After more than a year of surgeries and recovery, Jordan Dumais returned to the ice and made his professional debut Jan. 31.
Dumais, who has been a prolific scorer his entire career, has already started to make an impact at the AHL level. Known most notably as the Halifax Mooseheads’ all-time leader in goals (tied), assists and points, he has recorded four points (one goal, three assists) in six games played as a member of the Cleveland Monsters.
The 20-year-old's focus has now shifted to getting back to game speed after multiple injuries have sidelined him from taking part in league play since Dec. 8, 2023.
“I think everything kind of worked well together, and now I'm just really trying to get used to the game and just playing with the guys,” Dumais said.
It’s been quite a journey for Dumais to get back to the ice, as he hadn’t played a competitive game since suiting up for Team Canada at the 2024 World Junior Championships last winter.
Reaching that team was a goal for the Montreal-area native, but it was also the moment when he decided something had to be done about nagging hip and groin injuries that had dogged him for years. He had surgery last January, then didn’t return to the ice the rest of the season for the Mooseheads, skating some at the Blue Jackets’ development camp this summer before continuing rehab.
It was a major setback for one of the most intriguing prospects in junior hockey, as Dumais put up historic production with Halifax. The Blue Jackets took him in the third round of the 2022 draft after a 39-goal, 109-point season with the Mooseheads, then he finished second in scoring in all of Canadian junior hockey to No. 1 overall pick Connor Bedard a year later with 54 goals and 140 points in 64 games.
He was producing at a similar rate last season with a 16-31-47 line in his first 21 games with the Mooseheads before his season was cut short. The scoring touch is still there in the pros; in his first game back with Cleveland, Dumais notched an assist. In his second game on the ice, Dumais broke a 2-2 tie with a goal 3:33 into the third period, and his tally would stand up as the game-winning goal that pushed the Monsters past the Providence Bruins.
“I haven’t had that feeling in a while, haven’t played in so long, but it was good to get on the board fast and to help the team win,” he said.
Dumais’ return to the ice could not have come at a better time for the Monsters as the Blue Jackets have had to recall Luca Del Bel Belluz to Columbus to fill in for an injured Sean Monahan. Del Bel Belluz, who was named to the AHL All-Star Classic, had 37 points in 34 games before being called up and was leading the league in points.
“At the end of day, it is an unfortunate way to come into the season, but everything worked out fine, and I'm grateful to just be out here,” Dumais said.
The QMJHL MVP of the 2022-23 season has some lofty expectations on him because of the production he’s posted in the past. However, his focus is on how to translate his style of hockey into wins for the Monsters.
“I know I've proven to myself in the past that I can do it against whoever,” he said. “I think it's a matter of just trying to see what the game's like here, and just transitioning my game into a game that I could use over here.”
