The first quarter of the campaign wasn’t all that brilliant for Dubois, and there were some people who were surprised that the 19-year-old was sticking around in the NHL when it came time for the Blue Jackets to NHL 18 Coins decide whether they wanted to burn a year of his entry-level deal or send him back to major junior. Dubois found his fit around the 20th game of the season, though, and did so not as a grinding forward but as a top-line, two-way pivot. Over the final 62 games of the season, Dubois scored 18 goals and 44 points, all the while averaging upwards of 18 minutes per night.

So, how did he follow that up in his playoff debut? First, he had the primary assist on the Blue Jackets’ second goal of the game, which was a game-tying tally, and once the game went to overtime, it was Dubois who started the play that led to Artemi Panarin’s game-winning goal six minutes into the extra frame. Dubois also went 14-12 on the dot, threw two hits, blocked one shot and came close to 24 minutes of ice time. Only three forwards saw more ice time in Game 1 action across the NHL.