It took 17 games, but Dillon Dubé finally got his goal. The Cochrane native and Calgary Flames rookie notched his first NHL tally Nov. 21, in a 6-3 home win over the Winnipeg Jets. The goal came just 2:07 into the first period, and tied the game 1-1. A behind-the-net pass from Mark Jankowski was one-timed home by Dubé from close-range, just in front of the Jets’ crease. His first NHL marker had been a long time coming for the 20-year-old centre, who said it was a relief to finally break the duck. “It was nice to get it out of the way and move on from it,” he said. “I think I’ll have a little more confidence around the net now, not second guessing and thinking ‘is this it?’” Dubé’s welcome to the NHL this year has been, at times, bruising. A hard check to the boards from Chicago Blackhawks’ defenseman Duncan Keith Nov. 3 resulted in a concussion for Dubé, and he was placed on the Flames’ injured list for four games. However, Dubé shrugged off the injury as a fact of life in professional hockey. “The way I play, my stature, you get hit a lot and find yourself in those situations, but it’s how you recover and how you protect yourself in the future,” he said. “You have to learn from that. It happened in junior, too, so I don’t know if it was a ‘welcome to the league’ moment for me, but you just have to sharpen up and be more aware.” Dubé came into the 2018-19 regular season after an impressive showing throughout the Flames’ pre-season camp, when he managed four goals and two assists. His headline-making play during the fall camp meant, rather than suiting up for the Flames’ affiliate this year – the Stockton Heat, of the American Hockey League – Dubé was given a spot on Calgary’s opening-night roster. “It was great. I knew I had to [perform],” he said of his pre-season showing. “I talked to [Flames General Manager Brad Treliving], and I think it was the right decision to stay here and get a lot of minutes to give myself the opportunity to make the team.” Dubé said his goal for the season is to continue playing at the Saddledome. “I plan on staying here,” he said. “Ever since camp, I wanted to be an NHLer this year, and that’s the goal. Every day, I have to show that I am one.” While he acknowledged there have been some “ups and downs” in his rookie season, Dubé said playing in the NHL has been a positive experience, so far. “I’ve been lucky enough to play every night that I’ve been healthy,” he said. “Every game is still exciting for me and it’s going to stay that way for a long time.” Prior to cracking the Flames’ roster, Dubé spent four years in the Western Hockey League with the Kelowna Rockets. In 260 games, he registered 273 points. He also captained Team Canada to the gold medal at the 2018 World Junior Championships.
