Duffy still scoring at high pace

P.E.I. pint-sized forward Ben Duffy was waiting for a call from a NHL team for a training camp invite all summer.

“I thought I would get one,” he said. “I thought with the season I had last year that someone would give me a shot.”

No call came. Duffy was shut out.

“It’s a lot of adversity,” he said. “I figured I was getting one. I had people tell me I should get one or I’m going to get one. It just didn’t happen this year.”

Duffy has been taking the adversity and running with it so far this year, posting 14 points in his team’s first eight games of the 2011-12 Quebec Major Junior Hockey League season.

“I can only control what I can,” he said. “I’ll just try to catch [the scouts’] eyes this time around.”

Rocket head coach Gordie Dwyer, a former NHL pro himself, is surprised that the 5’11” Duffy’s phone didn’t ring in the off-season.

“I would have given him a call,” the former Lightning, Rangers and Canadiens enforcer said. “I was surprised about that. He’s really coming into his own.”

“He’s a premier offensive talent in this league,” Dwyer continued. “He has good vision, good hands, can create offence and skates well. It’s surprising to me.”

Duffy is in his fourth season with the P.E.I. Rocket. The small forward started off his QMJHL career with a bang, scoring 41 points in his rookie season in 2008-09.

He fell off the tracks in 2009-10, dropping to 27 points and falling for a sophomore slump. His third season was much better, and he evolved into an offensive force in the QMJHL, notching 81 points in 68 games and leading the team in scoring by 11 points.

So far this season, he’s registered 14 points in nine games.

For Duffy, his concerns have moved on. He’s an assistant captain of the struggling Rocket, currently sitting in 15^th spot in the 17-team QMJHL circuit. The leadership role is one that Duffy appreciates.

“It’s huge [to be wearing an A],” he said. “There’s a lot of new faces here this year. I know what it’s like in this league and I like to help out and stay positive. It’s a tough league to break into and I like to help.”

Duffy said his main assets are his offense and his ability to score.

“I’m a scorer,” he added. “I like to create space for myself with my vision and my hands. I’m an offensive player, and I like to get creative.”

Dwyer continued to compliment his forward.

“[He’s] a leader,” he said. “He leads our offense and allows us to be creative and really set up in the zone offensively. He’s a premier forward in this league and he has the talent.”

Duffy said that his consistency needs some work, as well as his all-around play.

“Consistency is something I have to work on. Consistency is something they notice in the upper levels, and it will get me noticed.”

Duffy finished with what he believes he needs to work on the most during the season to take his game to the next level.

“My defensive play is an area I want to focus on,” he added. “I want to be a consistent player in all areas of the game. Scoring goals is nice, but preventing them is good too.”