian Hockey League. March 5, 2019. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  25. ^ "Mooseheads force Game 7 with clutch performance". Canadian Hockey League. April 1, 2019. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  26. ^ "Round 2 Playoff Preview: Mooseheads vs Wildcats". Canadian Hockey League. April 3, 2019. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  27. ^ St-Gelais, Roby (April 20, 2019). "LHJMQ: Les Mooseheads bien en vie en demi-finale" (in French). Le Journal de Québec. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  28. ^ "Halifax advances to President Cup final after thrilling Game 6 OT win". CityNews. April 28, 2019. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  29. ^ "Durandeau signs entry-level contract". New York Islanders. May 31, 2019. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  30. ^ "Islanders Sign Four Players". NHL.com. August 23, 2022. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  31. ^ "Islanders Gameday News: Durandeau recalled as Isles limp into Pittsburgh". Lighthouse Hockey. February 20, 2023. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  32. ^ "Islanders rally in third for 4-2 win over Penguins". ESPN. February 20, 2023. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  33. ^ "Islanders acquire F Thompson in trade with Devils". TSN.ca. November 26, 2023.
  34. ^ "Canadiens acquire Arnaud Durandeau from the New Jersey Devils". NHL.com. Montreal Canadiens. March 11, 2024. Retrieved March 11, 2024.

External links

  • Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database