With a community of just over 25,000 people, the Town of Cochrane has churned out some pretty impressive hockey players that have made the major junior or pro ranks. Dillon Dubé, Justin Dowling, Tyler Wong and Connor Bouchard are all representing Cochrane with their respective teams. Dubé has spent the last 11 games (12 after they play Buffalo tonight) with the National Hockey League's Calgary Flames. After starting on the wing playing next to NHL veterans Derek Ryan and James Neal, Dubé has now found himself playing center in between Neal and 22-year-old forward Sam Bennett as the trio has gained some chemistry. So far this season, the former Kelowna Rockets forward has two assists while generating some quality scoring chances and has also played a key role on the team's second power play and penalty kill units. Not being able to find the score sheet is unusual for Dubé who regularly found the net in junior playing in the Western Hockey League (WHL). During his time with the Rockets, the Flames second round (56th overall) draft pick played in 203 WHL games, amassing 101 goals and 131 assists for 232 points. Those stats included the 38 goals and 84 points he posted in just 38 games last year with the club. During his last year as a junior, Dubè suited up as team captain for Team WHL during the CIBC Canada-Russia Series, where he tied a WHL record in points (two goals and three assists) and he is also the first Kelowna Rockets player to earn a spot on the Canadian World Junior team in back-to-back seasons. A season after coming home with a silver medal and finishing the tournament with three assists in seven games in 2017, he became the first player from the Kelowna Rockets to Captain Team Canada at the 2018 World Juniors in Buffalo, New York, this time helping the team to a gold medal. He had three goals and two assists in seven games that year. At the American Hockey League (AHL) level, Cochrane is represented by Justin Dowling and Tyler Wong. Dowling is in his seventh season with the Texas Stars who is the minor league affiliate team to the NHL's Dallas Stars. This season, the Cochrane native is off to a hot start as he's scored two goals and four assists for six points in seven games. During his time in Texas, Dowling has scored 88 goals while amassing 254 points in 380 AHL regular season games. Dowling has also helped the Stars win the Calder Cup as league champions in 2013-14 as well as making a league final appearance last season where the team fell in seven games to the Toronto Marlies. It was a successful playoff for him as he had 17 points in 22 games. Dowling was recently called up to the NHL version of the Stars where he has spent the last three games on Dallas' top line with Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn. Dowling has one assist in those three games and has impressed Stars head coach Jim Montgomery. "He's been terrific, he's on the ice talking our language," Montgomery told Stars reporter Sean Shapiro. "His hockey sense is great and he's making plays everywhere. He's making that second power play unit dangerous ... he's been really impressive." As for Wong, the 22-year-old is still trying to find his footing at the pro ranks. After a 51 goal, 109 point campaign in his final season of junior with the WHL's Lethbridge Hurricanes, Wong signed a Professional Tryout Contract (PTO) with the Vegas Golden Knights and scored the team's first goal in a preseason game against the Vancouver Canucks on Sept. 17 of last year. After a strong showing in the remainder of camp, Wong signed on with the Knights affiliate team in the Chicago Wolves. Last season, he scored three goals and added four assists in 54 games with Chicago while going pointless so far in four games this season. In the junior ranks, 17-year-old Connor Bouchard is looking to put his best foot forward this season in hopes of being selected in the upcoming NHL Draft. In 60 games last year as a 16-year-old rookie with the WHL's Tri-City Americans, the young forward posted two goals and six assists while adding one assist in 14 playoff games. So far this season Bouchard looks well on his way to smashing his totals from last year as he has registered two goals and sixs assists for eight points in only 13 games. Bouchard said he's happy with how the season has gone so far and he's hoping to make an impression on NHL scouts ahead of the draft in June. "It's been good so far, the team has been playing really well, playing hard every night and we've been really good on the road so far which is good to see. I feel like I'm contributing more which is nice too but as a team we just have to keep pushing everyday," Bouchard said of his team early in the season. "I've been playing with Riley Sawchuk who's a stud ... probably one of the most underrated players in the league as well as Blake Stephenson and as a line we've been playing really well. Those two have really elevated my game." The Americans swept the first two rounds of the WHL playoffs last year before falling in six games to the Everett Silvertips in the Western Conference Final. Bouchard said his team needs to continue to improve on their 9-4 record. "It's hard to say (where we'll end up). We're building confidence which is good as a young team," Bouchard said." "We're playing well and our returning guys are leading the way so we've just got to get better every day."
