Islanders hire Pascal Dupuis as director of player development
The New York Islanders have announced on Tuesday that they’ve hired Pascal Dupuis as the director of player development.
Dupuis has spent the past six seasons with the Shawinigan Cataractes in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League. He’s worked in various positions within the organization, including director of hockey operations from 2020 to 2021, assistant coach from 2021 to 2023, and director of player development and assistant director of hockey operations from 2023 to 2026. He is also a partial owner of the franchise.
“Pascal is exactly the kind of person we want shaping the next generation of Islanders,” general manager Mathieu Darche said in a statement announcing the hiring. “His story is one every young player in our system can learn from as nothing was handed to him. He was undrafted, found his way to the NHL through his tireless work ethic, and built a career playing over 800 NHL games and finishing with him being a part of multiple Stanley Cup Championships. Pascal’s perspective will be invaluable for our developing players who are trying to find their way to the Islanders. We couldn’t be more excited to welcome him to the organization.”
Dupuis is better known for his time as a player, as he spent 16 seasons in the NHL with the Minnesota Wild, New York Rangers, Atlanta Thrashers and Pittsburgh Penguins. He accumulated 190 goals and 219 assists for 409 points in 871 regular season games, as well as 19 goals and 25 assists for 44 points in 97 games. He’s best known for his time as a Penguin playing alongside Sidney Crosby, highlighted by a Stanley Cup win in 2009. He also got votes for the Selke Trophy and Lady Byng Trophy on a few occasions in his career, and even got a fifth-place vote for the Hart Trophy in 2012-13.
Eric Cairns previously held the director of player development role for the Islanders for 12 seasons, beginning back in the 2013-14 season. The Islanders have not confirmed what Cairns new role with the team will be, or if he will be returning to the organization, but according to Isles beat reporter Stefen Rosner, what is known is that Cairns is no longer involved in hockey operations.